Severe storms cause flooding, power outages around Atlanta

A line of severe thunderstorms Thursday caused flooding in Atlanta, especially in the Downtown area, forcing the closure of the Georgia Aquarium.

Thousands were without power, including a large swath of East Atlanta, according to Georgia Power.

Channel 2 Action News meteorologist Brad Nitz said nearly 3 inches of rain fell between 2 and 3 p.m. causing the flash floods.

Flooding along Baker Street in front of the Georgia Aquarium seeped into the attraction, which closed for the rest of Thursday.

The aquarium was forced to evacuate visitors due to the storm. The attraction issued a statement stating that any guests who had tickets for this evening could reach out to guest services to reschedule visits. None of the animals were affected by the flooding, officials said.

According to FOX 5, vehicles parked in a lot at Northside Drive and Martin Luther King Jr. Drive were washed away in the flash flood and wound up in a parking lot near Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

There was also heavy street flooding around the Atlanta University Center, which required swift-water rescue boats to be deployed. Cars could be seen in piles along numerous streets in the area, covered in mud from the floodwater.

This story comes to GPB through a reporting partnership with RoughDraft Atlanta.