Severe March 12 Storms Knock Out Power, Down Trees Across Forsyth County

A severe thunderstorm tore through the city of Forsyth in the early morning hours of Thursday, March 12, snapping seven utility poles at multiple locations, blocking roads with downed trees, and cutting power to the city's water and wastewater treatment plants.

City officials said the storm caused widespread damage to power lines and roadways, leading to several outages and multiple roadway hazards across several areas of the city. Repair crews prioritized restoring power to the lines connected to the water treatment plant, reflecting the risk that a prolonged outage at the facility could pose to public services. Residents who spot downed power lines or other hazardous conditions are asked to contact Forsyth City Hall directly at 478-994-5649.

The storm was part of a broader line of severe weather that rolled across Metro Atlanta in the early morning hours, triggering severe thunderstorm warnings in areas mostly south of the city stretching from Hartsfield-Jackson to Peachtree City to Griffin and east to Eatonton. Southwest and central Georgia bore the brunt of the storm system, where numerous tornado warnings were issued.

Georgia Power's outage map recorded about 18,500 customers without power statewide just before 9:30 a.m. The heaviest concentration was in southwest and central Georgia, though more than 1,500 customers in Fulton County and more than 750 in Meriwether County were also without service at that hour. No specific customer count for Forsyth County or the city of Forsyth was immediately available.

Along Lynchburg Road, house damage and downed trees were reported, with investigators noting the damage pattern was consistent with straight-line winds rather than a tornado. The Forsyth County E-911 office reported trees blocking several roads across the county; those roads were cleared by 9:30 a.m.

No injuries were reported in connection with the Forsyth damage. The status of the water and wastewater treatment plants, and whether service had been fully restored, had not been confirmed as of Thursday morning.