<p>Severe thunderstorms rolled through north Georgia on Monday evening, causing lightning strikes and hail that damaged cars.</p><p>In Cobb County, there were at least nine lightning strikes, causing four house fires. No injuries were reported in the fires.</p><p>Residents in Cherokee County reported seeing hail, some the size of golf balls. Hail pummeled eastern Canton, shattering car windshields and piling up in gutters.</p><p>Nikki Howell, 18, of the Clayton community in Cherokee County, looked forlornly over her new Toyota Scion, its rear windshield and moon roof shattered by the hail.</p><p>"1,114 miles," she lamented of her new vehicle. "I totaled my last car."</p><p>A motorist in north Fulton County reported rain coming down in sheets, slowing traffic to a crawl and reducing visibility. Water build up on the roads made passage difficult. And power outages were reported in parts of Atlanta's Buckhead neighborhood.</p><p>In Floyd County, emergency workers and Georgia Power crews were busy as strong winds, heavy rain and hail knocked down power lines.</p><p>In Rome, a tree fell on a power line and ruptured a gas line, said Capt. Pete Peyton of Rome Fire Department Company 8.</p><p>"There was some arcing, but luckily the gas leak wasn't big enough to be a major threat," Peyton said. "It could have been worse."</p><p>By Tuesday morning, the severe weather had given way to thick fog that covered parts of the Atlanta area.</p><p>The National Weather Service said the risk of showers will remain in the forecast through the end of the week.</p>
