CLARKESVILLE, Ga. — Northeast Georgia appears to have avoided the worst of a powerful storm system that swept across the state Monday morning, bringing severe weather and thousands of power outages elsewhere in Georgia.
As of 9:30 a.m., Habersham EMC reported four active outages affecting a total of 35 customers. Three of those outages were located in White County.
Across Georgia, outages were more widespread. According to Georgia EMC, nearly 17,000 customers statewide were without power Monday morning, though only 84 of those outages were reported in the Northeast Georgia region.
Most of the damage so far has occurred in West Georgia and metro Atlanta, where Georgia EMC reports more than 11,000 customers affected.
Georgia Power is also reporting scattered outages in the region. In Rabun County, the utility reported six outages affecting 222 customers. The largest outages in the broader area were reported in Athens-Clarke County, where five outages were affecting 527 customers.
Local officials report few issues
So far, emergency officials say the region appears to have escaped the worst of the storm.
White County Public Information Officer Bryce Barrett said Monday morning he had not received reports of significant storm-related problems.
“I’m not aware of any problem areas in our county,” Barrett told Now Georgia. “I think we’ve faired pretty well and were spared the worst of the weather.”
Habersham County officials reported only minor issues from the storms.
Public Information Officer Ashlyn Brady said crews responded to a few reports of downed trees early Monday morning, but most had already been cleared by midmorning.
“We had a few areas with downed trees, but everything that has been reported has been cleared,” Brady said around 10 a.m. “The only area left is around North Mize Road which we’re waiting to get because there are lines down.”
Sharp cooldown expected
The storms are part of a fast-moving weather system driven by an arctic front sweeping across the Southeast.
Forecasters say the system is expected to bring a rapid drop in temperatures behind the storms, with breezy conditions continuing through the day. Temperatures in North Georgia could fall into the 20s overnight, with much cooler conditions expected through midweek.
Now Georgia will continue monitoring weather conditions and outage reports throughout the day and will provide updates as additional information becomes available.
