A tree hit a car on I-285 in Dunwoody Thursday morning during severe weather.

A tree hit a car on I-285 in Dunwoody Thursday morning during severe weather.

Severe weather has delayed flights, flooded roadways and caused damage across the state Thursday.

A tornado watch has been issued through 8 p.m. for several cities in Georgia including Athens, Augusta, Macon, Albany and Valdosta.

Tornadoes are possible with isolated hail and wind gusts up to 75 miles per hour.

Keith Stellman is a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Peachtree City. He said while it may seem a little early in the season for tornadoes and severe weather, it's actually not. 

"If you look at statistics for us in the South it really starts in November and our season runs all the way through May," Stellman said.

He advises people to continue to watch the weather because the storms are moving quickly and tornadoes could spin up very rapidly.

Severe weather has already delayed flights, flooded roadways and caused damage. Some arriving flights at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport have been delayed nearly 2 hours.

Several school districts decided to dismiss students early and afterschool events were canceled in some counties. 

The NWS warned that flash flooding could continue into the evening. 

Several people have reported flooding and debris around the metro area, including downtown Atlanta. A car was hit by a falling tree on I-285 near Dunwoody during the storm.

Officials are advising people to watch for flash flooding and pay attention to updates on the Twitter account @NWSAtlanta. Temperatures are expected to drop overnight and some parts of the north Georgia mountains could even see light snow before conditions improve and the storm heads east and out of Georgia.

Tags: extreme weather  Atlanta  Georgia  Macon