Strong storms swept through North Georgia and metro Atlanta on Friday and early Saturday, leading to a child’s death after a tree fell on her Atlanta home and a partial roof collapse at a Forsyth County business.
Severe thunderstorm warnings began around 1 p.m. Friday and intensified by 5:30 p.m.
The threat of severe weather ended around 11:30 p.m., though scattered showers and isolated thunderstorms continued to move through the area overnight, according to the National Weather Service.
More rain is expected across the state Saturday, with two rounds of storms likely to develop around 11 a.m. and again around 4 p.m.
Around 3 a.m. Saturday, a tree fell onto a home on Mims Street near Martin Luther King Jr. and Westview drives in southwest Atlanta, according to fire department spokesperson Anare Holmes. At least six people lived at the home.
A 10-year-old girl was killed, and two others — identified as her mother and grandmother — were taken to the hospital and were in stable condition, Holmes said.
During a round of storms around 1 p.m. Friday, the roof of a Forsyth County business collapsed, injuring four employees, according to the fire department. The incident occurred at the Chemence facility located at 200 Technology Drive.
“The structure sustained substantial damage and flooding. There was no release of any hazardous materials. The situation has been stabilized and there are no additional hazards,” the fire department said.
The company manufactures medical adhesives, according to its website.
Credit: Forsyth County Fire Department
Credit: Forsyth County Fire Department
Even more rain is expected to move through North Georgia on Saturday, though conditions are not forecast to be as intense.
Rain will begin pushing in from the west around 11 a.m. ahead of a cold front and is expected to reach metro Atlanta by noon, according to Channel 2 Action News chief meteorologist Brad Nitz.
Showers will linger in the metro area until about 3 p.m. before becoming more scattered and continuing to shift east.
A second, stronger round of storms is expected as the cold front moves in, Nitz said. That line of storms will begin impacting the northwest corner of the state around 4 p.m., with metro Atlanta turning soggy by around 7 p.m.
The evening storms are expected to move quickly, clearing Atlanta by 9 p.m. and the broader metro area by 10 p.m.
Nearly the entire state faces a Level 1 of 5 risk for damaging wind gusts and hail, and the Weather Service expects at least an inch of rain to accumulate.
Severe weather will then clear out and conditions will turn dry Sunday through Tuesday.
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