EF-1 tornado confirmed in Paulding County during overnight storm
Severe storm aftermath
Residents are dealing with the clean from a severe storm that caused widespread damage. The National Weather Service confirmed an EF-1 tornado in Paulding County.
PAULDING COUNTY, Ga. - The National Weather Service has confirmed that a high-end EF-1 tornado touched down in Paulding County amid a massive storm that swept through North Georgia from Saturday night into Sunday morning.
Paulding County tornado
What we know:
The storm is reported to have had max wind speeds between 105 and 110mph.
The worst damage was reported in the Windale Road area near Highway 278 and Highway 61.
Leaders in Paulding County warned residents to be careful if they go outside on Sunday morning.
Storm uproots Paulding County gas station
The powerful storms overnight ripped the awning of a gas station in Dallas out of its concrete supports and sent it flying.
What they're saying:
"It was just hell. Sounded like a war zone stuff banging against the houses," Scott Bingham said.
Scott Bingham said his wife's grandmother narrowly missed being crushed by a tree.
"There's probably like an 8-inch-diameter branch that came through her side beside her. If she had been sleeping two to three inches further away from the edge of the bed it would have went through her," he explained.
Annie Edwards was also asleep as the storm moved through. She got out just seconds before a tree fell into her bedroom.
"All the sudden, I heard something like something crack and I jumped out the bed and I'm just running," Edwards said.
"I hate it. I hate this. But I'm glad we're still here," she added.
Dig deeper:
Paulding County Sheriff Ashley Henson says at one point 30,000 were without power throughout the county, but those numbers began dropping significantly throughout the day.
"This is a tight-knit community and this is something that hasn't happened in quite some time we always prepare for the worst and hope it passes by us. Unfortunately, our card got called today," Sheriff Henson said.
Neighbors were quick to help each other begin the cleanup process on Sunday morning.
"We probably had 6 chainsaws and a skid steer and probably 30 people dragging trees and stuff out of the road," Kenneth Apple said.
"I like to think when times are tough people banned together," he added.
Georgia power outages
What we know:
Thousands of Georgians were without power as they awoke on Sunday after the severe storm system passed through overnight.
The majority of those power outages were concentrated in the northeast corner of Georgia, including Rabun, Towns, and Union counties. Paulding County also reported more than 3,400 customers without power.
Massive storm leaves dozens dead across the U.S.
What we know:
Officials say the storm killed at least 33 people as it crossed through the central and southern U.S.
Missouri recorded more fatalities than any other state as scattered twisters overnight killed at least 12, authorities said. The deaths included a man whose home was ripped apart by a tornado.
Officials confirmed three deaths in Arkansas, where Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders declared a state of emergency.
Dust storms spurred by the system’s early high winds claimed almost a dozen lives on Friday. Eight people died in a Kansas highway pileup involving at least 50 vehicles, according to the state highway patrol. Authorities said three people were also killed in car crashes during a dust storm in Amarillo, in the Texas Panhandle.
The Source: Information on the tornado was confirmed by the National Weather Service. FOX 5 spoke with Paulding County officials. The Associated Press and FOX Weather contributed to this report.