Severe weather swept through Georgia on Sunday, leaving a trail of destruction. In Habersham County, high winds knocked down trees and power lines and damaged several buildings. Thousands of people were left without power in the early morning hours of Dec. 29.
According to Now Habersham weathercaster Tyler Penland, an apparent downburst broke through the wedge moving across the region before dawn. Wind gusts of 60 miles per hour were recorded near Lowe’s in Cornelia, and 45 mph winds were recorded around Marito Scovill in Clarkesville.
The Double Springs Road area in Mt. Airy picked up winds of around 36.5 miles per hour.
The storm was part of a severe weather system that moved in from the west, spawning tornado watches across Alabama, Georgia, and Florida.
The National Weather Service confirmed a tornado touched down in Fayette County Sunday morning. The NWS says a short-lived EF-0 struck about 9 miles south of Fayetteville around 4:38 a.m. The estimated wind speed was approximately 80 miles per hour.
In Douglas County, a young girl was injured when a tree fell on top of a house, WSB-TV reports.
Now Habersham’s Daniel Purcell was out in the storm before dawn, capturing the above video and these images of the storm’s impact on Habersham County.
