Update: Riverbend talent and production coordinator Joe "Dixie" Fuller said that he expects the current line of thunderstorms to clear out in 30 to 45 minutes, shortly before the first bands are set to take the stage for Faith and Family Night. The festival's policy is to keep to the schedule and avoid weather delays except in cases where lightning or wind could prove dangerous to artists.
"[No side stages] are delayed for now. It's all about go for show," Fuller said. "Lightning and wind are bad, but if I just have straight-down rain, I can play."
Riverbend festival-goers in Chattanooga could be in for high winds and even hail, according to the National Weather Service.
A severe thunderstorm watch will remain valid until 7 p.m. in East Tennessee, including Anderson, Bledsoe, Bradley, Campbell, Hamilton, Marion, McMinn, Meigs, Morgan, Rhea, Roane, Scott and Sequatchie Counties, the service said.
An earlier alert in effect until 4 p.m. warned of a line of severe thunderstorms capable of producing quarter-size hail and destructive winds in excess of 70 mph.