An outbreak of severe weather, including multiple records of tornadoes, has rumbled across the South, ahead of what is promising to be a dangerous evening of violent storms in the area.
Multiple rainy showers and possibly harsh thunderstorms are predicted within the 48 hours from Wednesday morning to Thursday night across north Georgia. An initial round of storms is currently moving through the west-central part of Georgia and is expected to continue through the morning hours and early afternoon.
Weather forecasters say that a second round of storms will begin Tuesday into Wednesday morning, with the main risks being damaging wind gusts, large hail, and a few tornadoes. Multiple rounds of thunderstorms and showers are expected through Thursday evening, especially for areas along the South of Interstate 20.
The thunderstorm activity will potentially produce heavy rainfall locally, with the potential of repeated heavy rains over the same areas. For this reason, 2 to 5 inches of rain might be seen through Thursday evening, with higher amounts possible locally. With the back-to-back rounds of storms, high temperatures may remain well above average in the mid to upper 70s throughout the day. Warmer and drier conditions will return to the area on Friday.
Current Tornado Severe Weather in Southern Georgia
The National Weather Service has issued several tornado warnings throughout the week, mainly in Southwest Georgia and Southeast Alabama. The forecast includes all kinds of severe weather, including hail, tornadoes, high winds, and a possible derecho. A tornado watch was in effect for huge parts of Georgia and Alabama.
A surface boundary is currently set up across south-central Georgia Wednesday into Thursday, and it’s expected that it will be the focus of more widespread thunderstorms and showers with the highest thunders and rain chances along where the boundary is located.
A flood watch has been put in place for multiple counties in the state. These areas could experience 2 to 5 inches of rain that could cause flooding in low-lying areas, along with run-off that would swell streams, creeks, and rivers.
Current Severe Weather Outbreak
This outbreak was quite rare, considering its timing (mid-June) and the target location (South). Normally, severe weather outbreaks like this one occur earlier in spring across the region. Weather forecasters say that areas from northeast Louisiana to Southwest Georgia are most at risk for severe weather, throughout Wednesday.
A derecho - a long-lived, high wind and thunderstorms with torrential rain event - is possible in these high-risk zones into Wednesday night. These fast-moving thunderstorms usually behave like inland hurricanes and often generate damaging winds along stretches of hundreds of miles.
Here are the developments:
6:20 p.m. - Georgia Power reports about 8,465 outages throughout the state, and the Georgia Electric Cooperatives report around 8,834 customers with no power.
4:50 p.m. - Georgia Power reports about 13,342 outages throughout the state and the Georgia Electric cooperatives report about 4,875 customers without power.
5 p.m. - Hail is reported throughout Georgia, with several counties expected to experience 2 to 5 inches of rain that could cause potential floods on roadways and low-lying areas, along with run-off that would swell streams, creeks, and rivers.
3:35 p.m. - In Troup County, a number of automobile accidents and felled trees were reported just before 4 p.m., and the sheriff’s office reported that their deputies were working in the northern part of the county, in the Hogansville area to assist with the vehicle accidents and clearing the road.
3:06 p.m. - A cluster of severe storms on the southern side of Atlanta is reported to be moving southeast. A severe thunderstorm warning is updated to include parts of Newton, Spalding, and Butts Co.
The metro Atlanta area received plenty of rain but was spared from the current severe weather as the storm passed mostly to the south.
2:15 p.m. -The Troup County Schools System decided to cancel all student activities and athletics for the day. They also canceled all district meetings that include community member employees.
2:19 p.m. - Clayton County Schools advised families with children taking part in the district’s summer program to get ready for potential conditions on Thursday. This means that they should be prepared with rain gear if available. It’s possible that the weather conditions might result in transportation delays. The school district will continue monitoring the conditions and make adjustments as needed.
A tornado warning was issued for the western part of Dougherty County in southwestern Georgia, southern Calhoun County in the southwestern part of Georgia, and northwestern Baker County in the southwestern part of Georgia.
A large and dangerous tornado is reported by Georgia Weather online in the Southern GA near Arlington, moving eastward at 30mph.
Videos posted on social media showed a large funnel-shaped cloud churning on the horizon near the city of Blakely. Officials in the nearby communities reported snapped power lines and downed trees. Witness reports state hailstones of up to golf-ball size rained down their yard.
Government officials say that there have been no reports of significant injuries or damage.
Power Outages
Georgia Power says that they will be monitoring the weather forecasts, and have teams on standby to assist with restoring power for customers safely and as soon as the weather conditions allow, in case any service interruptions occur.
They are giving out the following tools and tips for electrical safety during storms:
Don’t touch any low-hanging or downed wires.
Don't pull tree limbs off the telephone, power, or cable lines or try to repair electrical equipment that has been damaged in the storm.
Don’t go anywhere near chain link fences as downed power lines or even lightning strikes might energize the entire length of the fence.
Don’t walk into areas where crews are at work. Avoid approaching crews while they perform their important tasks safely.
Avoid walking through puddles or flooded areas as they might be electrified by downed power lines.
If you’re driving near crews at work, heed the “move-over law” which states that drivers should move over a lane where possible if a utility vehicle that has warning lights on is parked on the side of the road.
A few tools to stay in the loop:
Outage Alerts - Consider subscribing to the free Georgia Power Outage Alert service to receive personalized updates and notifications through text messages.
Outage and Storm Center: This can be accessed through georgiapower.com/storm, and you can visit the site to sign up for Outage Alerts, check and report outages, and gives you access to useful safety information and tips. Users can check the status of an outage report 24 hours a day by contacting the Georgia Power hotline at 888-891-0938.
Outage map - This interactive outage map by Georgia Power is hosted within the Outage and Storm Center, and it provides near real-time information about where outages are happening across the state and lets you track the approximate restoration times.
Georgia Power on Twitter - The @GeorgiaPower handle on Twitter provides outage updates, storm tips, customer service, and more.
What you can do to protect yourself and your family
One of the best things to do is to have a plan of action in place before hazardous weather develops.
You should also understand the difference between a warning and a watch. A tornado watch suggests that the conditions are suitable for tornadoes to form, but there is no looming threat. A tornado warning means that a tornado has already been detected and it’s an imminent threat to life and property.
Know your area (including the name of your county) so that you will be able to accurately track storms via local TV, weather radio, or the internet. Ensure that you have a battery backup. Watch out for the local forecasts to see if dire weather might be possible when you’re planning to go outdoors.
In case a tornado is imminent and you’re in a building or home, move to a pre-designated shelter on the lowest floor, such as a basement or a small interior hallway, bathroom, or closet and get under sturdy pieces of furniture. Don't forget to always put as many walls as possible between you and the outside.
Get out of any vehicles. Never try to outrun a tornado in your car. In case you get caught outside or in a vehicle, try lying flat in a nearby ditch, while being aware of possible flooding. Cover your head with your hands.
Always stay away from the windows.
In general, mobile homes are not the best places to be during such severe weather. As such, you should leave the mobile home in advance and go to the lowest floor of a closeby building or a storm shelter.
The Weather Service categorized Wednesday’s severe weather threat as Level 2 of 5, in much of the state, including metro Atlanta. The threat rose to an elevated Level 3 for west-central and central Georgia, including Meriwether, Troup, and Upson counties. A flood watch remained in effect for the region through Thursday night, but the severe weather risk for Thursday was lowered to Level 1.
More rain is still expected on Thursday, but the risk of severe storms is now expected to stay further south. By Friday, things should start easing out, with temperatures warming back to near-90 degrees as the weather starts drying out. While it might stay hot for the weekend, scattered storms can’t be ruled out.