Crime & Safety

Gwinnett Misses Brunt of Wednesday Storms

Strong storms lost their punch before arriving here. Officials say the county was "fortunate."

The Wednesday storm system that caused deadly weather in Northwest Georgia lost most of its punch by the time it reached Gwinnett County.

Despite three Severe Thunderstorm Warnings issued in the county Wednesday afternoon, residents were spared the dangerous conditions seen elsewhere.

The aftermath left windy and cool conditions, and a forecast that calls for highs only in the 40s for Thursday.

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By the time the heaviest weather moved through after 4 p.m. Wednesday, Gwinnett saw some heavy rain, a few tree limbs knocked down and some power outages. According to WeatherBug data, as of 8 p.m. Wednesday, many places in Gwinnett saw between 1 and 2 inches of rain.

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"We were fortunate that Gwinnett County was able to escape the brunt of today's powerful storm system,” Gwinnett Fire Capt. Tommy Rutledge reported via email.

Still, Rutledge said fire crews were busy. Among the emergency calls were:

  • A large tree limb punched a hole in the roof of a Lawrenceville home in the 3800 block of Willow Wood Way. No injuries were reported.
  • A downed power line blocked the roadway near the intersection of Plantation Road and Arnold Road in Lawrenceville.
  • Power was knocked out in the Kroger shopping area on Five Forks-Trickum Road at Oak Road.

One Snellville resident posted on the Gwinnett Patch Facebook page that several branches were knocked down in her backyard, and the rain turned a trickling stream into a torrent. She took a photo and posted to the page.

“When I got that pic, I had to run inside because of the falling branches,” she noted. “Our power went out for about an hour.”

Rutledge urges residents to make a safety plan to prepare for severe storms. Safety tips and other information are available on the county website.

“This is an early wake-up call for the spring and summer severe weather season,” he said.


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