Tornado Hits Troup County, State Of Emergency Issued During Storms

GEORGIA — While much of middle Georgia is under a flash flood warning, metro Atlanta is under a flood watch until 6 p.m. Monday, following weekend storms that triggered a state of emergency.

Gov. Brian Kemp declared the state of emergency Sunday, which is set to expire at 11:59 p.m., April 3. The executive order will allow resources to be used in the preparation, response and recovery activities in areas affected by the storms.

The rain from the past 24-36 hours will continue Monday but could clear out in the afternoon hours as the storm system heads south, said Meredith Wyatt, meteorologist with the National Weather Service's Peachtree City Office. Isolated rain is possible for Monday afternoon. The rain was heading for the Macon and Columbus areas early Monday morning.

Wyatt told Patch the weather should be dry by nightfall but scattered showers are possible for Tuesday morning. Wednesday and Thursday are forecast to be dry until the weekend when another system is expected to bring a second wave of thunderstorms to the area.

The flood watch will expire at 6 p.m. Monday and affects Forsyth, Hall, Banks, Jackson, Madison, Paulding, Cobb, Fulton, DeKalb, Gwinnett, Barrow, Haralson, Carroll and Douglas counties.

Baldwin, Bibb, Jones, Twiggs and Wilkinson counties are under a flash flood warning until 3:15 p.m. Monday. The flash flood warning for Spalding County expires at 3:30 p.m.

As for temperatures, the high for the daytime Monday is 78 degrees while the night time is forecast to have temps of 50-53 degrees, Wyatt said. Tuesday could reach 70 degrees while Wednesday will cool down with a high in the mid-upper 60s. Temps will start to warm up again Thursday through Saturday with a high in the upper 70s to near 80 degrees.

Central Georgia was the focal point of thunderstorms and showers over the weekend, causing flooding to be problematic, Wyatt said.

"The flooding has been an issue just because we’ve had waves of rain move over the same areas," she said.

Several tornado warnings and storm warnings were issued due to radar indications of hail and strong winds.

"Middle Georgia has taken the brunt over the past day and a half," she said. "We’ve got a lot of work to do before accessing reports."

A confirmed tornado hit Troup County Saturday night, weather officials told Patch. Storm surveys are being conducted, and weather officials said they did not know the strength the tornado as of Monday morning.

The Troup County Sheriff's Office reported the county was handling cleanup and recovery while battling flooding on multiple roads throughout the county limits and LaGrange. Authorities said at least one lane had running water over the road.

Troup County school officials reported Sunday night that school was canceled Monday.

LaGrange Police reported getting calls of cars becoming disabled while traveling on flooded roads. Highway 29 near North Road is closed, police said in a Facebook post Monday.

"In the city, intersections are flooded in the area of Baileys Way and Northwoods Drive, Vernon Street and Panther Way and portions of Whitesville Road at Fannin Street," police said.

The Spalding County Public Works Department asks drivers to avoid Wani, Akin and Buck Creek roads between Rehoboth, Chapel Mill and Chuli roads Monday as Line Creek Road is closed between Riverer and Court Land.

The Spalding County Sheriff's Office said in a Nixle alert that residents are being evacuated due to heavy rainfall and road closures in the area of the Heads Creek reservoir. According to county officials in a Facebook post, the reservoir water levels are rising and detours are being established.

"The contractor performing work at Heads Creek Reservoir is asking the county to close nearby roads and evacuate residents," Spalding County Manager Dr. Steve Ledbetter said in the Nixle alert. "This is to ensure the safety of our community as we have experienced 7 inches of rain with more coming."

The Spalding County Board of Education is developing detours for bus transportation as officials ask people avoid the area southwest of the reservoir dam. Students will be dismissed during their normal time. The Spalding County Fire Department can be contacted for help at (770) 228-2129

According to the Macon-Bibb EMA, people in the area can call the Macon Water Authority at (478) 464-5600 for flood reports. People can also email the authority. Storm damage can be reported to (478) 751-7500.

Wyatt warned drivers to be mindful of flooded roadways, emergency crews working and damage as they travel.

"(We) just want everybody to stay safe," she said.

Kemp is scheduled to tour the West Point and Milledgeville communities to observe storm impact Monday evening. Georgia First Lady Marty Kemp and Chris Stallings, director of the Georgia Emergency Management Agency, will join him.

The weather service has established a webpage especially for Georgia storm updates. A timestamped breakdown of weather activity in primary cities is included. Find it here.

The Georgia EMA offers flood safety tips on its website.