EF-2 tornado touches down in Rockdale County
ATLANTA - An EF-2 tornado touched down in Conyers on Tuesday night during a powerful line of storms that moved through Georgia. The National Weather Service confirmed the tornado carried maximum winds of 115 mph, leaving damage in its wake.
As Rockdale County woke up Wednesday morning, dozens of roads were impassable with trees and power lines down. Emergency officials have asked those who do not need to travel to stay home until conditions become safer.
Here is how the stormy night unfolded:
12:35 p.m. - The Georgia Red Cross says it has responded to Rockdale County to provide emergency essentials and support for families in need. Volunteers from the Greater Atlanta Chapter are out doing damage assessments in Rockdale County and are ready to help residents as they recover from the storm.
In the days and weeks ahead, the Red Cross will work with residents to help them through their next steps and provide additional recovery resources. All Red Cross disaster assistance is free and made possible through the generosity of the community. People in need of emergency assistance are asked to call 1-800 Red Cross (1-800-733-2767).
Noon – Residents and crews in Rockdale are continuing to clean up after a powerful storm swept through the county. At this time, no injuries have been reported. However, the storm did cause damage to some houses, buildings and cars.
8 a.m. - Crews continue to work to clean up the mess in Rockdale County. A large tree came down near a church in Conyers.
7 a.m. - Snapping Shoals EMC is reporting approximately 1,600 customers without power in the Conyers area. Reporter Joi Dukes is reporting from the Hurst Road area where crews are busy trying to clear downed trees from the roadway.
Snapping Shoals says they also have customers in other counties without power: DeKalb, 28; Newton, 21; and Henry, 4.
6:30 a.m. - Flooding has been reported on Interstate 285EB at SR 54/Jonesboro Road. All lanes were closed at 6 a.m. because of a crash. Drivers should use caution in the area.
6:15 a.m. - Reporter Brooke Zauner is in Conyers where a tornado may have touched down overnight. There are power lines and trees down throughout the area.
6 a.m. - There are more than 1,700 customers without power in Rockdale County at this time. Click here for the Georgia Power outage map.
5:30 a.m. - The worst of the weather is behind us, but there is still the threat of flash flooding in some areas because of the amount of rain that has fallen overnight. The thick clouds are expected to break apart today and the northwesterly winds will increase. A late day shower is possible.
A Flash Flood Warning is in effect until 7:15 a.m. for Clayton, DeKalb, Douglas, Fayette, Fulton, Gwinnett, Henry, Newton, Rockdale, Walton, Coweta, Heard, Meriwether and Troup counties.
5:15 a.m. - Severe Thunderstorm Warning continues for Dodge and Wilcox counties until 5:45 a.m., according to National Weather Service.
5 a.m. - Here is a look at some of the damage in Rockdale County. There have been reports of a tornado but that has not been confirmed by the National Weather Service at this time. FOX 5 Atlanta has a crew in the county that will provide updates throughout the morning. Watch our live broadcast in the player above.
4:23 a.m. - The Rockdale County Sheriff's Office released a list of roads closed due to the storm:
- McDaniel Mill from Iris to Klondike
- Several locations on Milstead Avenue: Main Street at Church Street
- 2620 Dennard Road nearest to Hi Roc and Hwy 138
- 1460 Ebenezer Rd
- 786 Jefferson Dr
3:39 a.m. - Severe Thunderstorm Warning for northwestern Warren County, north central Hancock County, southeastern Greene County, Taliaferro County, and southeastern Wilkes County in east central Georgia until 4:30 a.m.
3:38 a.m. - Georgia Power reports it has 113 outages impacting 9,4590 customers. Georgia's electric membership cooperatives are reporting 14,212 customers are without service.
3:15 a.m. - The tornado watch was canceled for Butts, Henry, Newton, Rockdale, Walton, Chattahoochee, Lamar, Muscogee, Pike, Spalding, Talbot, and Upson.
3:02 a.m. - A Tornado Warning for northern Greene County, northwestern Taliaferro County, southwestern Wilkes County, and southwestern Oglethorpe County until 3:45 a.m.
2:54 a.m. - Trees and power lines fell along Hill Street, blocking the roadway. This is just one of the several dozen streets which were impassable this morning following a tornado-warned storm in Rockdale County.
2:48 a.m. - Severe Thunderstorm Warning for southeastern Oconee County, central Morgan County, northern Greene County, and southwestern Oglethorpe County until 3:30 a.m.
2:39 a.m. - The Tornado Watch for Bibb, Butts, Crawford, Jasper, Jones, Monroe, Putnam, Greene, Taliaferro, Wilkes, Henry, Morgan, Newton, Rockdale, Walton, Oconee, Oglethorpe, Chattahoochee, Lamar, Marion, Muscogee, Pike, Schley, Spalding, Stewart, Talbot, Taylor, Upson, and Webster was extended until 4 a.m.
2:37 a.m. - The tornado watch was canceled for Clayton, DeKalb, Fayette, Fulton, Clarke, Coweta, Harris, Meriwether, Troup, Barrow, Jackson, and Madison counties.
2:36 a.m. - FOX 5 viewer Pat Taylor shared a video of rescue workers attempting to save a person struck by a fallen tree along Renaissance Drive near Sigman Road in Conyers after a tornado-warned storm blew through late Tuesday evening. Officials have not released the condition of that person. It was just one of several dozen calls emergencies were called out to following the severe storm.
2:28 a.m. - A Severe Thunderstorm Warning was issued for western Morgan County, southeastern Walton County, and east central Newton County until 3:15 a.m.
2:23 a.m. - The FOX 5 Storm Team has gotten a chance to review the tornado signature on FOX 5 Live VIPIR Radar. It shows a clear hook developing around 11:50 p.m. close to the Rockdale-DeKalb County line, about 5 miles south of Intestate 20. The storm then continued northeast towards Conyers at around 55 mph. Widespread damage has been reported in and around that area. Areas south may have experienced straight-line wind damage as well ahead of the storm. FOX 5 crews are on multiple scenes gathering more details. The National Weather Service is expected to tour this area.
2:15 a.m. - A strong thunderstorm was near Imlac, or near Greenville, moving northeast at 65 mph, impacting portions of Spalding, portions of Spalding, southwestern Henry, southern Clayton and northwestern Lamar Counties through 3 a.m.
2:12 a.m. - A strong thunderstorm was over McDonough, moving northeast at 50 mph, impacting portions of southeastern Rockdale, central Henry, southwestern Walton and Newton Counties through 3 a.m.
2:03 a.m. - A strong thunderstorm was over Hamilton, moving northeast at 55 mph, impacting portions of southeastern Meriwether, southeastern Pike, northern Muscogee, central Upson, Talbot and Harris Counties through 2:45 a.m.
1:45 a.m. - The tornado watch was canceled for Cobb, Douglas, Carroll, Haralson, Paulding, and Heard
1:28 a.m. - A strong thunderstorm was over Long Cane, or near Lanett, moving northeast at 55 mph. It will impact southwestern Spalding, south central Fayette, Meriwether, western Pike, Troup, southeastern Coweta and northwestern Harris Counties through 2:15 a.m.
1:19 a.m. - A Flash Flood warning has been issued for southern Douglas County, northwestern Fayette County, southwestern Fulton County, southern Carroll County, Coweta County, Heard County, northwestern Meriwether County and northern Troup County until 7:15 a.m.
1:17 a.m. - A Flash Flood warning has been issued for Clayton, DeKalb, east central Douglas, northern Fayette, south central Fulton, southern Gwinnett, northwestern Henry, northwestern Newton, Rockdale County, and northwestern Walton counties until 7:15 a.m.
1:14 a.m. - A strong thunderstorm will impact portions of southwestern DeKalb, Fayette, east central Carroll, south central Cobb, Douglas, southwestern Henry, central Coweta, southwestern Fulton and Clayton counties through 2 a.m. As of this post, it was located over Roscoe, or 7 miles north of Newnan, moving northeast at 40 mph.
1:10 a.m. - The Tornado Watch has been extended for Barrow, Jackson, and Madison counties until 8 a.m.
1:09 a.m. - The tornado watch was canceled in Cherokee, Bartow, Floyd, Gordon, Murray, Polk, and Whitfield counties.
12:55 a.m. - A strong thunderstorm was over Frolona, or 9 miles west of Franklin, and was moving northeast at 55 mph, impacting portions of southeastern Carroll, Heard, northern Troup and western Coweta counties through 1:45 a.m.
12:41 a.m. - A Severe Thunderstorm Warning for northeastern Clarke County, Oglethorpe County, and Madison County until 1:30 a.m.
12:38 a.m. - FOX 5 viewers are reporting widespread damage around Rockdale County High School and Conyers Middle School. We are working to gather more details from officials.
12:21 a.m. - A Severe Thunderstorm Warning for Oconee County, southeastern Barrow County, northwestern Morgan County, Clarke County, eastern Walton County, southeastern Jackson County, and west central Oglethorpe County until 1 a.m.
12:22 a.m. - Georgia Power reports 8,414 customers are without power with 61 outages reported. More than half are near Conyers and Atlanta. The Georgia EMCs report 9,114 customers without power, with most in the metro Atlanta area.
12:10 a.m. - Severe Thunderstorm Warning for south central Walton County and northeastern Newton County until 12:45 a.m.
12:09 a.m. - A Tornado Watch has been extended to Bibb, Butts, Crawford, Jasper, Jones, Monroe, Putnam, Greene, Taliaferro, Wilkes, Morgan, Newton, Rockdale, Walton, Clarke, Oconee, Oglethorpe, Chattahoochee, Harris, Lamar, Marion, Muscogee, Schley, Stewart, Talbot, Taylor, Upson, and Webster counties until 3 a.m. The tornado watch has been canceled for Catoosa, Chattooga, Dade, and Walker counties.
12:01 a.m. - A Tornado Warning has been extended to northwestern Rockdale County, northwestern Walton County, and north central Newton County until 12:45 p.m.
11:52 p.m. - A Tornado Warning has been issued for Rockdale County until 12:30 a.m. A severe thunderstorm capable of producing a tornado was located near Arabia Mountain, or near Conyers, moving northeast at 35 mph.
11:49 p.m. - A strong thunderstorm was over Lakeview Estates, or near Conyers, moving northeast at 60 mph with winds of 40 to 50 mph, up to penny sized hail and frequent cloud to ground lightning.
11 p.m. - Cherokee, Clayton, Cobb, DeKalb, Fayette, Fulton, Coweta, Meriwether, Pike, Spalding and Henry counties were added to the Tornado Watch until 3 a.m. as the storms continued to creep into the state. A strong thunderstorm was near Ider, or 11 miles south of Bridgeport, moving northeast at 55 mph. The cell will impact portions of Catoosa, north central Whitfield, central Walker and Dade Counties through 11:45 p.m.
10 p.m. - A train of storms continues to flow into Georgia. A strong thunderstorm over the Rock Mills area near Roanoke was moving northeast at 55 mph. It was capable of producing 40 to 50 mph wind, pea-sized hail and frequent cloud-to-ground lightning. Those in southeastern Carroll County, southwestern Douglas, Heard, northern Troup and Coweta counties will want to pay attention to this storm through at least 10:30 p.m.
9 p.m. - A line of showers stretching from LaGrange to Carrollton has crossed into Georgia, but no active warnings are associated with those cells.
8 p.m. - Forecasters have been tracking a tornado-warned storm cell which was in north Alabama near Huntsville, which was moving into southern Tennessee. Closer to Georgia, showers continue to move through the state, but no warnings have been issued. A Tornado Watch had been issued for several wester Georgia counties through 3 a.m.
7 p.m. - While no watches have been issued for Georgia, eastern Tennessee, just north of the Peach State, was placed under a Tornado Watch. Forecasters are also watching for the potential for early morning frost for areas north of Interstate 20, but no official watch or warning for that has been issued as of now.
6 p.m. - A line of showers ahead of the main line of storms is moving through the area. Winds are south-southwest at 15 mph with gusts as high as 25 mph observed.
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Flash Flood Warnings for metro Atlanta, west Georgia
A Flash Flood warning has been issued for Clayton, DeKalb, east central Douglas, northern Fayette, south central Fulton, southern Gwinnett, northwestern Henry, northwestern Newton, Rockdale County, and northwestern Walton counties until 7:15 a.m.
A Flash Flood warning has been issued for southern Douglas County, northwestern Fayette County, southwestern Fulton County, southern Carroll County, Coweta County, Heard County, northwestern Meriwether County and northern Troup County until 7:15 a.m.
Severe weather threat Tuesday evening
The biggest threat from this line of storms will be damaging winds with gusts up to 60 mph, but large hail of up to one inch and the possibility of a tornado cannot be ruled out.
Frequent lightning also could be a factor in this system.
Get the latest video forecasts on FOX Local.
When will it rain Tuesday?
Thunderstorms will move into Georgia after 6 p.m., with the greatest threat of severe thunderstorms expected between 8 and 10 p.m. in northwest Georgia. There could be heavy rain, gusty wind, small hail, and possibly a tornado.
The bulk of the storms will then move through metro Atlanta between 9 p.m. and 3 a.m. Tuesday. These storms could also be severe with the chance of an isolated tornado.
The south metro and eastern counties can expect to see rain between midnight and 2 a.m. Heavy rain, damaging wind, hail, and a tornado is still a possibility.
Because of the timing of the storms, it will be essential to be weather aware.
Cold snap in Georgia
North Georgia will be a lot drier once the front moves through, but also a lot cooler.
Highs will be in the upper 50s, warming as the week progresses.
Lows will be in the upper 30s to low 40s.
The clouds will stay away for the remainder of the week and into next weekend.
This is a developing weather system. Check back for updates and changes to the forecast as they become available.