ATLANTA (AP) — The National Weather Service says a survey team has confirmed a tornado touched down in Cherokee County as part of a system of severe thunderstorms that moved across the state.

The agency says hundreds of trees were snapped or uprooted along the 8.5-mile path of Thursday evening's tornado, which was classified as an EF-1 with winds between 86 and 110 miles per hour.

By noon Friday, about 44,000 Georgia Power customers were still without power, mostly in metro Atlanta.

Kennesaw State University, northwest of Atlanta, said it was cancelling all classes Friday due to power outages. Georgia Perimeter College also cancelled Friday classes at its Dunwoody campus.