ATLANTA — The National Weather Service has confirmed that at least four tornadoes touched down in Georgia during Thursday's severe storms.
Among the counties hit were:
- Meriwether County
- Spalding County
- Troup County
- Warren County
- Pike
Thursday's storms left reports of damage throughout metro Atlanta. Crews with the National Weather Service started surveying many of these areas Friday and will continue to do so throughout the weekend. North Georgia was under an enhanced risk, Level 3 out of 5, for severe weather Thursday. Most of the area spent the day under a tornado watch with conditions triggering tornado warnings even through metro Atlanta. Most of the region was under a severe thunderstorm warning through the afternoon.
Preliminary information from the NWS on Friday mentions the damage in Spalding County might have come from at least two separate tornadoes. The NWS determined it was EF-3 damage along Kendall Drive. The preliminary storm survey also said EF-2 damage was found from a second tornado near the east side of the county. Debris was spotted near Highway 16 and S. McDonough Road. NWS surveyors are still finalizing the paths of the storms in that area.
More damage from an EF-2 twister was also found in Troup County, just southeast of LaGrange in the Lexington Park area.
Surveyors also discovered debris from an EF-2 storm in Meriwether County, with damage extending into Pike County. The NWS said it's unclear at this time how many tornadoes hit that area; they will continue to conduct surveys to learn more information.
The NWS plans to travel to Butts, Henry, Newton, and Jasper counties on Saturday.
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They are also working to determine if a tornado happened in Cobb County near Austell. There was visible damage in some communities, including along Oak Ridge Parkway where the wall of a warehouse was ripped away by the storm.
Warren County is also on the list of areas surveyors will visit over the next few days to determine if tornadoes occurred there.
After further assessment, officials said it was not a tornado that touched down in DeKalb County Thursday. There was, however, thunderstorm wind damage in the area.
Correction: This story has been updated to more accurately reflect the number of tornadoes confirmed by the National Weather Service.