Expect sunshine, warm weather this weekend

After a harrowing night of severe storms and vivid lightning that sparked fires across metro Atlanta and disrupted operations at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, the forecast for the weekend is for sunny skies and summer-like temperatures.

Highs will reach the mid-80s Friday and Saturday, then top out in the low 80s on Sunday, the National Weather Service said.

Marcus Garner / mgarner@ajc.com

Firefighters in southwest Atlanta douse a tree that was struck by lightning on Mt. Gilead Road.

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The next chance of rain won’t be until the middle of next week, when there’s a slight chance of showers beginning Wednesday, forcasters said.

Lightning struck the air traffic control tower at Hartsfield-Jackson Thursday night, temporarily taking out power at the airport, officials said.

Federal Aviation Administration said spokeswoman Kathleen Bergen said the tower was struck around 8:45 p.m.

“Severe weather had been over the airport all evening long, and we were holding flights,” Bergen said. “The situation was compounded when the tower took a direct lightning hit.”

FAA officials evacuated the 398-foot tower — the tallest in the nation — and FAA employees reported the smell of smoke.

After officials checked to make certain all of the equipment was working, air traffic controllers returned and the tower was operational again by 9:10 p.m., Bergen said.

“I can’t recall a lightning strike on this tower,” said Bergen, who’s been with the FAA for 18 years.

But there was a commercial power failure at the entire airport at 9:25 p.m., she said.

“We do have a massive generator, but we have to restart,” she said of the airport.

The tower was operational again just before 10 p.m. All runways were open again by 12:05 a.m. Friday and flights were operating on schedule.

The storms took out power in areas of metro Atlanta, and lightning-related fires were reported in Cobb County, Gwinnett County, Sandy Springs, and DeKalb County, emergency officials said.

Lightning apparently sparked a fire Thursday night that damaged an apartment building in Kennesaw.

No serious injuries were reported in the blaze, which damaged several units at the Century Crest complex on Barrett Lakes Boulevard.

Cobb fire spokeswoman Denell Boyd said the fire broke out about 8:30 p.m., just as severe storms moved through the area.

While the cause of the fire was still under investigation early Friday, Boyd said it was most likely caused by lightning. “From about 8:15 to 8:45, [the storm] was really bad, and it was right in the middle of that,” she said.

Boyd said two residents were treated at the scene for minor smoke inhalation.

“They went back in to get their pets, and when they came out, they complained of smoke inhalation, but they’re going to be okay,” she said.

In Gwinnett County, fire heavily damaged a vacant home on Riverwalk Trail near Lilburn just after 9 p.m..

“Firefighters have confirmed that the blaze was sparked by a lightning strike,” Gwinnett fire Capt. Thomas Rutledge said. “A strong storm was moving through the area at the time and neighbors reported a loud boom and a bright flash of lightning just before the fire.”

The National Weather Service received dozens of reports of hail up to 1.75 inches in diameter from Cobb, Fulton, DeKalb, Clayton, Cherokee, Douglas, Paulding, Bartow and Henry counties.

More than an inch of rain fell at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport during a one-hour period Thursday night, the Weather Service said.

In the Powder Springs area, a couple of people reported seeing a funnel cloud, but authorities said they had no confirmation and that no homes had been reported damaged, though a utility pole was struck by lightning.

Thursday night’s storms will give way to a milder, hotter weekend.

There’s a slight chance of thunderstorms Friday, with temperatures expected to hit the mid-80s Friday and Saturday. That’s about 7 to 10 degrees above what’s normal this time of year.