Drought in Alabama, April 1 to 30, 2012

Name: Drought in Alabama, April 1 to 30, 2012
Start: 2012-04-01T00:00
End: 2012-04-30T23:59
Location: Alabama

April 1 to 30, 2012 · NWS TAE · 5 events in 5 counties and zones

D4 exceptional drought conditions persisted across portions of Coffee, Dale, and Henry counties through April and into May. Houston and Geneva counties experienced D2-D3 severe to extreme drought conditions.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 5 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.

Tornadoes
Tropical storms and surge
Floods
Wind
Hail
Winter weather
Heat and drought
Cold
Fire, smoke and dust
Marine and coastal
Other

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 5

Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.

What happened

The episode as NWS TAE wrote it up.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS Tallahassee, FL wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Mar 31, 8:41 PM EST, 3 hours 19 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Mar 31, 8:41 PM EST, 3 hours 19 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TALLAHASSEE FL
941 PM EDT Sat Mar 31 2012

.UPDATE...Main concern for the overnight hours will be the
evolution of the MCS currently moving south through central
Alabama. Portions of this convective system may reach SE Alabama
late this evening. Fortunately, the most intense cells are
currently along the western periphery and should miss the forecast
area well to the west. In addition, low-level stabilization will
continue with loss of daytime heating, which should aid in the
weakening of the storms. Only concern is the presence of very
steep lapse rates (8 deg c/km) across Southeast Alabama, which
supports the threat of an isolated severe storm through midnight.
Will leave in a 20 percent PoP for SE Alabama through 06z tonight,
and continue to monitor for potential severe threat. Activity
should diminish by 06z, with a tranquil night thereafter.

&&

.AVIATION (through 00Z Monday)...First round of showers and
thunderstorms raced east out of the area into North Florida this
afternoon. Another line of fast moving showers and thunderstorms
are dropping south from Northern Alabama into an unstable airmass
over Southeast Alabama and Southwest Georgia. KDHN and KABY TAFS
reflect expected potential of thunderstorm activity with gusty
winds later this evening between 03 and 05Z as this line races
south. With the rainfall today and overnight expect LIFR foggy
conditions at most Aerodromes around sunrise tomorrow morning but
should clear out by 14Z.

&&

.MARINE...A rather potent meso-low moved across the waters late
this afternoon, sporting 5mb pressure falls and wind gusts over 40
knots. This feature has since moved inland over the Florida
peninsula, leaving much lighter winds in its wake. Plan to drop
the exercise caution headlines with the evening update, with
improving conditions through the overnight hours.

&&

.PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS...
Tallahassee   59  87  61  90  60 /  10  20  10  20  10
Panama City   65  83  65  83  64 /  10  10  10  20  10
Dothan        60  89  62  90  61 /  20  20  10  20  10
Albany        58  88  61  90  61 /  10  10  10  10  10
Valdosta      58  86  60  89  60 /  10  10  10  10  10
Cross City    59  86  59  88  58 /  10  10  10  10  10
Apalachicola  64  79  65  80  62 /  10  10  10  20  10

&&

.TAE WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
AL...None.
GA...None.
FL...None.
GM...None.
&&

Camp/Lanier

Hazardous weather outlook, Mar 31, 9:02 PM EST, 2 hours 58 minutes before

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TALLAHASSEE FL
1002 PM EDT SAT MAR 31 2012

ALZ065>069-FLZ007>019-026>029-034-108-112-114-115-118-127-128-134-
GAZ120>131-142>148-155>161-GMZ730-750-755-765-770-775-011000-
COFFEE-DALE-HENRY-GENEVA-HOUSTON-INLAND WALTON-CENTRAL WALTON-
HOLMES-WASHINGTON-JACKSON-INLAND BAY-CALHOUN-INLAND GULF-
INLAND FRANKLIN-GADSDEN-LEON-INLAND JEFFERSON-MADISON-LIBERTY-
INLAND WAKULLA-INLAND TAYLOR-LAFAYETTE-INLAND DIXIE-SOUTH WALTON-
COASTAL BAY-COASTAL GULF-COASTAL FRANKLIN-COASTAL JEFFERSON-
COASTAL WAKULLA-COASTAL TAYLOR-COASTAL DIXIE-QUITMAN-CLAY-
RANDOLPH-TERRELL-DOUGHERTY-LEE-WORTH-TURNER-TIFT-BEN HILL-IRWIN-
EARLY-MILLER-BAKER-MITCHELL-COLQUITT-COOK-BERRIEN-SEMINOLE-
DECATUR-GRADY-THOMAS-BROOKS-LOWNDES-LANIER-
APALACHEE BAY OR COASTAL WATERS FROM KEATON BEACH TO OCHLOCKONEE
RIVER FL OUT TO 20 NM-
COASTAL WATERS FROM APALACHICOLA TO DESTIN FL OUT 20 NM-
COASTAL WATERS FROM  OCHLOCKONEE RIVER TO APALACHICOLA FL OUT TO
20 NM-
COASTAL WATERS FROM  SUWANNEE RIVER TO KEATON BEACH OUT 20 NM-
WATERS FROM APALACHICOLA TO DESTIN FL FROM 20 TO 60 NM-
WATERS FROM  SUWANNEE RIVER TO APALACHICOLA FL FROM 20 TO 60 NM-
1002 PM EDT SAT MAR 31 2012 /902 PM CDT SAT MAR 31 2012/

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR SOUTHEAST ALABAMA...
SOUTHWEST AND SOUTH CENTRAL GEORGIA...AND THE FLORIDA BIG BEND
AND PANHANDLE...AND ADJACENT COASTAL WATERS.

.DAY ONE...TONIGHT...

ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE POSSIBLE THROUGH THE EARLY MORNING
HOURS ACROSS PORTIONS OF SOUTHEAST ALABAMA AND THE FLORIDA
PANHANDLE. A FEW OF THESE STORMS COULD BE STRONG WITH GUSTY WINDS
AND SMALL HAIL.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY...

SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE ON SUNDAY...AND AGAIN FROM
TUESDAY TO THURSDAY. AT THIS TIME THE THREAT OF ORGANIZED SEVERE
WEATHER APPEARS LOW.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT EXPECTED.

FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION...VISIT THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE
WEBSITE ON THE INTERNET AT WEATHER.GOV...THEN CLICK ON YOUR AREA
OF INTEREST ON THE NATIONAL MAP.

CAMP

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

5 drought. Local standard time, as filed.

Drought, Coffee

When: April 1, 12:00 AM EST to April 30, 11:59 PM EST
Where: Coffee forecast zone
Reported by: Official NWS Observations
Coordinates: 31.403, -85.988 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Dale

When: April 1, 12:00 AM EST to April 30, 11:59 PM EST
Where: Dale forecast zone
Reported by: Official NWS Observations
Coordinates: 31.432, -85.611 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Geneva

When: April 1, 12:00 AM EST to April 30, 11:59 PM EST
Where: Geneva forecast zone
Reported by: Official NWS Observations
Coordinates: 31.095, -85.839 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Henry

When: April 1, 12:00 AM EST to April 30, 11:59 PM EST
Where: Henry forecast zone
Reported by: Official NWS Observations
Coordinates: 31.515, -85.241 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Houston

When: April 1, 12:00 AM EST to April 30, 11:59 PM EST
Where: Houston forecast zone
Reported by: Official NWS Observations
Coordinates: 31.153, -85.302 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

Drought: A drought reaching severe (D2) or worse on the US Drought Monitor, or with notable impacts.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Alabama in 2012 Every state in 2012 This day in weather history Warnings in Alabama, April 2012

Sources

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 368415, 368416, 368417, 368418, 368419.