The violent winds started pummeling downtown Atlanta —- punching holes in skyscrapers and kicking down the sides of buildings —- with brutal suddenness.

But despite the perception that the tornado struck with virtually no advance notice, a warning did come.

Just not much of one.

The National Weather Service in Peachtree City issued a tornado warning about eight minutes before the twister touched down in the city Friday night, said meteorologist Verona Murrell. Twelve minutes is about an average amount of time for a tornado warning, officials said.

That's because, unlike hurricanes that can be tracked for days, tornados often whirl into being with fierce and unpredictable speed.

On Friday, the weather service spotted the rapidly circulating winds on radar and issued a tornado warning at 9:30 p.m. The weather service warnings are sent out to local TV and radio stations, weather radios, emergency management offices and cellphones programmed for weather alerts. TV stations typically air such warnings right away, said meteorologist Mike Griesinger.

The twister that beat up Atlanta touched down at 9:38 p.m. just west of the Georgia Dome, and hopscotched its way to the World Congress Center, the Omni, Philips Arena, the Equitable Building and then across to Cabbagetown. It lasted about 15 to 20 minutes, officials said.

The tornado was declared a category EF 2, with the strongest winds reaching 135 mph. Tornadoes can reach up to a category EF 5 with winds over 200 mph. The tornado stretched 200 yards at its widest, and it left a path of damage six miles long, said meteorologist Griesinger.

Rocky Moore, director of the Fulton County Emergency Management Agency, which coordinates responses to major emergencies, said his team had been tracking the storm much of the day, and it had the potential but no indications of forming into a tornado.

"We thought it would only be severe thunderstorms," he said.

After all, no twister had ever hit downtown Atlanta since such weather recording-keeping began in the 1880s. At 9 p.m. —- while Moore was at home —- the National Weather Service heightened what had been a severe thunderstorm warning to a tornado warning. Moore headed into the office.

Downtown Atlanta does not have outdoor tornado horns, he noted.

"It did not give us much warning whatsoever," he said.

Having no warning terrified Mary Craig, of Dover, Tenn., and her 10-year-old son Patrick, who were watching cartoons on the fifth floor of The Glenn Hotel on Marietta Street when the storm hit.

"I was talking on my cellphone when I heard a big roar," Craig said. "I grabbed Patrick and headed for the basement. ... The scariest thing is there was no warning. Hope I never have to go through anything like that again."

Saturday was filled with repeated tornado watches and warnings. If Atlantans were not familiar with tornado warnings before Friday, they are now.

Staff writer Paul Kasko contributed to this report.