Chattooga County Schools will operate on a two-hour delay today, Friday, August 21, due to a power outage affecting the Lyerly area.

The delay comes after thunderstorms moved through Northwest Georgia overnight, leaving multiple widespread power outages across Chattooga and Floyd counties.

Georgia Power is reporting numerous outages across the region this morning, with one of the largest outages affecting the Lyerly area.

The overnight storms brought heavy rain, lightning and gusty winds to portions of Northwest Georgia, resulting in power interruptions as residents began their Friday morning.

Because of the outage in Lyerly, Chattooga County School System officials made the decision to delay the start of school by two hours.

Parents, students and school employees should plan for school operations to begin two hours later than the normal Friday schedule.

Georgia Power crews are working to restore electricity to affected customers across Chattooga and Floyd counties.

Residents should use caution around any downed trees or power lines and should never approach or attempt to move a downed electrical line.

WZQZ News will continue to provide updates on the power outages and any additional schedule changes as information becomes available.