Eatonton Pounded By Violent Hail Storm

Hundreds of vehicles and roofs suffered hail damage when Eatonton and Putnam County were pelted with hail as a violent storm system passed through Monday evening.

Putnam County Sheriff Howard Sills said he got hit himself with a golf ball-sized hailstone when he went outside to move his car during the hailstorm, which lasted from about 5:55 p.m. to 6:25 p.m.

“It was just relentless for 20 minutes,” he said.

A witness described the sound of the hail as like a freight train passing through.

He said dozens of law enforcement vehicles appeared to suffer damage such as dented hoods and roofs and cracked windshields.

“A couple of detective cars were hit pretty bad,” he said.

Public safety officials hadn’t yet determined the extent of damage throughout the county as of about an hour after the storm poured down its rain and hail.

“We’re getting calls now from down in the south-southwest part of the county, around Lake Sinclair,” he said. “There was a good bit of high winds.” But there did not appear to have been tornado activity, Sills said.