Metro Atlanta storms leave behind flooding, downed trees
Storms leave behind flood damage in metro Atlanta
Heavy storms dumped rain across Villa Rica, flooding Bankhead Highway and tearing up the parking lot pavement at Evan's Barbeque Company. Water inundated the restaurant's interior and nearby roads were shut down after local creeks overflowed.
ATLANTA - Heavy morning storms dumped torrential rain across North Georgia on Saturday, leaving behind high waters, downed trees, and widespread road closures before giving way to a multi-day drying trend.
Storms cause heavy rain, impact events & games
What we know:
While the main line of heavy rain has moved out, a few isolated showers remain. The storm system dumped nearly five inches of rain in parts of Carroll County, just over 2.5 inches in Fulton County, nearly 2.5 inches near Gainesville, and under an inch and a half at Atlanta's airport.
The weather disrupted outdoor activities across the region. Tailgaters endured heavy downpours ahead of game day matchups, and NCAA weather rules triggered 30-minute delays for lightning within eight miles. Several local events, including the Atlanta Food & Wine Festival Tasting Tents, were canceled.
Saturday evening weather forecast
Heavy storms caused widespread localized flooding across North Georgia, dumping nearly five inches of rain in parts of Carroll County and over two inches in Fulton and Hall counties. Calmer, drier conditions with highs in the upper 80s to low 90s are expected to move into the area.
Flash flooding damage
Dig deeper:
The torrential downpours led to localized flash flooding, tearing up pavement at Evan's Barbeque Company in Villa Rica and shutting down several roads in Carroll and Douglas counties. High waters also briefly blocked lanes on I-285 at Peachtree Dunwoody before crews reopened them, and fallen trees on State Route 6 forced lane closures. Thousands of Georgia Power customers lost electricity across Gwinnett, Cobb, DeKalb, Fulton, and Clayton counties.
Most roadways previously shut down by active flash flooding in Carroll County have reopened. Officials report that the 400 Block of Kinney Lake Road remains closed due to damage. All other impacted stretches, including Bay Springs Road, Pleasant Grove Road, South Van Wert Road, and Legion Lake, have cleared.
The Douglas County Sheriff's Office also stated that Harmon Springs at Shoreline Parkway, Cole Road at Ephesus Church and W Union Hill Roar at Dog River were closed due to flooding.
Flash flooding causes damage near downtown Villa Rica
A Villa Rica neighborhood near the downtown area has seen damage to town homes due to flash flooding Saturday morning, according to residents.
Brandon Wiggins of the Carroll County Sheriff's Office Emergency Management Agency team shared pictures of flooding in Carroll County.
What they're saying:
The storm brought persistent downpours to Villa Rica over a two-day period, overflowing a nearby creek and pushing floodwaters toward local businesses.
"If you get heavy rain, we get pretty flooded there’s a creek up the road and when it overflows it pushes it our way," said Wyatt Sterling of Evans Barbeque.
At Evans Barbeque, floodwaters filled the parking lot and raised the pavement, catching staff off guard as water began rushing down the road and into the building.
"We didn’t see the flood coming," Sterling said. "Next thing you know, the building is flooded in the back you look outside it's like white water going forward on the road. Every bit of traffic stopped."
The sudden accumulation turned the restaurant's immediate surroundings into a body of standing water, forcing employees to spend Friday night mopping and trying to manage the damage.
"It looked like a swimming pool. You could have swim shorts on and a boogie board you think you’re at the beach. We had to mop it up and try to do everything we can to clean it up," Sterling said.
The business faced additional damage Saturday morning when a large tree collapsed right beside the restaurant building.
Nearby, homeowner Andrew Worthy also experienced severe flooding inside his residence after the heavy rain inundated his neighborhood.
"It's rained a lot here in Georgia, but I've never seen it like this," Worthy said.
Worthy woke up at 7 a.m. Saturday to find floodwaters filling both his garage and basement.
"I woke up this morning at 7 a.m. This thing is all the way up past my ankle. I don’t know what to do," Worthy said.
Frustrated by the destruction left behind by the storm, Worthy called for solutions to protect local homes from future weather events.
"I just want something to be done when this situation occurs, I don’t want it to affect my neighborhood," Worthy said.
Conditions in Villa Rica improved later in the day, with clear weather expected to remain in the area for a while.
Recovery timeline
What we don't know:
It is unclear when power will be restored for some areas still without power.
The Douglas County Sheriff's officials have not estimated when the damaged roadways will safely reopen.
The Source: The information in this story was gathered from FOX 5 Storm Team Meteorologists Alex Forbes and Laurann Robinson, FOX 5 Reporter Kim Leoffler, and statements from Carroll County.