ATLANTA -- High winds knocked out power to thousands of homes Monday night across metro Atlanta.

At the height of the power outage about 16,000 households were left in the dark.

Most of the outages were in the Tucker/Lithonia area, with Georgia Power estimating about 9,000 homes without power in that area.

About 5,000 homes in Jonesboro also were without electricity for several hours.

By 6 a.m. the number of homes without power was down to about 800, according to a Georgia Power representative.

The high winds also brought down some trees.

In Sandy Springs, a falling tree ripped down the traffic signals at the intersection of Glenridge Dr. and Hammond Dr. They were restored in time for the morning rush hour.

A tree fell on a home at 222 Feld Ave. in Decatur. The family inside escaped without any injury.