Strong storms that blew across metro Atlanta early Tuesday morning killed at least one person and drenched North Georgia, bringing down trees and causing widespread flooding.
A steady rain that fell overnight gradually increased throughout the morning hours as storms grew stronger with rising temperatures. It caused several crashes on slick roads during the morning commute, led to major headaches at the airport and left thousands of Georgians without power. Strong winds also toppled trees and damaged buildings.
The only reported fatality was in Clayton County, where authorities said a man died when a massive tree fell across the eastbound lanes of Fayetteville Road shortly before 10 a.m., crushing his white sedan. The tree destroyed the vehicle’s windshield and crumpled the car, shutting down the road near the intersection with Jenni Lane, not far from Tara Boulevard. The victim, who was identified by officials to Channel 2 Action News as 78-year-old Herbert Lee Williams, was pronounced dead at the scene.
While Georgians had braced for the threat of tornadoes, none were reported, and the state was mostly spared from the brunt of the storm despite several school districts canceling or delaying classes Tuesday.
The line of dangerous storms was part of a system that stretched from Maine to New Mexico and put millions in the Southeast under a tornado threat. In Florida, Gov. Ron DeSantis had to declare a state of emergency in 49 counties after tornadoes blew the roofs off homes, flipped over campers and tossed about furniture, according to the Associated Press.
Credit: Clayton County Police Department
Credit: Clayton County Police Department
Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport also felt the effects of the storms. The Federal Aviation Administration issued a ground delay on in-bound flights that led to the cancellation of 21 Delta Air Lines flights and more than 650 Delta delays. The total number of delays for all airlines topped 1,000.
Credit: John Spink / John.Spink@ajc.com
Credit: John Spink / John.Spink@ajc.com
By noon Tuesday, the bulk of the storms had moved out of North Georgia and the cleanup began.
Some areas were hit especially hard by strong winds that brought gusts of up to 50 mph. In the North Georgia mountains, a gust of 71 mph was recorded at Brasstown Bald, according to Channel 2 Action News meteorologist Brian Monahan.
In Fulton County, a warehouse along Wendell Court just south of Charlie Brown Field was damaged when the roof caved in and its cinderblock walls toppled. According to Channel 2, the collapse was caused by the weight of rainwater on the roof.
A tornado warning was briefly issued for Fulton, DeKalb and Clayton counties shortly before 8:30 a.m., but it was soon canceled. No other tornadoes were reported.
The heavy rain led to flood and flash flood warnings for rivers and creeks in several metro counties, including DeKalb, Cobb, Gwinnett and Rockdale, according to the National Weather Service.
There were reports of flooding on an interstate ramp in Fulton and in the parking lots of some businesses, including a strip mall in Covington. Video footage showed the Covington Corners shopping center partially submerged in standing water, including a Ross store and restaurants.
As a result of the storm, thousands of residents were left without power. Georgia Power and the Georgia EMCs combined to report more than 55,000 customers without power at one point.
Several school districts delayed or canceled classes in anticipation of the storms. Districts closer to Atlanta opted to remain open.
The showers cleared out by mid-afternoon, setting the stage for a dry Wednesday and Thursday.
Credit: WSBTV Videos
— Staff writer Kelly Yamanouchi contributed to this article.
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