On December 31, 2005 at 0600 UTC, in its day 1 forecast for January 1, 2006, the Storm Prediction Center issued in a slight risk of severe storms for the United States Gulf Coast and Ohio Valley as scattered to numerous thunderstorms were forecast to form over Alabama and Florida Panhandle. At 1300 UTC, the SPC extended the slight risk for severe weather as the trough shifted eastward across the Mississippi River Valley and the southern Jet stream combined with increasing moisture shifting across the U.S. Gulf Coast and Southeastern United States. On January 1, 2006, the SPC then issued a moderate risk of severe weather for much of the Southeastern United States and extended the slight risk of severe weather for the Ohio Valley and West Virginia and Pennsylvania as a strong area of low pressure with a trailing cold front moves across South Carolina. The National Weather Service forecast that the combination of warm air and the low will bring thunderstorms, damaging hail and tornadoes across Georgia and South Carolina.