PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PEACHTREE CITY GA
420 PM EST THU DEC 29 2005

...SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ON DECEMBER 28 PRODUCED TORNADOES AND LARGE
HAIL IN PARTS OF GEORGIA...

THE OUTBREAK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ON WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON AND
EVENING RESULTED IN AT LEAST 3 TORNADOES AND NUMEROUS REPORTS OF
LARGE HAIL ACROSS MUCH OF CENTRAL GEORGIA. FORTUNATELY...THERE
APPEAR TO HAVE BEEN NO INJURIES.

ALL TORNADOES IN THIS EVENT APPEAR TO HAVE BEEN WEAK...EITHER F0 OR
F1 ON THE FUJITA INTENSITY SCALE. THEY OCCURRED IN THE FOLLOWING
COUNTIES...LAURENS...WILCOX...AND PULASKI. DETAILS ON THESE
TORNADOES FOLLOW.

IN LAURENS COUNTY...A TORNADO TOUCHED DOWN IN THE BEN HALL LAKE AREA
WHICH IS ABOUT 7 MILES NORTHEAST OF DUBLIN. ITS PATH TOOK IT FROM
THE LAKE EASTWARD TO HIGHWAY 319 WHICH IS A PATH ROUGHLY 3 MILES
LONG. IT DESTROYED A MOBILE HOME AND FLIPPED OVER A CAR. THE DAMAGE
PATH WAS 300 YARDS WIDE AT ITS MAXIMUM.

IN WILCOX COUNTY...A TORNADO TOUCHED DOWN 5.5 MILES NORTH OF PITTS
NEAR HIGHWAY 215. THERE WAS CONSIDERABLE DAMAGE TO ONE HOME AND A
ROOF WAS LIFTED OFF AN INDUSTRIAL BUILDING. PEANUT TRAILERS WERE
TOSSED INTO A POND. FALLING TREES DAMAGED AT LEAST 3 CARS. THE
DAMAGE PATH WAS ROUGHLY 2 MILES LONG AND 50 YARDS WIDE.

IN PULASKI COUNTY...A HOUSE WAS PUSHED OFF ITS FOUNDATION...SHINGLES
WERE TORN OFF ANOTHER HOME AND THERE WAS DAMAGE TO AT LEAST ONE BARN.
THIS OCCURRED 8 MILES SOUTH OF HAWKINSVILLE. THE DAMAGE PATH WAS
ROUGHLY A HALF MILE LONG AND 200 YARDS WIDE.

HAIL WAS UNUSUALLY LARGE WITH SEVERAL OF THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS.
SOFTBALL SIZE HAIL WAS REPORTED IN SUMTER COUNTY 5 MILES NORTH OF
AMERICUS. BASEBALL SIZE HAIL WAS REPORTED IN LAGRANGE (TROUP
COUNTY)...CORDELE (CRISP COUNTY)... AND ONE MILE NORTH OF
WRIGHTSVILLE (JOHNSON COUNTY).

THERE WERE NUMEROUS REPORTS OF HAIL THE SIZE OF GOLF BALLS AND
QUARTERS.

THIS OUTBREAK OF STORMS WAS SET UP BY A STRONG JET STREAM
OVERHEAD...AND APPROACHING COLD FRONT AND AN AIRMASS THAT WAS
SOMEWHAT WARMER THAN NORMAL FOR DECEMBER.