Thunderstorms Likely, Gusts Up To 35 MPH As Wind Advisory Issued

ATLANTA, GA — The National Weather Service has issued a wind advisory on Friday and a hazardous weather outlook for the Atlanta metro for the rest of the weekend. The wind advisory went into effect at 11 a.m. and will last until 8 p.m. on April 26 for much of Georgia. Wind gusts are expected to reach 15 to 35 mph. Wind gusts of 40 to 45 mph are possible in the higher elevations of the mountains.

Gusty winds will blow around unsecured objects, NWS said. Some trees and large limbs could be blown down and power outages may result. Anymore saturated soils from recent rainfall could allow for trees to down more easily.

The NWS said a wind advisory means that sustained wind speeds of at least 20 mph or gusts to 35 mph or stronger are expected. Winds this strong can make driving difficult especially for high profile vehicles.

Then on Sunday, isolated thunderstorms will be possible for far north Georgia along a stationary front. Although no severe thunderstorms are expected at this time, stronger storms will produce occasional lightning and gusty winds, the weather service said.

The chance of thunderstorms will return on Wednesday, May 1, and Thursday, May 2. A few storms may be strong with occasional lightning and very gusty straight line winds.

These advisories come a week after a tornado was confirmed in Johns Creek on April 19. NWS officials said that an EF-0 tornado touched down around 5:07 a.m. in Johns Creek on Friday. The tornado cut a half mile path through north Fulton County with winds at 75 mph, WSB-TV reported.

The tornado in Johns Creek snapped branches off multiple trees and downed several power lines on Old Alabama Road, 11Alive reported. The TV station said the tornado moved a little over half-a-mile before lifting after less than a minute.

A second tornado was confirmed by the NWS in Hall County north of Gainesville around 5:50 a.m. This was an EF-1 tornado and was on the ground for an estimated 2.5 miles, WSB-TV reported.