On Saturday, August 18, a front slowly sagged southward into Central Alabama. Along this boundary, a mesoscale convective system (MCS) developed in Mississippi during the early morning hours, and track along and south of the front across Central Alabama.
Every event with a place to put it. Tap one for its entry below.
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.
The episode as NWS BMX wrote it up.
On Saturday, August 18, a front slowly sagged southward into Central Alabama. Along this boundary, a mesoscale convective system (MCS) developed in Mississippi during the early morning hours, and track along and south of the front across Central Alabama. In the wake of this thunderstorm complex, additional storms developed through the day across the area but remained below severe limits. With dew points in the 70s and CAPE values rising near 3500 J/kg, the airmass was becoming increasingly unstable through the afternoon. A second MCS developed in Mississippi and pushed across south Central Alabama during the evening hours. This complex gradually weakened, but not before producing significant damage in Marengo county.
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 Birmingham, AL wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Aug 18, 2:40 AM CST, 1 hour 32 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL 340 AM CDT SAT AUG 18 2012 .DISCUSSION... THE FORECAST PACKAGE HAS GONE OUT A LITTLE EARLY THIS MORNING SO AS TO BE ABLE TO INCLUDE THE APPROACHING CLUSTER OF THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY. IN REGARDS TO THIS...THE ONGOING CONVECTION IS LOCATED RIGHT ON THE COLD FRONT AND SHOULD HAVE ENOUGH ENERGY CO-LOCATED WITH IT TO SUSTAIN ITSELF THROUGH THE MORNING HOURS. EXPECT FOR THESE THUNDERSTORMS TO PROPAGATE ALL THE WAY THROUGH THE CWA...AND IN THEIR WAKE...WE SHOULD HAVE ENOUGH ATMOSPHERIC STABILIZATION TO WARRANT ONLY A CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT THIS AFTERNOON. THE COLD FRONT...CURRENTLY STRETCHING FROM SOUTHERN ARKANSAS THROUGH NORTH ALABAMA AND UP THE APPALACHIANS...WILL CONTINUE TO TRICKLE SOUTHWARD TODAY...AND ANYTHING THAT DOES DEVELOP THIS AFTERNOON SHOULD BE SOUTH OF INTERSTATE 20. NO SEVERE WEATHER IS EXPECTED. THE UNFORTUNATE PART IS...EVEN THOUGH THINGS SHOULD BE FAIRLY QUIET TODAY ONCE THE MORNING CONVECTION PASSES THROUGH...THE FRONT IS NOT EXPECT TO MAKE IT ALL THE WAY THROUGH THE CWA JUST YET. BECAUSE OF THIS...WE WILL BE SITTING DUCKS FOR THE NEXT SHORTWAVE THAT IS EXPECTED TO ROUND THE BASE OF THE LARGE SCALE TROUGH OVER THE EASTERN HALF OF THE U.S. MODELS ARE IN GOOD AGREEMENT...THEN AGAIN...THEY AREN'T. HANG TIGHT. I'LL EXPLAIN. EVERY MODEL I'VE ANALYZED THIS MORNING IS IN AGREEMENT THAT AS THE FRONTAL BOUNDARY SITS OVER THE AREA TONIGHT THROUGH MONDAY MORNING...A SHORTWAVE WILL APPROACH THE SOUTHEAST. THIS MEANS THE FORECAST PERIODS SUNDAY THROUGH MONDAY MORNING WILL BE WET. I HAVE RAISED POPS ACCORDINGLY BECAUSE OF THIS MODEL CONSENSUS. WHAT IS STILL UP IN THE AIR IS HOW THINGS WILL EVOLVE. LATEST GFS GUIDANCE SUGGESTS A WELL-DEFINED SURFACE FEATURE DEVELOPING OVER ARKANSAS TONIGHT AND TRAVERSING THE TENNESSEE VALLEY THROUGH MONDAY MORNING. IN RESPONSE...40KTS OF 0-6KM BULK SHEAR REARS ITS HEAD MONDAY MORNING. THIS SHEAR IS LIKELY DUE TO THE SLIGHTLY MORE AMPLIFIED NATURE OF THE GFS SHORTWAVE... WHICH IS ALLOWING THE SURFACE LOW TO BECOME MORE DEFINED AND FOR AN UPPER LEVEL JET OF 70-80KTS TO DEVELOP. THIS TYPE OF UPPER LEVEL SUPPORT WOULD BE ENOUGH FOR A FEW SEVERE STORMS AS THE SHORTWAVE CROSSES THROUGH THE WARM SECTOR. BECAUSE OF THE FACT THAT THIS IS THE FIRST TIME WE HAVE SEEN SUCH A WELL-DEFINED FEATURE...I WILL CONSIDER THIS TO BE THE OUTLIER AND SET ASIDE THE 40KTS OF 0-6KM BULK SHEAR ACROSS THE AREA MONDAY MORNING AND LEAVE ANY MENTION OF HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUT OF THE OUTLOOK. JUST BE AWARE THAT CONTINUED SOLUTIONS OF THIS NATURE IN SUBSEQUENT MODEL RUNS COULD WARRANT THE INCLUSION OF SEVERE WEATHER LATE SUNDAY NIGHT INTO MONDAY MORNING. ON THE GOOD NEWS FRONT...THE LARGE SCALE MODEL AGREEMENT CONTINUES INTO THE REST OF NEXT WEEK. GFS/EURO/CMC GUIDANCE ALL SHOW THE FRONT GETTING KICKED OUT OF ALABAMA BY ANOTHER BOUT OF ENERGY MONDAY EVENING. THOUGH THIS SHORTWAVE SHOULD BE FAIRLY BENIGN...IT SHOULD HAVE ENOUGH PUNCH TO GET THE JOB DONE. SURFACE HIGH PRESSURE THEN SETTLES INTO THE MID-SOUTH AND GULF STATES THROUGH THE END OF THE WEEK. I HAVE REMOVED POPS FROM THE REST OF THE FORECAST PACKAGE DUE TO THIS. ADDITIONALLY...BECAUSE OF A PUSH OF DRY AIR BY MID-WEEK...DEW POINTS SHOULD RELAX INTO THE UPPER 50S FOR A LARGE PORTION OF THE AREA...SETTING UP A MUCH MORE COMFORTABLE ATMOSPHERE GOING INTO NEXT WEEKEND. TEMPERATURES SHOULD BE SLIGHTLY BELOW NORMAL STARTING TUESDAY AND GRADUALLY WARMING THROUGH THE WEEK. 27 && .AVIATION... 06Z TAF DISCUSSION. SLOW MOVING COLD FRONT IS LOCATED OVER NORTHERN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. A CLUSTER OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS HAS DEVELOPED OVER WESTERN MISSISSIPPI WITH SOME POTENTIAL FOR SOUTHEASTWARD MOVEMENT THROUGH THE OVERNIGHT. HOWEVER...LATEST HIGH RESOLUTION MODEL UPDATE KEEPS ANY NEW DEVELOPMENT OUT OF THE AREA UNTIL PERHAPS MID MORNING. AS SUCH...REMOVED THE MORNING VCSH WORDING WITH THE ONLY OTHER CONCERNS BEING LOWERING CEILINGS ALONG THE FRONT AFFECTING THE NORTHERN TAF SITES AND FG/STRATUS TO THE SOUTH AT MGM AND TOI. ALONG THE FRONT...CURRENT UPSTREAM OBS ARE SHOWING CEILINGS WELL ABOVE 3K SO NOT ANTICIPATING ANY CEILING ISSUES ALONG THE I-20 CORRIDOR ATTM. PERHAPS SOME PATCHY BR WITH TEMPERATURES APPROACHING THE LOWER TO MID 70S BUT CLOUD COVER SHOULD KEEP TEMPERATURES FROM REACHING CROSS OVER LEVELS. NEAR MGM AND TOI...MIXINESS IS SUGGESTIVE OF MORE STRATUS THAT FG/BR AND ITS IN THESE AREAS THAT WILL HAVE THE HIGHEST POTENTIAL FOR RESTRICTIVE FLIGHT CATEGORIES. DURING THE DAY...WARMING TEMPERATURES AND LINGERING FRONT WILL ALLOW FOR SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS TO DEVELOP FROM LATE MORNING AND LAST INTO THE EARLY EVENING BEFORE BECOMING MORE ISOLATED. 88 && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... GADSDEN 84 66 86 68 82 / 30 20 50 80 50 ANNISTON 85 68 86 68 84 / 30 20 60 80 60 BIRMINGHAM 85 69 84 67 84 / 50 20 60 70 60 TUSCALOOSA 86 71 88 70 86 / 60 30 80 70 50 CALERA 85 70 85 68 84 / 60 20 70 80 60 AUBURN 86 70 86 68 82 / 30 20 60 80 70 MONTGOMERY 89 72 90 71 86 / 80 20 80 80 70 TROY 87 70 87 71 84 / 60 20 80 80 70 && .BMX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NONE. && 27/88
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL 658 PM CDT FRI AUG 17 2012 ALZ011>015-017>050-190000- MARION-LAMAR-FAYETTE-WINSTON-WALKER-BLOUNT-ETOWAH-CALHOUN-CHEROKEE- CLEBURNE-PICKENS-TUSCALOOSA-JEFFERSON-SHELBY-ST. CLAIR-TALLADEGA- CLAY-RANDOLPH-SUMTER-GREENE-HALE-PERRY-BIBB-CHILTON-COOSA-TALLAPOOSA- CHAMBERS-MARENGO-DALLAS-AUTAUGA-LOWNDES-ELMORE-MONTGOMERY-MACON- BULLOCK-LEE-RUSSELL-PIKE-BARBOUR- 658 PM CDT FRI AUG 17 2012 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR THE COUNTIES SERVED BY THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OFFICE IN BIRMINGHAM. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT. NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY. NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... ACTIVATION OF STORM SPOTTERS AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT IS NOT EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
434 AM CDT SAT AUG 18 2012
ALZ022-181030-
PICKENS AL-
434 AM CDT SAT AUG 18 2012
...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY FOR PICKENS COUNTY UNTIL 530 AM
CDT...
AT 434 AM CDT...THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WAS TRACKING STRONG
THUNDERSTORMS ALONG A LINE EXTENDING FROM ETHELSVILLE TO 26 MILES
WEST OF PANOLA...AND MOVING EAST AT 35 MPH. AREAS IN NORTHERN
PICKENS COUNTY WILL BE IMPACTED FIRST AND IN THE SOUTH BY 445 AM CDT.
WIND GUSTS UP TO 40 MPH ARE EXPECTED WITH THESE STORMS...ALONG WITH
HEAVY RAIN AND FREQUENT DANGEROUS LIGHTNING.
LOCATIONS IN OR NEAR THE PATH OF THESE STORMS INCLUDE...
PICKENSVILLE...
REFORM...
CARROLLTON...
ALICEVILLE...
GARDEN...
THESE STORMS MAY INTENSIFY...SO BE CERTAIN TO MONITOR LOCAL RADIO AND
TV STATIONS...AS WELL AS LOCAL CABLE TV OUTLETS... FOR ADDITIONAL
INFORMATION AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS FROM THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE.
TORRENTIAL RAIN...WHICH MAY FLOOD LOW LYING AREAS SUCH AS DITCHES AND
UNDERPASSES...IS ALSO LIKELY. DO NOT DRIVE YOUR VEHICLE ON A FLOODED
ROADWAY.
&&
LAT...LON 3353 8828 3352 8786 3309 8800 3303 8810
3304 8814 3300 8817 3299 8834
TIME...MOT...LOC 0933Z 284DEG 29KT 3344 8816 3296 8869
16The Columbus AFB radar (KGWX), 68 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 10:11 UTC.
6 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
A tree was reported down on County Road 26, between Pine Grove and Carrollton.
A tree was reported down on Sipsey Valley Road, west of Wesley Chapel Road.
Trees were reported down along Stone Hill Lane. Additionally, powerlines were reported down along Windermere Drive.
Three trees were reported down along County Road 24.
Two trees were downed in West Blockton.
Approximately 12 large hardwood trees were snapped or uprooted in the city of Lindon.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Alabama in 2012Every state in 2012This day in weather historyWarnings in Alabama, August 2012
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: 409125, 409128, 409129, 409132, 409133, 409134.