Atlanta weather | Storms roll through area

Storms marched across north Georgia late Friday night, downing trees and power lines and threatening tornadoes across the northern tier of metro Atlanta.

Here is the latest on the severe weather threat:

5:30 a.m.: The tornado watch has been dropped for all of Georgia. Radar showed only light to moderate rain still moving into the state from Alabama, and that rain was expected to end by late morning.

5:00 a.m.: DeKalb County is under a flash flood warning until 9:45 am., Gwinnett County until 10 a.m.

3:20 a.m. The tornado watch has been lifted for all but the southern suburbs of metro Atlanta. The watch remains in effect from south metro southward to the Macon area until 6 a.m.

2:34 a.m.: The tornado warning has been canceled for Barrow and Walton counties. There are currently no active storm warnings across north Georgia, although several counties in the northwest corner of the state remain under a flash flood warning until 6 a.m.

2:30 a.m.: The National Weather Service has dropped the tornado watch for areas of Georgia north of metro Atlanta as the severe weather threat diminishes from the northwest.

2:25 a.m.: Gwinnett County has been dropped from the tornado warning, which continues until 2:45 a.m. for parts of Walton and Barrow counties.

2:20 a.m.: The DeKalb County 911 center reported power lines down on DeKalb Industrial Way and Lawrenceville Highway.

2:06 a.m.: A tornado warning has been issued for southern Gwinnett, southern Barrow and northern Walton counties until 2:45 a.m.

1:43 a.m.: Southern Gwinnett and northern Walton counties were under a severe thunderstorm warning until 2:15 a.m.

1:33 a.m.: A severe thunderstorm warning has been posted for central Fulton and DeKalb counties until 2 a.m.

1:17 a.m.: The National Weather Service has issued a "significant weather advisory" for Cobb, Carroll, Douglas and Haralson counties until 2 a.m. as the line of storms that moved through Polk and Paulding counties continued eastward. At 1:14 a.m., radar indicated strong thunderstorms from west of Acworth to west of Bowdon with winds of 45 mph.

1:03 a.m.: The tornado warning for Troup County has expired, but a severe thunderstorm warning has now been issued for southern Coweta and northwestern Meriwether counties until 1:30 a.m. as that storm continues to the east.

12:54 a.m.: A severe thunderstorm warning was posted for Haralson, Paulding and Polk counties as yet another line of strong storms began crossing the state line from Alabama.

12:44 a.m.: The Paulding Northwest Atlanta Airport west of Dallas is closed until further notice. Airport manager Blake Swafford told the AJC that 80 percent of the 23 aircraft at the airport were destroyed. "Basically, everything is damaged," he said.

12:30 a.m.: The National Weather Service has dropped the northernmost counties of Georgia from the tornado watch.

12:18 a.m.: A tornado warning has been posted for Troup County southwest of Atlanta for a storm that was about 25 miles west of LaGrange. The warning was in effect until 1 a.m.

12:15 a.m.: A flash flood warning was posted, in effect through 6 a.m., for northern Pickens and southern Gilmer counties, where 2.5 inches of rain had fallen.

11:58 p.m.: Georgia Power reports that 1,100 customers statewide were without electricity as of 11:30.

11:45 p.m.: Haralson County fire Chief Brian Walker told Channel 2 Action News that rescue crews worked for about two hours to free a man who was trapped in his heavily damaged home near Buchanan. The man was taken to a local hospital for treatment of injuries that Walker said were not believed to be life-threatening.

11:36 p.m.: A flash flood warning has been issued for Chattooga, Gordon and northwest Floyd counties, where the National Weather Service said up to 2 inches of rain had fallen. The warning is in effect until 5:15 a.m., as forecasters are expecting another inch or two of rain.

11:27 p.m.: About a dozen homes were damaged when the storms moved through Paulding County earlier in the evening, but no injuries have been reported, according to MaryAnn Phipps, spokeswoman for the county's fire department and emergency management agency. Several planes were damaged at the Paulding County Airport, Phipps said, and fire crews were foaming an area at the airport were about 300 gallons of fuel spilled. Numerous roads west of Dallas near the airport were closed by downed trees and debris.

11:18 p.m.: A tornado warning remains in effect through 11:30 for northwestern Hall, Lumpkin and White counties northeast of Atlanta.

11:10 p.m.: Another strong storm was crossing the state line from Alabama into the Rome area, prompting the National Weather Service to issue a severe thunderstorm warning for Floyd and Chattooga counties until 12:15 a.m.

11:03 p.m.: The tornado watch, meaning that conditions will be favorable for the development of tornadoes, has been extended through 5 a.m. Saturday much of north and central Georgia, including all of metro Atlanta.

10:53 p.m.: A new tornado warning was issued, in effect through 11:30 p.m., for Forsyth, Dawson, Hall, Lumpkin and White counties as a severe storm capable of producing a tornado moved northeast of Dawsonville.

By 10 p.m., most of the storm activity was passing east out of the area, although just before 11, a new tornado warning was posted for several counties northeast of Atlanta.

By 10:30 p.m., the last tornado warning, in the Gainesville area, expired. Crews were heading out to check out the damage, clear streets of downed trees and restore power to darkened neighborhoods.

The worst of the storms hit around 9 p.m., when radar picked up airborne debris indicating a twister near Marietta in central Cobb County, moving east at 45 mph, the Weather Service said. By 9:30 p.m., the storm was near Alpharetta in north Fulton County, still moving east at 45 mph.

As of 10 p.m., police reported trees down and power out on Roswell Road at East Piedmont Road in Cobb County and on Old Canton Road in Roswell. Cherokee County had flooding on Trickum Road, and Alpharetta had tree debris on southbound Ga. 400 at Windward Highway.

In Paulding County, Homer Cochran, Mount Olivet Loop and Wayside Lane were closed due to downed power lines and debris. There also was some structure damage but no injuries reported yet, according to Paulding Fire Rescue.

Georgia Power reported 1,570 customers without electricity around the state, of which 1,300 were in the metro Atlanta area.

The threat of storms will continue overnight, Channel 2 Meteorologist Brad Nitz said.

Additionally, a flash flood watch was in effect for northwest Georgia due to a potential for rainfall totaling 3 to 4 inches.

Morning storms are possible Saturday, with skies expected to clear by afternoon, according to forecasters. Cooler weather is expected to move in for the weekend, when high temperatures will reach the upper 50s. Friday's high temperature was 76 degrees.

Please return for updates.