Photos: Hurricane Irma lashes Atlanta

The brutal, leftover forces of Hurricane Irma were proving to Atlantans on Monday that being the City In A Forest can have its drawbacks.

Schools and government offices were closed, all MARTA public transit was cancelled, hundreds of flights at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport were grounded, entire neighborhoods were losing power, and city streets were covered in fallen pieces of trees even before Irma’s worst winds arrived.

Atlanta basically shut down.

By the look of many roadways, however, Atlantans were heeding advisories to stay home. Atlanta police vehicles were seen posted up in neighborhoods throughout the city.

But still, in places, the scene was turning rather chaotic.

By 2 p.m. Monday in Midtown, steady winds and gusts had picked up, with more than a dozen traffic lights out across the heart of the neighborhood.

Many lights still working had been twisted on their poles, and weren't easily visible. Drivers weren’t treating intersections as four-way stops, and quite a few near-misses were observed.

Other developments:

• Across Georgia, an estimated 840,000 people and counting are without power, per the AJC.
• Atlanta Public Schools will also be closed Tuesday.
• Trash service throughout Atlanta has been delayed by two days.
• Roads around Five Points and Woodruff Park downtown were closed after windblown debris rained off a high-rise into the streets.
• The most extreme winds from now-Tropical Storm Irma will reportedly subside around 8 or 9 p.m., with winds and rain tapering off Tuesday morning, according to WSB-TV.

Here’s a look around Atlanta as dramatic winds began to sweep through, raining branches and entire trees across the region.

Josh Green, Curbed Atlanta

Remaining photos: Micheal Kahn, Curbed Atlanta

• Hurricane Irma prompts Atlantans to contemplate tropical cyclone impact [Curbed]