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Power outages, cleanup continue after powerful storms Thursday and Friday in North Georgia

By FOX 5 Atlanta Digital Team
Published  July 22, 2023 7:40am EDT
Severe Weather
FOX 5 Atlanta

Friday night storm results in fires, flooding

A powerful storm in metro Atlanta and North Georgia resulted in flash flooding and fires because of lightning.

ATLANTA - Residents of metro Atlanta and North Georgia are still dealing with the impact of powerful back-to-back storms on Thursday and Friday. 

The rain came down in sheets and it didn't take long for downtown Atlanta streets to flood. Cars were left partially submerged and drivers stranded.

Several roads were flooded, including Juniper and North Avenue.

SCARY VIDEO SHOWS MOMENTS POWERFUL STORM MOVED THROUGH BARTOW COUNTY

On Candler Road, strong winds combined with already soaked ground led to downed trees and power outages.

Lightning strikes were also responsible for several fires, including one at an apartment complex on DeKalb County's Expressway Access Road.

Another lightning bolt is also the suspected cause of a house fire in northeast Atlanta on Lakeshore Drive.

Heavy rain also resulted in flooding at northwest Atlanta's LifeLine animal shelter, resulting in a desperate plea for people willing to foster animals.

STORMS KNOCK OUT POWER TO FULTON COUNTY JAIL, CAUSE FLOODING AT ANIMAL SHELTER

Power was also knocked out at Fulton County Jail. Fortunately, they have backup generators, but they stopped accepting new inmates temporarily.

Jackson EMC crews have been working nonstop to restore power to thousands of customers. The first round of storms knocked out power to more than 50,000 customers. They have called in hundreds of linemen to help restore power.

As of 8 a.m. Saturday, Jackson EMC says approximately 700 customers remain without power in Banks, Barrow, Clarke, Jackson and Hall counties. They also said they have replaced 27 broken poles. Click here for an outage map. 

Thousands still without power Saturday

Thousands of North Georgia residents still without power Saturday morning after powerful back-to-back storms.

CREWS WORKING HARD TO RESTORE POWER AFTER TWO DAYS OF SEVERE STORMS

Rayle EMC is reporting over 2,000 customers impacted in the following counties: Greene, Lincoln, Oglethorpe, Taliaferro, Morgan, Wilkes, Clarke, Hancock and Columbia. Click here for outage map. 

And Georgia Power crews are still working to restore power to nearly 33,000 customers. The company says they've already restored power to more than 250,000 customers since the storm on Thursday.

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Thousands of people were left without power in Jackson County after storms tore through the area on July 20, 2023. ( Jefferson Fire Dept)

Outages at 7:30 a.m. Saturday include 2,619 customers affect in Forsyth County; 4,929 customers in Clarke; 765 in Fulton; 725 in DeKalb; 531 in Polk; and multiple smaller outages. Click here for the latest. 

According to FOX 5 Atlanta's meteorologists, North Georgia residents can expect calmer weather this weekend. A few morning showers are expected Saturday and there's a chance for a couple of thunderstorms on Saturday afternoon. However, the storms are not expected to be widespread or to cause the same amount of damage as the storms over the last two days. The expected high temperature on Saturday is 88. Sunday should be sunny and less humid with a high temp near 90. Next week should be hotter and much drier.

Saturday morning weather forecast

Morning weather forecast for July 22, 2023

Forsyth County Emergency Management Agency is asking asking residents who sustained property damage from the July 20 severe thunderstorm to report the damage online using the Debris Assessment Form (arcgis.com) located on the EMA department page on forsythco.com. Reporting damage with the survey is simple and only takes a few minutes.The survey will help the County assess damages, identify immediate resource needs and aid officials in determining if the County meets requirements for disaster assistance. Businesses and nonprofit organizations are asked to report damage by emailing details and photos to ema@forsythco.com.The sooner damages are reported, the better, but Forsyth County EMA requests that all reports be submitted no later than Aug. 4.

Also, the National Weather Service says it surveyed the damage across Cherokee County on Saturday morning, focusing on the Clayton community. They determined that a series of smaller downburst (straight line winds) occurred within a broader 3-4 wide area of damage along Upper Burris Road, Land Road, Highway 108 and several of the secondary roads that connect into these main roadways.  

Winds of 90-95 mph were experienced within these smaller, more concentrated downbursts that occurred in the area.  

Additional areas of damage across Northern and Eastern Cherokee County were related to damaging straight line winds as well. These wind speeds are equivalent to those experienced in an EF-1 tornado. However, no evidence of tornadic circulations were detected.  Cherokee County EMA staff will continue the process of damage assessment over the next few days.

Approximately 3,800 customers remain without power this afternoon due to the storm damage.  Most of these are due to one outage in the eastern portion of the county.  Utility crews from North Georgia are working quickly to restore power.  These crews are dealing with significant infrastructure damages to the local power distribution system.  A few roads remain closed due to wires down or broken utility poles.  These will be open as soon as possible.