Thousands Without Power After Overnight Storms Romped Through Region

Widespread overnight thunderstorms and tornado warnings tore through north Georgia, leaving thousands of metro Atlanta residents without power and creating dangerous driving conditions as trees and utility lines snapped across the region.

The fast-moving line of severe weather hit late Tuesday night and continued into the early morning hours of Wednesday, July 29, 2026. Strong straight-line winds and heavy rain took down massive trees, blocking critical roads and damaging property.

Outage Numbers and Hardest-Hit Areas

While peak storm outages reached over 40,000 customers statewide, utility crews worked aggressively through the night to restore service. As of early Wednesday morning, thousands of homes and businesses remain in the dark:

• DeKalb County: Over 2,500 customers affected, with severe tree damage reported blocking roads in areas like Clarkston.
• Fulton County: Over 1,100 customers without power, heavily impacting North Fulton, Buckhead, and Inman Park.
• Gwinnett County: Roughly 1,000 customers experiencing outages.
• Pickens County: Hard hit during the peak of the storm, with initial reports of over 5,000 customers in the dark alongside flash flooding and mudslides.

Extensive Property and Road Damage

Local emergency crews are actively handling a surge of service calls. In Sandy Springs, a massive tree collapsed onto four vehicles at an apartment complex, trapping the cars and prompting response from the American Red Cross to aid displaced residents. In Clarkston, debris and downed trees closed Indian Creek Way and Northern Avenue. Further north, emergency management officials reported that a mudslide triggered by torrential rain blocked Boardtown Road near Ellijay.

Both Georgia Power and Georgia EMC have deployed hundreds of technicians to clear tangled lines and repair broken utility poles. Officials have not yet established a definitive timeline for full power restoration due to the volume of localized grid damage.

Commuters are urged to exercise extreme caution on the Wednesday morning drive, treating any dark intersections with broken traffic signals as four-way stops.