Outdoor events set for Thursday afternoon in Evans will have patrons looking to the skies, but the only fireworks might come from thunderstorms.

A cold front moving across the Southeast is expected to bring a slight chance of showers after 1 p.m., with an increasing chance of showers and thunderstorms after 2 p.m. under mostly cloudy skies and a high of 81, with south winds 5 to 11 mph and a 30 percent chance of rain.

Blustery conditions to start the work week claimed one casualty Monday when a fallen tree knocked out power in the Camelot subdivision in Evans.

The tree on Sir Lancelot Drive temporarily knocked out the traffic signals at Washington Road and Ronald Reagan Drive, and the National Weather Service is warning of more potential problems from strong winds throughout the day.

Winds are expected to gust up to 40 mph through 8 p.m. Monday, and a freeze watch Monday night will be in effect until Tuesday morning with temperatures at daybreak at or near freezing.

Storms the blew through the area Monday night knocked down trees and knocked out power in the area, but Tuesday’s forecast calls for gradual clearing and highs in the 70s on the last day of winter.

Columbia County Emergency and Operations Director Pam Tucker reported that several trees came down across the county, including one that crushed a vehicle on Ashley Circle in the Holiday Park subdivision in Martinez.

Other trees fell on Shackleford Place in Evans and on Waterford Drive in the Winslow subdivision, Tucker said in an email.

Tenth District U.S. Rep. Paul Broun will hold a pair of town hall meetings, one live and one by radio, his office announced.

“I’m looking forward to talking to as many people as possible from Columbia County in person and on the radio,” said Broun in an emailed announcement. “Town hall meetings are a great way to do this.”

The first of the meetings will be a “radio town hall” from 4 to 5 p.m. March 26 on the “Austin Rhodes Show on WGAC-AM/FM