Despite intermittent rainfall in July across Central Alabama, drought conditions persisted across a significant portion of the area. 00 inches across much of the east, where drought conditions are worse.
Every event with a place to put it; 14 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. 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.
Despite intermittent rainfall in July across Central Alabama, drought conditions persisted across a significant portion of the area. Rainfall totals for the month ranged from 8.00+ inches in localized locations across the north and far west to as low as 1.50-3.00 inches across much of the east, where drought conditions are worse.
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 Jun 30, 10:46 PM CST, 1 hour 14 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...UPDATED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL 1146 PM CDT SAT JUN 30 2012 .UPDATE... FOR AVIATION. && .AVIATION... 06Z TAF DISCUSSION. NOT MUCH CHANGE FROM PREVIOUS FORECAST. MVFR HZ/BR WILL CONTINUE TO BE THE MAIN HAZARD FOR THE NEXT 24 HOURS UNDER THIS PERSISTENT 500 MB DOME OF HIGH PRESSURE...MAINLY DURING LATE NIGHT PRE-DAWN AND EARLY MORNING HOURS. OTHERWISE...ALL CLOUDS SHOULD BE HIGH FAIR WEATHER CUMULUS OR THIN HIGH CLOUDINESS AND WELL ABOVE 3 KFT. 08/MNK && .PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 1025 PM CDT SAT JUN 30 2012/ UPDATE... FOR THIS EVENING'S WEATHER. DISCUSSION... AFTER THE SCORCHER OF A DAY TODAY...WE WERE ACTUALLY ABLE TO OBSERVE A FEW RADAR RETURNS ACROSS OUR SOUTHWESTERN COUNTIES EARLIER THIS EVENING...WITH A STRONG STORM ACTUALLY DEVELOPING ACROSS SOUTHEASTERN SUMTER COUNTY. FROM LOOKING AT VISIBLE SATELLITE AND RADAR IMAGERY...THE SHOWERS AND THE STRONG STORM LOOKED LIKE THEY DEVELOPED OFF OF AN OLD OUTFLOW BOUNDARY THAT MOVED NORTHWARD ACROSS A DIFFERENTIAL HEAT BOUNDARY FORMED FROM THE TOMBIGBEE RIVER DRAINAGE BASIN. THE RELATIVELY COOLER WATER STILL LEFT IN THE TOMBIGBEE RIVER AND SURROUNDING TRIBUTARIES FORMED THE HEAT BOUNDARY THAT ALLOWED CUMULUS TO DEVELOP...AND THE OUTFLOW BOUNDARY LOOKED LIKE IT LIFTED THE PARCELS OVER THE RELATIVELY HIGH LFC INTO EXTREMELY UNSTABLE AIR ABOVE 700MB. FORTUNATELY THE STORM REMAINED UNDER SEVERE LIMITS. JUST ANOTHER GOOD EXAMPLE OF HOW THUNDERSTORMS CAN BE TRIGGERED IN THE SOUTHEAST...WHICH MAKES SUMMERTIME THUNDERSTORM FORECASTING SUCH A CHALLENGE. FOR THE REST OF TONIGHT...TEMPERATURES WILL SLOWLY FALL INTO THE MID TO UPPER 70S FOR MOST LOCATIONS...WITH A FEW LOWER 70S POSSIBLE ACROSS THE EASTERN COUNTIES. DEWPOINTS LOOK TO BE A BIT HIGHER TONIGHT THAN THEY WERE LAST NIGHT...AND TEMPERATURES LOOK TO BE A BIT HIGHER FOR LOWS TONIGHT AS A RESULT. STILL...WE ARE LOOKING AT A HUGE DIURNAL RANGE IN STORE ONCE AGAIN AREAWIDE FROM THE MORNING LOWS TO THE AFTERNOON HIGHS...WITH WIDESPREAD 100-105 DEGREE TEMPERATURES EXPECTED ONCE AGAIN TOMORROW AFTERNOON. A FEW ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE POSSIBLE WITH A BIT MORE MOISTURE TO WORK WITH...THAT WILL LIKELY BE FORMED FROM MESOSCALE BOUNDARIES. MOST FOLKS HOWEVER...SHOULD REMAIN EXTREMELY HOT AND DRY. REMEMBER TO TAKE THOSE EXTRA PRECAUTIONS TO PROTECT YOURSELF FROM THE EXTREME HEAT. 56/GDG CLIMATE... SELECTED HEAT RELATED CLIMATE INFORMATION FOR THE NEXT FEW DAYS. JULY 1 LOCATIONS RECORD TEMPERATURES YEAR(S) ---------------- ------------------- ----------- ANNISTON 102 1954 BIRMINGHAM 103 1954 MONTGOMERY 100 1898, 2007 TUSCALOOSA 103 1954 JULY 2 LOCATIONS RECORD TEMPERATURES YEAR(S) ---------------- ------------------- ----------- ANNISTON 102 1954 BIRMINGHAM 101 1954 MONTGOMERY 101 1969 TUSCALOOSA 102 1970 JULY 3 LOCATIONS RECORD TEMPERATURES YEAR(S) ---------------- ------------------- ----------- ANNISTON 100 1970 BIRMINGHAM 101 1970 MONTGOMERY 100 1877 TUSCALOOSA 103 1970 PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 314 PM CDT SAT JUN 30 2012/ DISCUSSION... NO LARGE SCALE CHANGES TO ONGOING FORECAST. CENTER OF UPPER LEVEL RIDGE ALMOST DIRECTLY OVER CENTRAL ALABAMA TODAY...AND THAT HELPED JACK UP THE HEAT JUST A BIT MORE TODAY. THAT RIDGE WILL BE WITH US FOR AT LEAST A COUPLE DAYS...BEFORE GETTING SHOVED BACK WEST THE MIDDLE TO END OF THE UPCOMING WORK WEEK. STILL NOT CONVINCED THAT THE MODELS ARE HANDLING PRECIP CHANCES APPROPRIATELY OVER THE NEXT SEVERAL DAYS. BOTH THE NAM AND THE GFS SHOW WHAT SEEMS LIKE TOO MUCH QPF COVERAGE...AND AT WHAT SEEMS LIKE ODD TIMES OF DAY. I'M SORRY...BUT 40 TO 50 PERCENT POPS DURING THE NIGHTTIME PERIODS JUST DON'T SEEM RIGHT GIVEN THE CURRENT PATTERN. WILL CONTINUE WITH BARELY MENTIONABLE POPS THE NEXT COUPLE DAYS...AND INCH THEM UP CLOSER TO CLIMATOLOGY (30 PERCENT DAY TO 20 PERCENT NIGHT)...AS THE UPPER RIDGE AXIS SHIFTS BACK TO THE WEST. /61/ && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... GADSDEN 71 104 75 101 74 / 0 10 10 20 20 ANNISTON 73 104 75 99 74 / 0 10 10 20 20 BIRMINGHAM 79 104 79 100 76 / 0 10 10 20 20 TUSCALOOSA 76 104 78 102 76 / 0 10 10 20 20 CALERA 77 103 77 100 75 / 0 10 10 20 20 AUBURN 78 102 76 100 75 / 0 10 10 20 20 MONTGOMERY 79 101 78 99 76 / 0 10 10 20 20 TROY 77 100 75 98 74 / 0 10 10 20 20 && .BMX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... EXCESSIVE HEAT WARNING UNTIL 9 PM CDT SUNDAY FOR THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES: AUTAUGA...BARBOUR...BIBB...BLOUNT...BULLOCK... CALHOUN...CHAMBERS...CHEROKEE...CHILTON...CLAY...CLEBURNE... COOSA...DALLAS...ELMORE...ETOWAH...FAYETTE...GREENE...HALE... JEFFERSON...LAMAR...LEE...LOWNDES...MACON...MARENGO...MARION... MONTGOMERY...PERRY...PICKENS...PIKE...RANDOLPH...RUSSELL... SHELBY...ST. CLAIR...SUMTER...TALLADEGA...TALLAPOOSA... TUSCALOOSA...WALKER...WINSTON. && 08/56/61
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL 752 PM CDT SAT JUN 30 2012 ALZ011>015-017>050-020000- AUTAUGA-BARBOUR-BIBB-BLOUNT-BULLOCK-CALHOUN-CHAMBERS-CHEROKEE- CHILTON-CLAY-CLEBURNE-COOSA-DALLAS-ELMORE-ETOWAH-FAYETTE-GREENE-HALE- JEFFERSON-LAMAR-LEE-LOWNDES-MACON-MARENGO-MARION-MONTGOMERY-PERRY- PICKENS-PIKE-RANDOLPH-RUSSELL-SHELBY-ST CLAIR-SUMTER-TALLADEGA- TALLAPOOSA-TUSCALOOSA-WALKER-WINSTON- 752 PM CDT SAT JUN 30 2012 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR COUNTIES SERVED BY THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OFFICE IN BIRMINGHAM. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT. HIGHS TODAY ACROSS MOST OF CENTRAL ALABAMA CLIMBED UP ABOVE THE CENTURY MARK...WITH HEAT INDEX VALUES GOING EVEN HIGHER. THIS HEAT WAVE IS EXPECTED TO CONTINUE INTO SUNDAY...THUS AN EXCESSIVE HEAT WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR ALL OF ALL OF CENTRAL ALABAMA. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY. THE EXCESSIVE HEAT WARNING CONTINUES THROUGH SUNDAY AFTERNOON. ADDITIONAL HEAT ADVISORIES OR EXCESSIVE HEAT WARNINGS ARE LIKELY TO BE ISSUED FOR MONDAY...AND PERHAPS INTO THE MIDDLE OF NEXT WEEK. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... ACTIVATION OF STORM SPOTTERS AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT IS NOT EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. 08/MNK
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
14 drought. Local standard time, as filed.
Elmore County experienced Extreme (D3) drought conditions during the month of July.
Lee County experienced Extreme (D3) drought conditions during the month of July.
Bullock County experienced Extreme (D3) drought conditions during the month of July.
Macon County experienced Extreme (D3) drought conditions during the month of July.
Tallapoosa County experienced Extreme (D3) drought conditions during the month of July.
Montgomery County experienced Extreme (D3) drought conditions during the month of July.
Russell County experienced Extreme (D3) drought conditions during the month of July.
Pike County experienced Extreme (D3) drought conditions during the month of July.
Randolph County experienced Extreme (D3) drought conditions during the month of July.
Coosa County experienced Extreme (D3) drought conditions during the month of July.
Talladega County experienced Extreme (D3) drought conditions during the month of July.
Cleburne County experienced Extreme (D3) drought conditions during the month of July.
Calhoun County experienced Severe (D2) drought conditions during the month of July.
Chambers County began the month with Extreme (D3) drought conditions and was upgraded to Exceptional (D4) drought conditions on July 24th.
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, July 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: 406864, 406865, 406866, 406867, 406868, 406869, 406870, 406871, 406872, 406873, 406874, 406875, 406876, 406877.