Dozens of homes in Floyd County were damaged by a Wednesday night storm that authorities said was likely a tornado, and forecasters are warning that another round of storms could move through north Georgia late Thursday night and early Friday.
One possibly storm-related death was reported.
Floyd County police Sgt. Dan Logan said a woman in her 70s is believed to have suffered a heart attack when the storm blew the roof off her house. Rescue workers had difficulty reaching the woman, but eventually arrived at her home and rushed her to an area hospital, where she was pronounced dead.
Floyd County Emergency Management Agency Director Scotty Hancock told AM750 and 95.5FM News/Talk WSB that between 50 and 100 homes were damaged by the storm, which barreled through the county between 9:30 and 9:45 p.m. Wednesday.
Hancock said he believes it was a tornado that left a nearly two-mile-long path of destruction along Kingston Highway and Freeman Ferry Road.
“Until we get up in the air in the daylight, you can’t really make that determination, but I don’t think it was straight-line winds,” Hancock said. “I’m probably 99.9 percent sure.”
Hancock said the county was under a severe thunderstorm warning when the storm hit.
The storm left about 2,000 homes and businesses without power.
Classes were canceled Thursday for five schools in the affected area: Model High, Middle and Elementary schools, Johnson Elementary and the Floyd County Education Center.
Metro Atlanta should be storm- and rain-free during most of the day on Thursday, but the National Weather Service said scattered thunderstorms are expected Thursday night, with some of the storms possibly becoming strong to severe.
“It appears the greater severe storm threat will be along and north of a LaGrange-to-Athens line and generally between the hours of 10 p.m. and 7 a.m. Friday,” the Weather Service said early Thursday. Metro Atlanta is included in that area.
Channel 2 Action News meteorologist Karen Minton said temperatures ahead of the storms should climb into the mid-70s across metro Atlanta Thursday afternoon.
The “very strong” cold front will keep temperatures on Friday about 15 degrees cooler, Minton said.
She said the chance of rain is 70 percent overnight, diminishing to 40 percent Friday morning.
Minton’s weekend forecast is for dry weather, with highs in the mid- to upper 50s and lows in the mid-30s.
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