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NOUS42 KTAE 152020 CCA
PNSTAE

FLZ013-017-026-GAZ125-127-130-170000

PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT...CORRECTED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TALLAHASSEE FL
607 PM EDT TUE APR 14 2009

CORRECTED FINDING IN THE FITZGERALD SURVEY.

...STORM SURVEYS CONDUCTED IN NORTH FLORIDA AND SOUTH GEORGIA 
TODAY...

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN TALLAHASSEE SENT TWO TEAMS TO SURVEY 
STORM DAMAGE ACROSS NORTH FLORIDA AND SOUTH GEORGIA THIS AFTERNOON.

...STORM ONE...SYLVESTER GEORGIA...

THE FIRST STORM SURVEYED WAS IN SYLVESTER GEORGIA. THE DAMAGE IN 
SYLVESTER WAS JUST NORTH OF U.S. HIGHWAY 82 NEAR THE COUNTY FIRE 
STATION. THE DAMAGE WAS CONFINED TO A SMALL AREA ABOUT 300 YARDS IN 
LENGTH. A FEW TREES WERE DOWNED IN THE AREA ALONG WITH SOME DAMAGE 
TO AN AWNING AT A GAS STATION. THIS DAMAGE WAS DETERMINED TO BE 
CAUSED BY STRAIGHT LINE WINDS WITH AN INTENSITY OF 50 TO 65 MPH. THE 
STORM PASSED THROUGH SYLVESTER AROUND 1145 AM EDT. 

...STORM TWO...FITZGERALD GEORGIA...

THE SAME STORM THAT PASSED THROUGH SYLVESTER CONTINUED MOVING 
NORTHEAST...INTENSIFIED AND PRODUCED ADDITIONAL DAMAGE IN FITZGERALD
GEORGIA. SOUTHWEST OF TOWN A FEW PIVOT IRRIGATION SYSTEMS WERE 
DAMAGED. THE MOST SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE OCCURRED IN DOWNTOWN 
FITZGERALD. THE BRICK FACADE COLLAPSED ON THE SIDE OF ONE BUILDING. 
NUMEROUS TREES WERE EITHER UPROOTED OR SNAPPED. MUCH OF THE DAMAGE 
TO STRUCTURES IN THE AREA WERE CAUSED BY FALLEN TREES. SOME OF THESE 
LARGE TREES THAT WERE UPROOTED WERE BETWEEN 3 AND 4 FEET IN 
DIAMETER. 

THE GROUND SURVEY CONCLUDED THAT THE DAMAGE IN THE CITY OF 
FITZGERALD WAS DUE TO PRIMARILY TO VERY STRONG STRAIGHT LINE WINDS. 
THIS WAS DETERMINED BECAUSE ALL OF THE DAMAGE AND DEBRIS WAS FACING 
EASTWARD AFTER THE STORM PASSED WITH NO CONVERGENT SIGNATURE 
INDICATED. THIS WAS ALSO SUBSTANTIATED BY AREAL SURVEY CONDUCTED 
EARLIER IN THE DAY. 

WITH THE SIZE OF THE TREES THAT WERE UPROOTED OR SNAPPED...IT IS 
ESTIMATED THIS STORM WAS PRODUCING STRAIGHT LINE WINDS OF 80 TO 90 
MPH. THIS IS EQUIVALENT IN INTENSITY TO AN EF-1 TORNADO ON THE 
ENHANCED FUJITA SCALE. THE DAMAGE WIDTH WAS AROUND ONE-QUARTER MILE 
WITH THE PATH LENGTH OF DAMAGE IN THE AREA BEING CONTINUOUS ACROSS 
FITZGERALD. THE STORM PASSED THROUGH FITZGERALD AROUND 1240 PM EDT. 

A FUNNEL CLOUD WAS SPOTTED TO THE SOUTHWEST OF FITZGERALD...AND 
PHOTOGRAPHIC EVIDENCE NOW INDICATES THAT A SMALL TORNADO DID IN FACT 
MOVE THROUGH FITGERALD ITSELF. THIS TORNADO WILL BE ASSIGNED AN EF-1 
RATING.

...STORM THREE...CALHOUN COUNTY FLORIDA...

A GROUND SURVEY WAS CONDUCTED ACROSS MUCH OF NORTHERN CALHOUN 
COUNTY. WHILE NO EVIDENCE OF A TORNADO WAS DETECTED...A SIGNIFICANT 
SWATH OF STRAIGHT LINE WINDS WAS FOUND EXTENDING SEVERAL MILES ALONG 
THE LENGTH OF STATE ROAD 20 FROM CLARKSVILLE TO BLOUNTSTOWN. THIS 
DAMAGE LENGTH WAS APPROXIMATELY 10 MILES. IN THIS AREA...NUMEROUS 
TREES WERE UPROOTED OR SNAPPED. ALL OF THE DAMAGE WAS FOUND TO BE 
FACING SOUTHEAST...INDICATIVE OF A STRAIGHT LINE WIND EVENT. WIND
SPEEDS WITH THIS STORM WERE ESTIMATED TO BE BETWEEN 70 AND 80 
MPH...OR EQUIVALENT TO A HIGH END EF-0 TORNADO. 

SEVERE HAIL WAS ALSO REPORTED WITH THIS STORM OF AROUND 1 INCH IN 
DIAMETER. 

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN TALLAHASSEE WOULD LIKE TO THANK THE 
EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCIES IN CALHOUN COUNTY FLORIDA AND WORTH 
AND BEN HILL COUNTIES IN GEORGIA FOR THEIR ASSISTANCE AND 
COORDINATION IN CONDUCTING THESE SURVEYS TODAY. 

$$

GODSEY/MROCZKA/WOOL/VISE