Weather alerts are in effect Saturday afternoon for parts of metro Atlanta and two other areas of Georgia as strong thunderstorms push through the state.
What’s happening: Three separate storm alerts were issued between 4:08 p.m. and 4:26 p.m. Saturday, all based on radar. The storms bring risks of damaging wind, hail, and lightning.
The storms, by location:
- Metro Atlanta — A storm was over the Bolton area near Atlanta at 4:26 p.m., moving northeast at 15 mph through parts of Cobb, North Fulton, and DeKalb counties. This alert expires at 5 p.m. Communities in the path include Atlanta, Marietta, Sandy Springs, Smyrna, Dunwoody, Chamblee, Doraville, Tucker, Brookhaven, Vinings, Midtown, Fair Oaks, North Druid Hills, Bankhead, Piedmont Park, and Dobbins Air Reserve Base.
- Wayne County — Storms were near Gardi at 4:21 p.m., moving north at 10 mph. This alert expires at 4:45 p.m. Communities in the path include Jesup, Screven, Odum, Doctortown, and Broadhurst.
- Johnson, Emanuel, and Laurens counties — A storm was near Adrian, about 12 miles southeast of Wrightsville, at 4:08 p.m., moving north at 10 mph. This alert expires at 4:45 p.m. Communities in the path include Adrian, Kite, Meeks, and Scott.
What’s important: The metro Atlanta storm carries the broadest hazard list: winds up to 40 mph, pea-sized hail, and frequent lightning. The storm near Adrian brings winds of 40 to 50 mph, hail, and lightning. The Wayne County storms bring gusts of 40 to 45 mph and active lightning.
What to do right now: Anyone outdoors in any of these areas should go inside a building or vehicle immediately. Lightning can strike up to 10 miles from a storm. If you can hear thunder, you are already close enough to be hit.
The path forward: All three storms are moving north or northeast. Anyone in communities north of the listed locations should watch for conditions to worsen as the afternoon continues.
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B.T. Clark is the Publisher of The Georgia Sun and author of Principles Are Like Pants… You Ought to Have Some. Over two decades in journalism, he has served as Managing Editor of Neighbor Newspapers in metro Atlanta and Digital Director at Times-Journal Inc., earning multiple awards along the way. His work has appeared in newspapers across the state, including The Cherokee Tribune and The Marietta Daily Journal.
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