It almost seemed like the forecasted storm was not going to happen. Many evening commuters made it home just fine Thursday night.
Then the rain came. And the wind. And the lightning.
In a matter of minutes, powerful thunderstorms rolled through metro Atlanta, leaving downed trees and power lines in their paths. Many were literally left in the dark without electricity.
“On the drive home, I didn’t start seeing anything until I hit Roswell Road south of Abernathy, and then all of a sudden the rain just pushed down and it got real windy,” Donna Preucil told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Preucil said she “literally crawled through the branches” to get home. “I didn’t know what else to do,” she said.
Numerous vehicle wrecks were also being reported on metro interstates and side streets, due to storm debris.
“We’re talking about incredible amounts of lightning,” Channel 2 Action News chief meteorologist Glenn Burns said.
A tornado warning issued for Cherokee, Cobb and Fulton counties expired at 8 p.m., but most of the metro area remained under a thunderstorm warning or watch, according to the National Weather Service.
Strong, straight-line winds were reported between 70 to 80 mph, according to Channel 2 meteorologist Brad Nitz.
Around 10:30 p.m., about 158,000 Georgia Power customers statewide were without electricity, a spokesperson for the utility said. As of 9:30 p.m., Georgia’s electric membership cooperatives (EMCs) were reporting approximately 30,000 customers across metro Atlanta without power. Crews were dispatched and planned to work through the night to restore power.
Motorists were being advised to use caution if driving was required Thursday night. Air travelers were also affected, according to the FAA. Departing flights from the Atlanta airport were being delayed at least an hour and a half.
A county-by-county look at damage:
Cherokee County: Two people sustained non-life-threatening injuries in Cherokee County when trees fell on vehicles, according to Lt. Jay Baker with the county sheriff's office.
One of those injuries occurred on Arthur Road in Holly Springs when a tree fell on a black SUV, trapping the 58-year-old driver, according to Tim Cavender with Cherokee County Fire and Emergency Services. Firefighters cut the trees away from the vehicle to free the woman, who appeared to have a bloody nose and was being check by EMTs and paramedics, Cavender said. According to Cherokee County E911, dispatchers received more than 300 calls since the start the storm.
Fulton County: In Sandy Springs, crews were working to clear many roadways, but it wasn't expected to be a quick process, according to Capt. Steve Rose with the city's police department.
“Like everyone else in the area, we have numerous trees and wires down,” Rose said via email. “A number of residential areas have road blockage.”
One of the huge trees toppled by Thursday night’s storms fell across the only road into Preucil’s Brandon Mill Farms condominium complex in Sandy Springs.
Closer to Atlanta, power outages were reported, and trees and branches were resting on houses and across streets. Large trees were reported down on Northside Drive at Peachtree Battle and Mount Paran Road at Garmon Road.
Gwinnett County: A portion of Norcross near the DeKalb County line was the hardest hit portion of the county, according to Cpl. Jake Smith with Gwinnett County police.
“Damage included downed trees and power lines, power outages, and damaged street sign and traffic signals,” Smith said in an emailed statement.
No serious injuries were reported.
The Liberty Heights community in the Norcross-Doraville area was especially hard hit, according to Lt. Colin Rhoden with the county’s fire department.
“Crews are going door to door checking for any other hazards and for the safety of the residents,” Rhoden said via email late Thursday.
In the Snellville area, a fire was reported in the woods in the 900 block of Tom Smith Road.
Cobb County: Lightning was believed to have sparked several house fires, including one on Hadrian Court in Powder Springs, according to Lt. Dan Dupree with the Cobb County fire department.
East Cobb appeared to take the biggest hit from the storm, according to Officer Mike Bowman with Cobb County police.
Trees were also reported down around Kennesaw State University.
Cobb DOT reported approximately 70 trees down and 20 traffic signals not working in the northeast part of the county.
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