Thunderstorms popped up late Tuesday afternoon, just in time to make the drive home wet and messy for metro Atlanta.
Rain was moving northeast across Atlanta at 4 p.m. as the end of a massive storm that flooded parts of Texas and Oklahoma moved into Georgia. Cloud-to-ground lightning and pea-sized hail was reported in northern suburbs, and flash flooding is a threat, according to chief meteorologist Glenn Burns with Channel 2 Action News.
Within just over two hours, metro Atlanta was mostly out of the way from storms. Severe thunderstorm warnings issued by the National Weather Service expired. But a flood warning was issued for Big Creek in Forsyth County until Wednesday morning.
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The storm was blamed for multiple vehicle crashes and downed trees, and lightning was believed to be responsible for a handful of fires, according to officials. No serious injuries were reported.
In Gwinnett County, firefighters were called to three possible lightning strikes at homes in Buford and Snellville, according to Capt. Tommy Rutledge with the fire department. No structure damage was found at any of the homes. Also in Gwinnett, a crash sent a vehicle into a Lawrenceville daycare, where two children sustained minor injuries, according to police. It was raining at the time of the crash, but it was not immediately known whether the weather was a factor.
No one was injured when a tree landed on top of a mobile home off Ga. 92 in Cherokee County, Lt. Jay Baker with the sheriff’s office said. In Roswell, Willeo Road was closed near the Chattahoochee Nature Center due to flooding, according to police.
A temporary ground stop was in effect until 5:30 p.m. at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, delaying all flights in and out, according to the FAA’s website. But both incoming and outgoing flights were back on schedule later Tuesday evening.
The storms left just over 8,000 customers statewide without electricity, including less than 1,000 in the metro area, according to Georgia Power’s update around 8:30 p.m.
The storms could roll through again this evening and likely will follow a repeat pattern Wednesday and Thursday, Burns said.
Heavy rain, thunder and lightning are likely, plus hail is a possibility, Burns said. Tuesday’s high temperature was 82 degrees, and the forecast for the next two days is similar.
There is a 70 percent chance of rain for both Wednesday and Thursday, with highs in the low 80s, Burns said. Nighttime low temperatures will dip to the upper 60s.
Scattered storms are again possible Friday, but the weekend should be mostly dry.
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