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Trees down, power out in wake of weekend rains
Showers finally expected to move out Monday after more than 3 inches fell in recent days
1005WEATHER
A tree fell across Woodlawn Drive at its intersection with Virginia Circle, adjacent to Roper Park in Gainesville, during weekend storms.

No injuries have been reported, but many area residents are dealing with the aftermath of heavy rains that raked North Georgia this weekend.

Georgia Power and Jackson Electric Membership Corp. reported widespread outages throughout Hall County, as residents dealt with downed trees and other storm cleanup.

As of 10:40 p.m. Sunday, almost 1,400 Hall County customers were without power, down from more than 2,200 in the afternoon. All but 17 of the 1,378 without power as of late Sunday were Georgia Power customers.

“It’s been a busy night/day for everyone,” Hall County Sheriff’s Office spokeswoman Nicole Bailes said. “We have received numerous calls for downed trees and power lines.”

Most of the damage is north of Ga. 369 from the Sardis area to Lula, Bailes said.

Traffic lights on Ga. 365 at Ramsey Road, Howard Road and White Sulphur Road weren’t working.

“We are urging drivers to use caution as they travel this area and to handle those intersections like four-way stops,” Bailes said.

White County and Habersham County schools were closed Monday due to power outages and storm damage.

The Sheriff’s Office also received calls of trees that fell on homes.

Several trees have fallen along Old Cornelia Highway in East Hall, typical of the “sort of damage (that) is widespread throughout the northern portions of the county,” Bailes said.

“Power crews are responding but are not providing response times,” she said. “Patience is needed as crews work to restore power and clear roadways.

“Response times could be delayed with law enforcement on the north end, as some secondary roadways are still blocked with downed trees.”

The National Weather Service in Peachtree City is calling for a 20 percent chance for showers this morning.

Sunny skies are expected to return Tuesday and remain through Thursday. The next chance for rain is a slight one Friday night.

According to the weather service, 3.45 inches fell at Lee Gilmer Memorial Airport in Gainesville between Thursday evening and Sunday morning.

The rain that soaked North Georgia all week continued through the day Saturday, causing many events to be scrapped or moved indoors. Even the annual Petit Le Mans road race at Road Atlanta was shortened by a steady downpour.

Part of Sardis Road closed Friday afternoon after it was washed out during heavy rains.

The section affected is between the Sardis compactor site and Sardis Elementary School and will be shut down until further notice.