The wind speed of the storm that blew through Fayette County during the late night hours April 4 is not known. But what is known is that the winds were strong enough to blow trees onto two homes and one vehicle in north Fayette and to cause temporary power outages in the Tyrone area.
A downed tree fell onto a vehicle on Castlewood Road in Tyrone, with the uninjured resident inside the vehicle, said Fayette County Fire and Emergency Services spokesperson Donnie Davis on Tuesday morning.
The storm came through around midnight, bringing high winds and heavy rain, Davis said. It was the areas on the county’s north side, from Tyrone to the areas eastward around Ga. Highway 314, that saw the highest winds and resulting damage, Davis said.
Davis said two homes, on Lafayette Drive and on Deauville Way, located between Hwy. 314 and Ga. Highway 279, sustained some damage when a tree fell onto the roof. Damage to one of the homes was moderate while the other was minor, Davis said.
In all, there were no known injuries due to the storm, Davis added.
Davis said that the fire station in Tyrone also sustained minor damage to the roof due to high winds.
The late night storm also brought winds sufficient to topple a number of trees and power lines across the county and cause some power outages in the Tyrone area. Davis said Georgia Power and EMC repair crews responded to the area and had power restored by early morning.
The wind speed accompanying a severe thunderstorm is generally forecast to be 60-70 miles per hour, according to the National Weather Service in Peachtree City, though the storm registered wind gusts of only 32 miles per hour at the NWS office.
Assessing the response of repair crews and EMS and 911 personnel, Davis said, “They all did an outstanding job. It was a very busy night.”