Local
Isaias brings overnight rain and outages to Georgia as weekend events are canceled
Hurricane Isaias made landfall near Destin, Florida, Friday night before weakening as it moved inland. More than 12,700 Georgia customers were without power early Saturday, while forecasters warned of heavy rain, damaging winds and possible flooding across the state.
Hurricane Isaias brought bands of rain toward metro Atlanta overnight Friday, while high-wind and flood warnings remained in effect across North Georgia into Saturday. More than 12,700 Georgia customers had lost power by 12:20 a.m., according to the latest figures in the overnight storm update.
The storm made landfall near Destin, Florida, around 9:30 p.m. Friday as a Category 2 hurricane with sustained winds of 105 mph, then weakened to Category 1 as it moved north across Alabama. The National Hurricane Center reported sustained winds of 90 mph at 11:30 p.m. and said the system was expected to continue weakening, though rain and gusty winds could persist Saturday.
More than 500,000 customers across Florida, Alabama and Georgia were without electricity overnight. Heavy rain was also a concern: nearly 10 inches fell in three hours in parts of the Florida Panhandle, and forecasters expected 4 to 8 inches across southern Alabama, the Panhandle and Big Bend, and southwest Georgia.
Earlier Friday, Georgia forecasters warned that North Georgia could see wind gusts of 30 to 50 mph or higher, heavy downpours and an increased tornado threat as Isaias moved inland. The state was under an emergency declaration covering all 159 counties, and DeKalb County opened emergency shelters as the storm approached.
Storm preparations disrupted plans across metro Atlanta. Schools in DeKalb, Fulton, Atlanta and Decatur canceled Saturday events and activities, while Gwinnett County Schools called off extracurricular and athletic events. Atlanta Parks and Recreation canceled Saturday programming and closed aquatic centers, golf courses and the Chastain Arts Center. Oakhurst Porchfest was canceled after Decatur and DeKalb declared emergencies and organizers said police and city services would not be available to support the event.
Atlanta Pride canceled its Saturday festival day, with the parade and festival scheduled to resume Sunday if weather and safety conditions allow. Morehouse and Spelman colleges moved homecoming activities to Sunday. Georgia Tech said its football game against Duke remained scheduled for 3:30 p.m. Saturday, although pregame activities were canceled.
Residents were urged to monitor weather alerts and check with event organizers for schedule changes as rain bands continued to move through the region.