Large hail pummels portions of north Georgia
ATLANTA - Strong storms rolled through metro Atlanta Wednesday evening, prompting a number of severe thunderstorm warnings.
WATCH: Large hail pelts portions of the state
Large hail, heavy rains and strong winds left behind damage in some north Georgia communities.
APP USERS: Click here to access the full features of this article
WATCH: A fatal accident on I-85 may be linked to this passing powerful storm
Scroll to the bottom of this article for the latest photos and video sent to us using hashtag #fox5storm
The severe weather prompted a Tornado Watch and Severe Thunderstorm Watch, both of which have expired. The strong storms arrived in Georgia following a deadly night of storms in the Midwest.
MORE: At least 2 dead after tornadoes roll through Midwest
WATCH: Tree falls on Gwinnett County home
STORM LOG
9 p.m.
Georgia Power reports nearly 12,000 customers across the state mostly due to the storm.
8 p.m.
Georgia Power reports 6,700 customers are without power due to the storm, now mostly in the Atlanta area.
7:13 p.m.
Emergency officials in Douglas County said there were trees down near River West.
7:12 p.m.
Tree down on a home on Williamsport Drive NW, according to Gwinnett County emergency officials.
6:59 p.m.
A Severe Thunderstorm Warning was issued for Carroll, Douglas, Haralson & Paulding counties until 7:45 p.m. Georgia Power said 4,400 customers were without power due to the storm.
6:38 p.m.
Paulding County emergency officials report trees were down near Brushy Mountain Road along Braswell Mountain Road. They also report power lines down on Goldmine Road.
6:28 p.m.
Emergency officials in Haralson County report trees and power lines down due to the storm.
6:24 p.m.
A Severe Thunderstorm Warning was issued for Carroll, Douglas, Haralson and Paulding counties until 7 p.m. The Tornado Watch for Gordon, Fannin, Gilmer, Floyd, Union, and Towns counties was canceled. About 2,700 customers were without power due to the storms, according to Georgia Power.
6:16 p.m.
Several trees were reportedly down near the Webster Lake Road area in White County
6:02 p.m.
A Severe Thunderstorm Warning was issued for Cleburne County, Alabama until 5:30 p.m. Central Time.
6:01 p.m.
Firefighters said a brush fire was sparked by a lightning on White Pine Drive.
6 p.m.
Emergency officials in Lumpkin County report trees down just outside of Dahlonega.
5:47 p.m.
A Severe Thunderstorm Warning was issued for Hall, Dawson, Lumpkin, and White counties until 6:30 p.m. The storm could pack 60 mph winds and one-inch hail. More than 3,600 customers were without power in north Georgia, mostly northwest Georgia, due to the storms, according to Georgia Power.
5:35 p.m.
FOX 5 viewer Tina Lee Williamson sent in this video of hail in Habersham County. (App users click here to watch)
5:29 p.m.
There were reports of quarter-sized hail falling in Pickens County.
5:24 p.m.
Union County emergency officials said several trees were downed along Town Creek School Road and Owltown Road.
5:15 p.m.
FOX 5 viewer Tim Langston sent in this video of hail in Calhoun. (App users click here to watch)
5:12 p.m.
FOX 5 viewer Will Hobberchalk sent in this video of hail in Calhoun. (App users click here to watch)
5:11 p.m.
FOX 5 viewer Wes Roland sent in this video of hail in Calhoun. (App users click here to watch)
5:09 p.m.
A Severe Thunderstorm Warning was issued for Habersham County until 6 p.m. The storm could pack 60 mph winds and one-inch hail. More than 4,400 customers were without power in the areas affected by severe weather according to Georgia Power.
5 p.m.
Golf ball and ping pong-sized hail was reported in Gordon County causing severe vehicle damage in the area, according to the Gordon County Emergency Manager. Several trees were reportedly downed due to the strong winds that move through as the storm passed.
4:55 p.m.
Severe Thunderstorm warnings were issued for Gordon, Bartow, and Pickens counties as well as Fannin, Gilmer, Union, Towns, and White counties, both until 5:45 p.m. The storms carried the chance of packing 60 mph winds and dropping hail over an inch in diameter.
4:50 p.m.
The National Weather Service in Norman, Oklahoma then issued a Severe Thunderstorm Watch around 4:50 p.m. for Pike, Rockdale, Henry, Clayton, Forsyth, Barrow, Spalding, Clarke, Jackson, Madison, Heard, Fulton, Meriwether, Gwinnett, Banks, Haralson, Newton, Hall, DeKalb, Fayette, Oconee, Troup, Carroll, Cobb, and Coweta counties until 10 p.m.
4:30 p.m.
Ping pong sized hail was reported in the Summerville, Georgia just before 4:30 p.m. Other areas of Chattooga County also experienced fallen trees and power lines. Georgia Power reported about 3,200 customers were without power in northwest Georgia.
4:20 p.m.
Around 4:20 p.m., a Severe Thunderstorm Warning was issued for Gordon, Floyd, and Bartow counties.
3:30 p.m.
A little after 3:30 p.m., a line of powerful storms moved into the northwest corner of Georgia. It dropped 1-inch hail and down several trees near Exit 4 along Interstate 59, according to emergency managers in Dade County. Several hundred customers were without power due to the storm.
CLICK HERE FOR THE LATEST SCHOOL CLOSING INFORMATION
A number of school systems in north Georgia closed or dismissed early Wednesday because of the severe weather threat. Catoosa, Dade and Walker County schools closed for the day. Gordon County Schools dismissed at 11:30 a.m., and all afternoon activities have been canceled. Calhoun City and Whitfield County schools released Pre-K, primary and elementary school students at 11:30 a.m. and middle and high school students were let out noon. Murray County schools also released students early.
-----
Keep up with the latest watches and warnings by downloading the FREE FOX 5 Storm Team app and following @FOX5StormTeam on Twitter.
DOWNLOAD the FREE FOX 5 Storm Team app to keep up with this extreme weather