Weather alert: More stormy weather moving into North Georgia on Monday
Monday afternoon weather forecast
Another round of storms will make its way through our area. Some storms could be severe, with strong winds.
DUNWOODY, Ga. - North Georgia residents are in for more stormy weather to start the week, according to the FOX 5 Storm Team.
What we know:
According to the FOX 5 Atlanta Storm Team, a strong line of storms is pushing into the area from the southwest, bringing the risk of gusty winds, heavy rain, and the possibility of isolated tornadoes. The leading edge of the storm system is expected to be the most dangerous, capable of producing damaging winds and significant lightning. Some areas are already seeing more than 100 lightning strikes along the front.
Communities including Rome, Marietta, and downtown Atlanta are already experiencing heavy rainfall, while spotty storms have been reported in places like Alpharetta, Buckhead, Covington, and Monticello. Heavy downpours and strong winds are expected to continue throughout the afternoon and evening.
The unsettled weather is being fueled by a cold front pushing through the region. However, as it moves further east, the front is expected to stall, keeping isolated storm chances in the forecast for southern parts of the state through Tuesday evening.
Today, the entire North Georgia region is under a Level 2 out of 5 risk for severe weather. The biggest threats are damaging winds, large hail, and the chance of a few brief tornadoes. The main line of storms is expected to move into northeastern Georgia and the Carolinas by later this afternoon, leading to a temporary break in the rain early this evening. However, lighter, more isolated showers could return overnight.
Looking ahead, Tuesday will bring a brief period of drier conditions, but storm chances are expected to climb again heading into Father’s Day weekend. Temperatures will remain typical for this time of year, with highs in the mid to upper 80s.
What Already Happened:
This past weekend's storms left one person dead and many trees down on homes and power lines.
SEE MORE: PHOTOS: Trees come crashing down during severe thunderstorms across metro Atlanta
A strong line of storms on Saturday knocked out power to hundreds of thousands of people across metro Atlanta.
But as of Monday morning, power crews had made good progress.
"Throughout the night and this morning, we had a significant amount of outages, peaking at around 200,000 customers. We have about 95% of those customers back with their power restored. And also wrapping up restoration in some of the most hard-hit areas," Georgia Power spokesperson Alicia Brown said.
She said crews had been working around the clock after they were strategically placed throughout the state to respond to outages.
"We continuously monitor the weather. So, we make sure we have crews positioned where we think there may be a significant impact. So we already had crews ready to go," Brown said.
Jackson EMC was also very busy on Sunday restoring power.
"A lot of downed trees, downed lines. We had more than 21 broken poles. So, all of that has taken time. It really affected our entire service area," said Wendy Jones, director of communications for Jackson EMC.
She said the damage was so widespread they called in crews from other companies.
"This afternoon, we've been able to pull in mutual aid crews from Marietta Power, Flint Energies, even Palmetto EMC out of South Carolina … That added 96 extra skilled workers to our crews," Jones said.
She said all the help meant the utility company had made significant progress on Sunday.
"At the height of the storms yesterday evening, we had around 46,000 members without electricity. As of 6:30 p.m., we were down to 4,600. So that has come down dramatically," Jones said.
Both power company spokespeople could not say exactly when the outages would be fixed, but they asked for patience.
But Brown says even with the sun shining on Sunday, people need to remain vigilant and prepared.
"There's more potential for more downed trees, even without hazardous winds. The ground is very saturated from all this heavy rain … We are only a week and some days into storm season, and, as you can see, it's going to be a very active one too," she said.
Fallen tree damages Dunwoody home
Local perspective:
Neighbors in Dunwoody were shaken when a large tree fell on a home in their neighborhood.
"It just sliced into, it just went into that house," said 15-year-old Karolina Truby.
She tells FOX 5 she was driving with her mom on Saturday evening in front of the house on Glenbonnie Drive just as a large tree came crashing into the home.
Truby was grateful the tree didn’t fall the other way.
"I thought I could have died," she said.
Thankfully, no one inside that home was injured.
"I think this family just moved in a week or two ago, so it's just scary. Glad everybody's okay, but I mean, it took half the house down, and it's just crazy," said Nick Brown.
The damage to the home on Glenbonnie Drive. (FOX 5)
Brown lives just around the corner from the damaged home.
"Dunwoody is a beautiful, beautiful area. And the trees make it beautiful. But, you know, it's definitely something that freaks me out a little bit, especially when you see something like this. And you can only imagine that could be your bedroom, your children's bedroom or something like that. Definitely a good reminder that, you know, as beautiful as they are, they're powerful," he said.
He says he also heard the moment a tree fell on power lines on his street.
"I was actually in my garage as the storm was blowing in, listening to it and we could hear the ‘pop, pop, pop, pop’ as one of the pine trees went down on the line right there on Peeler Road," Brown said.
He was pleased to see Georgia Power crews responding quickly on Sunday to get the power back on.
"Being in Dunwoody. We lose power often because we have a lot of trees and [Georgia Power] is always quick to respond during the ice storms and storms like this," he said.
Georgia driver killed by falling tree
Dig deeper:
Authorities have confirmed at least one person has died in connection with the weekend's storms.
The Georgia State Patrol has identified the victim as 56-year-old Jason Keith Payne of Carnesville.
According to the agency, Payne was driving his Nissan Altima on State Route 51 when a tree on the south side of the highway fell across the road, hitting the top of his car. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Gov. Brian Kemp tweeted his condolences to Payne's family on Saturday.
More severe weather possible today
Monday morning weather forecast
A quiet Monday morning could turn into a stormy day as the warm temperatures, humidity, and unstable atmosphere combine to create more wind and rain.
What's next:
While metro Atlanta is in a lull right now, the FOX 5 Storm Team says that more severe weather could be on its way on Monday afternoon.
Temperatures will remain in the mid 60s to low 70s, and all the ingredients will be in place to create thunderstorms. The combination of warmth, humidity, and unstable atmospheric conditions are the combination needed for more rain, so be weather alert and start preparing for possible power outages.
While the threat of tornadoes may be possible, the bigger threat will be damaging winds.
A much broader area of storms is slowly pushing through the Midwest and may hit the area on Monday night. It is not clear how strong that storm system will be when it gets to Georgia.
Once we're through Monday night, the chance of rain will drop until Thursday.
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The Source: FOX 5's Eric Mock reported on this story from Dunwoody and interviewed representatives from Georgia Power and Jackson EMC. Additional information was taken from the FOX 5 Storm Team.