NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- The National Weather Service told The Associated Press on Friday an assessment team reviewed storm damage near Nashville International Airport and concluded an EF1 tornado touched down about 4 p.m. on Thursday.

NWS Forecaster Bobby Boyd said the width of the damage path varied from 50 yards to 100 yards. The length was one mile. An EF1 tornado has wind speeds of 86 to 100 mph.

He said it was raining heavily when the storm struck, so people in the area would not likely have seen a tornado.

A Firestone tire business and cars were damaged by the storm when it struck at 4:15 p.m., but there were no reports of injuries. A cinder block wall and garage door were blown down at the business, which is located at 1192 Murfreesboro Pike.

"It was loud and windy. I'm just glad nobody got hurt," said Firestone employee Larry Garcia. "All my teammates and co-workers are fine, customers are fine ... I was actually working on a car, and we started hearing a wind, and we all went to the back room, and it started to get louder and louder, you know, by the time we came out, all of this was already done."

Power lines, poles and trees were downed in this area of southeast Nashville.

Paul Eichel, the general manager of Silverado Saloon and Dance Hall had just received a beer shipment to his business when he heard what sounded like a freight train.

"It sounded like the roof was getting ready to come off, so my dog and I got underneath the desk until it passed. It took about 30 seconds," said Eichel.

He said he believes the tornado probably skipped over his business.

When the storms hit, the Federal Aviation Administration evacuated the tower at Nashville International Airport, and all flight activity was stopped temporarily.

The airport asked people in the terminal to take cover away from windows. Flights have resumed, but delays were expected.

Heavy Rains Bring Flooding

Widespread flooding was reported in east Nashville and Centennial Park. Flooding also occurred on West End and some cars were submerged. Richland Creek near Harding Road was at abnormally high levels Thursday night.

Major flooding occurred in Maury County from the storms. Four inches of water were on a road in the Legion Park area in Maury County Thursday evening. Terrapin Branch Road in Mount Pleasant had a foot of water after heavy rains hit the area.

Trees Uprooted; Tractor-Trailers Tossed

Heavy winds blew down large trees in Donelson. The Wren family said they planted a Christmas tree along Kipling Road in 1973, but it was uprooted by the storms on Thursday.

On Interstate 40 West and East at Briley Parkway, two overturned tractor-trailers shut down lanes in the eastbound and westbound roadways for a period of time during the Thursday evening rush hour.

"There just a big gust of wind come through," said tractor-trailer driver Carroll Anderson. "It lifted me up once and then dropped me back down, and then the next thing I know, I'm riding on the side of the truck."

No injuries were reported in Middle Tennessee from the severe weather.