A potentially dangerous weekend of severe weather arrived on Saturday night in Georgia, with storms also expected to hit parts of metro Atlanta.
Georgia’s western border and parts of the metro’s west side are under a Level 4 of 5 risk for severe weather Saturday and Sunday, the National Weather Service warns. A large portion of the rest of the state is under a Level 3 risk. The locations under a Level 4 threat carry a 15% chance of tornado formation within 25 miles of any given point. Areas under a Level 3 threat have a 10% chance.
As forecasters predicted, around 8 p.m. northwest Georgia started experiencing the stormy weather.
Here’s the latest on the severe weather affecting the state.
Shortly after 9 p.m., storms were moving through Paulding County, northwest of Atlanta.
It started with light rain and the winds began to increase. There were also a few rumbles of thunder.
"Just because we are in a tornado watch, don't take it for granted that you would receive a tornado warning," Paulding EMA Director Stephen Dooley said in a Facebook video.
The conditions mean a tornado is possible even if the "warning" has yet to be issued, he explained.
Dooley advised having electronic devices charged and suggested residents follow trusted media sources and local social media.
"If you start hearing a lot of a noise like thunder activity, you want to go ahead, even without having to get that warning, to your safe spaces at your house where you're at, that lowest level and then as interior as possible where you don't have any windows surrounding you."
Savannah is celebrating St. Patrick's weekend, with thousands of visitors in the coastal Georgia city.
Big crowds are expected downtown through Monday night.
So far, the festivities have not been impacted by rainy weather.
That will change Sunday afternoon.
AccuWeather has "possibly damaging thunderstorms" in the forecast, with the "possibility of an isolated tornado."
Sunday's high temperature will be 76 degrees. On Monday, it will be 67.
The storms headed to the Atlanta metro area are filled with lightning, radar indicates.
More than 200 strikes on average have been recorded per minute in the last 10 minutes in the thunderstorms moving through Alabama toward Georgia.
At 9:28 p.m., 575 strikes were recorded in the previous minute on radar outside Birmingham.
The National Weather Service in Atlanta temporarily has taken over for the National Weather Service office in Birmingham.
A tornado on the ground Saturday night in Calera, Ala., site of the Birmingham weather service office, forced staffers into their shelter, the Weather Channel reported.
The weather service office in Birmingham had just issued a tornado warning for the area.
A local Walmart was damaged during the tornado, reports indicate.
A tornado warning has been issued for north central Gilmer County and northwestern Fannin County, both in far North Georgia, according to the National Weather Service.
The warning is in effect until 9:30 p.m.
At 8:57 p.m., a severe thunderstorm capable of producing a tornado was located near Cherry Log, or about seven miles west of Blue Ridge, the Weather Service said. It was moving northeast at 55 mph.
A tornado watch previously issued for parts of far northwest Georgia has significantly expanded to include Atlanta.
The National Weather Service issued the watch shortly before 9 p.m. for most counties from northeast to southwest Georgia. Metro Atlanta counties included in the watch are Fulton, Clayton, Rockdale, Henry, Paulding, Cherokee, Cobb, DeKalb, Gwinnett, Spalding, Coweta, Forsyth, Fayette, Hall and Douglas.
It's in effect until 4 a.m. Sunday.
Severe storms will start moving into metro Atlanta as early as 11 p.m. and linger until 3 or 4 a.m., a National Weather Service meteorologist just told the AJC.
The weather service is monitoring stormy weather in northern Georgia, Atlanta NWS forecaster Sid King said, as it awaits the arrival of rain and wind in the Atlanta area.
The weather service has received reports of half-dollar-sized hail in Bartow County, about 50 miles northwest of downtown Atlanta, King said.
Don't call 911 if you're experiencing a power outage. Contact your provider instead.
If Georgia Power is your provider, you can fill out this online form.
You can also find the contact information for your local Georgia EMC here.
Chattanooga weather radar indicates heavy rain is falling in Calhoun, TV meteorologist David Glenn reported.
The downpours were heading to Dalton and Chatsworth, Chattanooga TV station WTVC radar showed in its live coverage of severe weather in North Georgia.
Glenn warned of possible large hail between Resaca and Dalton off Interstate 75.
Do not attempt to outdrive or outrun a tornado.
Instead, GEMA recommends driving to the nearest building and seeking shelter immediately.
An overpass is not a safe shelter during a tornado, and GEMA advises against seeking refuge in a vehicle.