Seven tornadoes were confirmed to have touched down in Georgia as the remnants of Hurricane Delta passed through the area Saturday night, according to the National Weather Service.
The Category 2 hurricane made landfall in southern Louisiana on Friday before dragging across North Georgia as a weakened storm. It caused flash flooding, brought trees down and prompted dozens of tornado watches and warnings.
“In addition to very heavy rain and significant flooding, these rain bands created numerous circulations with several resulting in brief tornadoes,” the NWS said in a statement Monday afternoon.
The most powerful of the Georgia storms, an EF1 tornado in Newton County, left a homeless shelter substantially damaged, officials said. It touched down in Covington about 4:30 p.m., the NWS said.
The tornado tracked from the intersection of Washington Street and Walker Bend Parkway to Woodhaven Drive, officials said. It destroyed the men’s quarter of the Rainbow Community Center in Covington, Channel 2 Action News reported.
About 20 residents were watching television when the damaging winds blew through the area. The building was no longer habitable after the storm, officials told Channel 2, so men who had been staying there were moved to a gymnasium overnight. Two people were treated for minor injuries, the NWS said.
Five of the other six EF0 tornadoes touched down in metro Atlanta, the agency confirmed.
In Clayton County, a storm with 75-mph winds briefly swept through the area about 7:45 p.m. The tornado hit near Maddox Road south of Mt. Zion Boulevard and then moved northwest, the NWS said. It snapped a few trees and pulled the siding off a home, but no injuries were reported.
At 8:16 p.m., a tornado touched down just north of I-20 in DeKalb County, officials said. The storm pulled shingles off roofs and uprooted some trees as it moved from I-20 toward Covington Highway. Several trees were knocked onto homes, and one brought down power lines in the area, the NWS said.
Authorities in Gwinnett County confirmed another tornado just west of Bethesda Park, between Lilburn and Lawrenceville.
“The very short-lived tornado tracked northwest, snapping or uprooting multiple trees in a residential area between Oak Park Drive and Sweetwater Drive,” the NWS said. Some trees were knocked onto homes, but no major damage was reported.
A pair of EF0 tornadoes touched down in Coweta County, the first at 6:18 p.m. and the second at 7:15 p.m.
The first hit near The Village Center on Ga. 29 and continued moving north, ending in a residential area along Howard Hughes Road, the NWS said. A few trees were uprooted but no one was injured.
Less than an hour later, a tornado touched down on the southwestern side of Newnan, according to the NWS. It hit near Newnan High School and continued north toward Westview Cemetery. A portion of the high school’s roof was damaged during the storm.
The final tornado was recorded in Pike County at 6:27 p.m. According to the NWS, it touched down just northeast of Concord Road and uprooted multiple trees before lifting near the intersection of West Road and Hollonville Road.
The Weather Service said it’s still trying to determine if tornadoes touched down in other areas.
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