Possible Tornadoes, Heavy Winds Slammed Georgia On Thursday

ATLANTA, GA — Heavy winds battered much of Georgia on Thursday and a pair of possible tornadoes touched down in metro Atlanta as storms pelted the area for much of the day.

A storm cell that moved through the metro area after 9 p.m. kicked up the day's nastiest severe weather in the Atlanta area. Meteorologists say what appears to have been a small tornado touched down on the north side of Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, causing minor wind damage at the airport and damaging vehicles parked in the parking deck.

Investigators from the National Weather Service were out Friday morning to determine whether a second tornado touched down between DeKalb and Gwinnett counties.

The service issued a tornado warning for the area at 9:44 p.m.

"We do have some wind damage reports from there," said NWS meteorologist Sid King. "We're not sure (a tornado touched down) but they do match up will with the area in the tornado warning. We're going out and looking at that."

Earlier Thursday, it was blustery winds that accompanied steady showers and thunderstorms that took the greatest toll in north Georgia. Trees and power lines were knocked down and thousands of Georgians were left without power as a result of the wind, King said.

King said wind gusts Thursday were routinely recorded at 35-40 m.p.h. and, in some extreme cases in north Georgia, they reached 60-65 m.p.h.

The National Weather Service is aware of hundreds of reports of downed trees and other wind damage from Thursday, King said. In the north Georgia mountains, Fannin County public schools were closed Friday, after storms repeatedly knocked out power at schools on Thursday, leading officials to dismiss students early.

Meanwhile in south Georgia, an apparent tornado tore through Garden City, which sits just west of Savannah, causing heavy damage to an auto parts store and injuring at least people. In all, 14 structures were damaged by the storm, according to local media.

The storms ushered a cold front into metro Atlanta. Friday morning, high temperatures had only reached 50 degrees. The day's forecast, from the National Weather Service, called for cloudy skies and scattered showers, with the high only expected to reach 55.

But the forecast for the weekend is brighter. Skies are expected to be sunny Saturday and Sunday, with high temperatures pushing back into the low 70s.

"I think the whole state, after yesterday, wants a little relief," King said. "And they're going to get it."

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