Thousands without electricity as fast storms topple trees, power lines

Storms rolled through metro Atlanta late Tuesday morning, dumping heavy rain and winds strong enough to topple trees and power lines. By the afternoon, the threat of severe weather was over, but the damage was done.

Counties south of Atlanta were the hardest hit, but no injuries were reported.

At 5 p.m., more than 35,000 Coweta-Fayette EMC customers were without power, the utility posted online. Earlier Tuesday afternoon, about 14,000 Georgia Power customers were without electricity in the metro area, but that number dropped significantly as crews worked to restore power.

But most of Coweta County was without power all afternoon, according to fire Chief Pat Wilson. The county’s 911 center answered more than 200 calls reporting downed trees and power lines, and that number likely will increase, Wilson said.

Public safety crews were assessing the damage in downtown Newnan in the area of Jackson Street and Park Avenue, according to a city spokeswoman.

In Fayette, trees, power lines and traffic lights were on the ground at the intersection of Ga. 74 and Georgian Park in Peachtree City, the city’s police and fire departments tweeted. Winds also toppled trees in Cobb County. And a driver walked away without injury after a huge tree crushed his truck in southeast Atlanta, Channel 2 Action News reported.

While an isolated shower is possible Tuesday night, the severe weather is over, according to Channel 2 meteorologists.

Credit: Joan Vanderslice

Credit: Joan Vanderslice

“Look for cooler temperatures and only an isolated shower into this evening,” meteorologist Brad Nitz said. “I’m looking ahead to the return of sunshine.”

That wasn’t the case earlier in the day, when the National Weather Service issued a flurry of watches and warnings. Parts of metro Atlanta were temporarily under a tornado watch and a severe thunderstorm warning as rain and damaging winds swept through the area.

Despite the cleanup needed, there was some good news: The rain brought some needed relief from the pollen Tuesday, according to meteorologist Brian Monahan.

Pollen numbers were down Tuesday, but a count of 2,922 particles per cubic meter of air is still considered to be in the extremely high range. Monahan said it is likely Atlanta peaked for the season with Sunday’s sky-high count of 8,918.

Tree pollen like oak, pine, mulberry, sycamore and sweet gum are the top contributors to Tuesday’s count, according to Atlanta Allergy and Asthma.

More sunshine is on the way, but expect a chillier start for Wednesday, Monahan said.

“It’s going to be cold,” Monahan said. “We'll be down into the 30s and 40s tomorrow to start, but back to the 70s by Friday.”