Storms Relentless on Atlanta Saturday

Atlanta, Georgia - 4:30 pm

The National Weather Service confirmed a tornado did hit the heart of downtown Atlanta Friday night, March 15, 2008. The tornado is reported to have been an F2 with 135 mph winds. At its peak, the tornado reached up to 200 yards wide. The tornado came in about 9:30 Friday night.

The Georgia Dome, CNN Center, World Congress Center, Omni Hotel, Peachtree Westin Hotel, and Ritz Carlton were all hit. The tornado grazed the ceiling of the Georgia Dome ripping part of it down. The World Congress Center experienced flooding. Part of Georgia State University was also damaged.

The tornado left a six mile path of destruction in its wake. Mayor Shirley Franklin declared Atlanta to be in a state of emergency and requested the public stay out of the downtown area as much as possible.

Today, the weather continues to hit the metro Atlanta area in fits and cycles. Tornado activity this morning killed at least one individual in nearby Polk County. A tornado or high wind also caused destruction and damage in Cartersville, including damage to Cartersville's Woodland High School. Bartow County, north of Atlanta, also sustained storm damage.

In the Douglas County and city of Villa Rica area, northwest of metro Atlanta, golf ball sized hail accompanied cyclical winds. Trees whipped in circular motion. It is uncertain if a tornado touched down in the Villa Rica area. If so, that is the second within two weeks to hit the Small sub-rural town on the edge of Douglas County, at the edge of Paulding County.

The cycle of storms has included rain, wind, and hail and there are still more storms headed toward Atlanta. Hail has been reported from marble size to softball size. There were several storms throughout the night, in the morning, and they continue into the late afternoon.

Signs of storm damage include pine trees bent as if a giant hand swooped down through the middle of the trunks. Older, larger trees are uprooted by the trunk. The damage in many areas appears to be in straight lines, consistent with tornado activity.