Tornado Flips Cars, Damages School Outside Atlanta

NORTHWESTERN GEORGIA — Residents and authorities are assessing the damage after a confirmed tornado and suspected tornado that popped up without warning flipped cars and damaged a school in northwestern Georgia on New Year's Eve.

The National Weather Service in Atlanta confirmed a tornado had touched down in Newton County, Georgia, on the southeast edge of Atlanta.

A second possible tornado was reported by the Carroll County Sheriff's Office; the National Weather Service was set to investigate that report Saturday, the sheriff's office said.

More threatening weather was possible Saturday, the weather service said.

There were reports of minor injuries in the Newton County tornado, according to WSB TV2, which flipped over cars in a Chick-Fil-A parking lot in Covington, Georgia, and damaged a middle school nearby.

The Carroll County sheriff said it began receiving reports of the possible tornado about 5:45 p.m. Friday from residents in Temple, Georgia, in the areas of Cowan Road, Old Villa Rica Road, New Brooklyn Church Road, Miller Agan Road, and Long Branch Road.

There were no injuries as a result of that possible tornado, authorities said.

"It should be noted that there were no active weather watches or warnings from the National Weather Service at the time of this storm," the sheriff's office said.

There were trees and power lines down and Cown Road was closed until further notice, the sheriff's office said.

The tornadoes were the latest in a string of severe weather in Georgia and other Southeastern states; more thunderstorms with the potential to produce damage were in the forecast for Saturday, the weather service said.

Pics from the NWS survey and submissions of Newton County GA tornado earlier this evening. Near Salem/Brown Bridge road. We have ruled it a tornado but will finish the survey on Saturday. #tornado #gawx pic.twitter.com/xCZJPJ4RUk
— NWS Atlanta (@NWSAtlanta) January 1, 2022

Video sent to us as the tornado crosses the intersection of Salem and Brown Bridge Road in Newton County. #tornado #gawx pic.twitter.com/sf0YbnqAym
— NWS Atlanta (@NWSAtlanta) January 1, 2022