More Rain To Come After Storms Knock Out Power In 23K GA Homes

ATLANTA, GA — More than 23,000 people had no power Thursday morning after overnight storms hammered Georgia and caused damage.

At nearly 10:45 a.m., Georgia Power reported several outages in DeKalb, Fayette, Henry and Clayton counties, as well as areas further south.

"Severe weather moved through Georgia last night. Our crews are actively working to restore power safely and as quickly as possible," Georgia Power said in an outage message.

Downed trees and a downed transformer were among the issues Clayton County residents faced, WXIA-TV reported.

Decatur was also hit with downed trees, one of which fell on a family's pickup truck, the news outlet reported, noting there were no injuries.

Thousands of people still had no electricity after waking up on Thursday morning, according to Poweroutage.us.

The National Weather Service told Patch its agency was assessing damage from the overnight storms.

Thursday's thunderstorms could be similar to Wednesday's downpour; however, NWS meteorologist Vaughn Smith said the systems may not be as severe.

He noted all of Georgia will be impacted, but compared to Wednesday, not as many storms are anticipated. The expected timing indicated the storms will arrive between 2 p.m. Thursday and 2 a.m. Friday.

Gusty winds and fallen trees were possible on Thursday, "just not as bad yesterday," Smith said, adding the rainfall would be "standard strong to severe storms."

Additionally, a code orange air quality alert was issued for metro Atlanta on Thursday.

Orange denotes an air quality index of between 101 and 150, while an index of above 150 is considered code red, with health effects spreading to members of the general public.

Air quality alerts are triggered by a number of factors, including the detection of fine-particle pollution — known as “PM 2.5” — which can irritate the lungs.

The Georgia Department of Natural Resources said people in sensitive groups should limit their outdoor activities during the late afternoon or early evening hours, when ozone concentrations are the highest, according to the NWS alert.

Here is the National Weather Service's Thursday morning forecast for metro Atlanta:

Today: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly after 3 p.m. Mostly sunny, with a high near 95. Heat index values as high as 100. Calm wind becoming northwest around 5 mph.

Tonight: A chance of showers and thunderstorms before midnight, then a slight chance of showers between midnight and 1 a.m. Partly cloudy, with a low around 70. Southeast wind around 5 mph becoming calm. Chance of precipitation is 40 percent.

Friday: A chance of showers, then showers and thunderstorms likely after 11 a.m. Mostly sunny, with a high near 92. Heat index values as high as 98. Calm wind becoming west around 5 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60 percent. New rainfall amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.

Friday Night: Showers and thunderstorms likely before 11 p.m., then a chance of showers between 11 p.m. and 2 a.m. Partly cloudy, with a low around 71. Northwest wind around 5 mph becoming calm. Chance of precipitation is 60 percent.

Saturday: A slight chance of showers, then a chance of showers and thunderstorms after 11 a.m. Mostly sunny, with a high near 91. Calm wind becoming northwest around 5 mph in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 50 percent.

Saturday Night: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly before 8pm. Partly cloudy, with a low around 71.

Sunday: A 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms after 2 p.m. Mostly sunny, with a high near 91.

Sunday Night: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms before 2 a.m. Partly cloudy, with a low around 71.

Monday: Showers and thunderstorms likely, mainly after 2 p.m. Mostly sunny, with a high near 91. Chance of precipitation is 60 percent.

Monday Night: Showers and thunderstorms likely before 2 a.m, then a slight chance of showers. Partly cloudy, with a low around 72. Chance of precipitation is 60 percent.

Tuesday: Showers and thunderstorms likely. Partly sunny, with a high near 89. Chance of precipitation is 70 percent.

Tuesday Night: Showers and thunderstorms likely. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 71. Chance of precipitation is 60 percent.

Wednesday: Showers and thunderstorms likely. Partly sunny, with a high near 87. Chance of precipitation is 70 percent.

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