PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT...UPDATED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PEACHTREE CITY GA 555 PM EDT MON APR 10 2006 ...SEVERE WEATHER OUTBREAK BRINGS TORNADOES TO NORTH GEORGIA EARLY SATURDAY MORNING... A STRONG...SPRING STORM SYSTEM TRACKED ACROSS THE LOWER MISSISSIPPI AND TENNESSEE VALLEY INTO NORTH GEORGIA FRIDAY NIGHT AND EARLY SATURDAY. THE STORM SYSTEM BROUGHT NUMEROUS THUNDERSTORMS WITH NICKEL TO QUARTER AND SOME GOLF BALL-SIZED HAIL ALONG WITH DAMAGING WINDS TO A NUMBER OF NORTH GEORGIA COUNTIES DURING THE EARLY MORNING HOURS...MAINLY NORTH OF INTERSTATE 20. IN ADDITION...PRELIMINARY DAMAGE SURVEYS CONDUCTED BY THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAVE CONFIRMED THAT AT LEAST FOUR TORNADOES OCCURRED IN NORTH GEORGIA. THIS INFORMATION STILL REMAINS PRELIMINARY AND WE WILL CONTINUE TO REFINE THIS PRODUCT AS FURTHER INFORMATION IS OBTAINED WITHIN THE NEXT FEW DAYS FROM ADDITIONAL DAMAGE SURVEYS AND INFORMATION FROM EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT DIRECTORS AND OTHER COUNTY OFFICIALS. PLEASE CONSULT OUR LOCAL STORM REPORT...ATLLSRFFC...FOR ADDITIONAL STORM DAMAGE INFORMATION. F0 TORNADO...POLK COUNTY...4S CEDARTOWN - 5SE CEDARTOWN... 320 AM - 328 AM EDT: THE FIRST TORNADO TOUCHED DOWN APPROXIMATELY FOUR MILES SOUTH OF CEDARTOWN IN POLK COUNTY AND TRACKED TO THE EAST AROUND FIVE MILES ENDING ABOUT SIX MILES SOUTHEAST OF CEDARTOWN. ABOUT A DOZEN HOMES WERE DAMAGED ALONG THE PATH OF THE TORNADO...MOSTLY FROM DOWNED TREES. A FEW POWER LINES WERE ALSO DOWN IN THE AREA. PORCHES WERE BLOWN OFF TWO HOMES FIVE MILES SOUTH-SOUTHEAST OF CEDARTOWN. SEVERAL OUT BUILDINGS WERE ALSO DAMAGED...INCLUDING A GREENHOUSE. THIS TORNADO WAS RATED AN F0 ON THE FUJITA DAMAGE RATING SCALE...WITH A PATH LENGTH OF 5 MILES AND A PATH WIDTH OF 50 TO 100 YARDS. F2 TORNADO...POLK COUNTY...1NW ROCKMART - 2ENE ROCKMART... 330AM - 335 AM EDT: THE SECOND TORNADO TOUCHED DOWN APPROXIMATELY ONE MILE NORTHWEST OF ROCKMART AND TRACKED TO THE EAST ABOUT THREE MILES. NEARLY TWO DOZEN HOMES WERE DAMAGED ALONG THE PATH...TWO OF WHICH WERE DESTROYED. A NUMBER OF OUT BUILDINGS WERE ALSO HEAVILY DAMAGED OR DESTROYED. MINOR DAMAGE WAS ALSO REPORTED TO THE ROCKMART HIGH SCHOOL...ESPECIALLY THE ATHLETIC FIELDS. A YOUNG CHILD WAS INJURED AT ONE OF THE DAMAGED HOMES WHEN SHEET ROCK AND RAFTERS FELL ON THE COUCH WHERE HE WAS SLEEPING AND POSSIBLY ANOTHER INJURY TO A WOMAN SOUTH OF CEDARTOWN. IN ADDITION...A CARPORT WAS ALSO BLOWN OFF A HOME ONE MILE NORTHWEST OF ROCKMART AND FIVE COAL CARS WERE COMPLETELY BLOWN OFF A RAILROAD TRACK. AN 18-WHEEL TRUCK TRAILER AS ALSO BLOWN OVER. THIS TORNADO WAS RATED AN F2...WITH A PATH LENGTH OF 3 MILES AND A PATH WIDTH OF 50 TO 100 YARDS. F0 TORNADO...COBB COUNTY...8W MARIETTA - MARIETTA... 350AM - 400 AM EDT: THE THIRD TORNADO TOUCHED DOWN APPROXIMATELY EIGHT MILES WEST OF MARIETTA NEAR DUE WEST ROAD AND GEORGIA HIGHWAY 120 AND TRAVELED A SPORADIC...TWO SEGMENTED PATH TO A POINT JUST WEST OF INTERSTATE 75 NEAR COBB COUNTY PARKWAY/U.S. HIGHWAY 41 AND THE BIG CHICKEN. THE FIRST SEGMENT EXISTED FROM ROUGHLY THE INTERSECTION OF GEORGIA HIGHWAY 120 AND DUE WEST ROAD TO A POINT ABOUT TWO MILES EAST OF THERE OR SIX MILES WEST OF MARIETTA. ABOUT SIX HOMES IN THE CORN LAKE AREA SUSTAINED DAMAGE FROM DOWNED TREES...ONE OF WHICH SUFFERED MAJOR DAMAGE. ONE INJURY WAS REPORTED IN THIS AREA. THIS SEGMENT OF THE TORNADO WAS RATED AN F0 WITH A PATH LENGTH OF 2 MILES AND A PATH WIDTH OF 50 YARDS. THE SECOND AND BRIEF SEGMENT OF THE TORNADO BEGAN IN MARIETTA NEAR NORTH COBB PARKWAY/U.S. HIGHWAY 41 AND ROSWELL STREET AND ENDED NEAR THE BIG CHICKEN AND AN ADJACENT SHOPPING CENTER. ABOUT 100 TREES WERE DOWN IN THIS AREA. THE BIG CHICKEN BILLBOARD WAS DAMAGED AND DAMAGE WAS ALSO OBSERVED TO AT LEAST TWO OTHER COMMERCIAL BUILDINGS IN THE AREA AND A K-MART. THIS SEGMENT OF THE TORNADO WAS ALSO RATED AN F0 WITH A PATH LENGTH OF 1/2 MILE AND A PATH WIDTH OF 50 YARDS. F1 TORNADO...COBB AND FULTON COUNTIES...NOONDAY - 3E ALPHARETTA... 355 AM - 415 AM EDT: THE FOURTH TORNADO TOUCHED DOWN APPROXIMATELY SEVEN MILES NORTH OF MARIETTA OR JUST SOUTH OF THE INTERSECTION OF CANTON ROAD/GEORGIA HIGHWAY 5 AND JAMERSON ROAD AND TRAVELED EAST ABOUT 18 MILES TO ALPHARETTA IN NORTH FULTON COUNTY. AT THE BEGINNING OF THE TORNADO TRACK...AT LEAST 200 TREES WERE DOWN WITH DAMAGE REPORTED TO ABOUT 60 HOMES...10 WITH MAJOR DAMAGE AND 50 WITH MINOR DAMAGE. THE MAJORITY OF THE DAMAGE OCCURRED WITHIN THE JAMERSON FOREST SUBDIVISION IN THE NOONDAY AREA. INTERMITTENT DAMAGE CONTINUED FROM THIS POINT INTO NORTH FULTON COUNTY WITH MINOR DAMAGE REPORTED TO SEVERAL HOMES IN THE SWEAT MOUNTAIN AREA. CONSIDERABLE DAMAGE WAS ONCE AGAIN NOTED JUST SOUTH OF CRABAPPLE. A CAR WASH AND DETAIL SHOP WERE DESTROYED...A GAS STATION SUFFERED MAJOR DAMAGE...AND A NEARBY STRIP MALL SUFFERED MINOR DAMAGE. HUNDREDS OF TREES WERE DOWN ON RUCKER ROAD. THE DAMAGE CONTINUED INTO THE ALPHARETTA AREA WHERE ABOUT 40 HOMES WERE DAMAGED BY DOWNED TREES. FIVE OF THE HOMES HAD MAJOR DAMAGE WITH 35 SUSTAINING MINOR DAMAGE. THIS TORNADO WAS RATED AN F1 AND HAD A PATH LENGTH OF 18 MILES...7 MILES IN COBB COUNTY AND 11 MILES IN NORTH FULTON. THE PATH WIDTH RANGED FROM 10 TO 200 YARDS WIDE AT POINTS ALONG THE PATH. ADDITIONAL UPDATES MAY STILL OCCUR TO THIS REPORT WITHIN THE NEXT DAY OR TWO AS FURTHER INFORMATION BECOMES AVAILABLE FROM LOCAL COUNTY GOVERNMENTS...EMERGENCY MANAGERS...AND ADDITIONAL DAMAGE SURVEY INFORMATION. $$ RAB/SN/EA