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Not confirmed, but several reported sightings.

The morning after: What exactly happened?

Unconfirmed reports of tornados, strong winds and hail throughout Georgia

By JEFFREY SCOTT

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Friday, April 10, 2009

Tornado warnings were sounded as storms lashed the state and metro Atlanta Friday with wind, rain, and the rat-a-tat-tat of hail pounding cars and roofs.

But, as of Saturday morning, Georgia still wasn’t sure what hit it — bad storms, or twisters?

With all the sound and fury nobody was killed or seriously injured in Friday night’s weather beating, said Ken Davis, spokesman for the Georgia Emergency Managment Agency.

National Weather Service crews were out early Saturday trying to figure out if it was tornados, or high “straight line winds” that downed trees and damaged property in Cordele, Summerville, and Sparta, where Friday night tornados supposedly were sighted.

Investigators should know by late Saturday afternoon if it was twisters that took the toll, said a Weather Service spokesman.

Across the city and state more minor damage was being assessed and dealt with: home owners removed branches from yards; power companies restored electricity.

On Lake Lanier, according to Forsyth County officials, boat and dock owners were dealing with boats that tipped over in the torrent of rain and wind that also damaged ramps and docks.

The biggest hail laid seige to northwest Georgia, where there were reports of the ice balls about as big as baseballs, two-and-three-quarters inches diameter, said the Weather Service. In other areas across the state hail more resembling the size of golf balls and English peas.

In Augusta, wind blew off the roof of a nursing home and about 135 residents had to spend the night in a hospital, according to Georgia Emergency Management Agency. Several trees were knocked down in Polk County, including one that crashed on two homes in Rockmart.

In Franklin County about 25 homes, and chicken houses, were damaged by hail, wind and rain. In Gwinnett County, a tree landed on a home near Buford.

Almost all power was restored across the state by Saturday morning, said GEMA spokesman Ken Davis. At one point more than 10,000 Georgia Power customers —- roughly 7,600 of them in northwest Georgia — were without juice, according to utility spokeswoman Lynn Wallace.

In metro Atlanta, about 1,700 customers lost power in the north Druid Hills area of Dekalb County. Another 217 were without electricity in College Park.

A man was trapped in his care by downed power lines, but was rescued without injury.

For a time Friday night arriving flights were delayed almost three hours as the rain, hail and winds stormed through the city, and the Atlanta Braves home opener against the Washington Nationals before a sellout crowd was delayed for more than two hours.

The Braves won 6-5 in 10 innings in a game that didn’t finish until 1:26 a.m.

Saturday’s forecast is without hail: mostly sunny, high near 68, northwest breezes of 10 to 15 mph, with gusts up to 20 mph, the Weather Service said. The forecast low: 45.

Easter Sunday will be sunnier and warmer, with a high near 72. Rain may return Sunday night. Showers and thunderstorms are likely Monday.