A strong ridge set up across the Southeastern continental United States the last week of July. With high levels of moisture and temperatures reaching into the mid to upper 90s, resulting heat index values were over 105 degrees across portions of south Central Alabama.
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.
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.
A strong ridge set up across the Southeastern continental United States the last week of July. With high levels of moisture and temperatures reaching into the mid to upper 90s, resulting heat index values were over 105 degrees across portions of south Central Alabama. Heat related illnesses were reported to the Alabama Department of Public Health for the time period of July 15 -July 27, on both days when heat criteria was and was not met, and for counties which did not meet heat advisory criteria. A total of 89 illnesses were reported across Central Alabama during this 13 day period.
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 Jul 23, 9:19 AM CST, 41 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL 1019 AM CDT MON JUL 23 2012 .UPDATE...TODAYS WEATHER. && .DISCUSSION... SEVERAL FEATURES OF INTEREST THIS MORNING. AN UPPER IMPULSE MOVING SOUTHEAST THROUGH EASTERN TENNESSEE WAS PRODUCING SOME CUMULUS ACROSS NORTHEAST ALABAMA. ANOTHER IMPULSE LOCATED OVER SOUTHWEST ALABAMA WAS MOVING WEST AND PRODUCING CUMULUS FIELD OVER SOUTHERN MISSISSIPPI. THE IMPULSE OVER SOUTHWEST ALABAMA WILL PRODUCE SUBSIDENCE ON ITS EAST SIDE AND REDUCED RAIN CHANCES ACROSS SOUTHEAST COUNTIES. HIGHEST RAIN CHANCES THIS AFTERNOON WILL LIKELY BE ACROSS EAST ALABAMA EAST OF I-65 AND NORTH OF I-85...DUE TO IMPULSE MOVING ACROSS TENNESSEE. AN UPPER LOW LOCATED JUST EAST OF APALACHICOLA FLORIDA WAS MOVING WEST...AND COULD BRING SOME CONVECTION INTO THE SOUTHEAST COUNTIES THIS EVENING. NO SIGNIFICANT CHANGES MADE TO TEMPERATURES. 58/ROSE && .AVIATION... 12Z TAF DISCUSSION. RAIN...CLOUDS...AND LOWER VISIBILITIES WERE FINALLY NO-SHOWS ACROSS THE AREA OVERNIGHT. LOW RAIN CHANCES TODAY PRECLUDES THE INCLUSION OF ANY SHOWERS OR STORMS IN THE TAFS THIS AFTERNOON. TROPICAL AIR MASS HAS BEEN REMARKABLY FREE FROM FOG FOR SEVERAL NIGHTS RUNNING... AND SEE NO CHANGE IN AIR MASS TO CHANGE THAT TREND TONIGHT. THUS... VFR CONDITIONS FORECAST EVERYWHERE THROUGH THE NEXT 24 HOURS. /61/ && .PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 618 AM CDT MON JUL 23 2012/ SHOWERS AND STORMS DEVELOPED IN ALL QUADRANTS YESTERDAY BUT THE SOUTHWESTERN AREAS HAD FAR MORE COVERAGE. THIS WAS MAINLY DUE TO BETTER MEAN MOISTURE AND A BOUNDARY LEFTOVER FROM SOMEWHAT WEAK MID LEVEL IMPULSE AND EARLY MORNING CONVECTION MOVING NORTHWARD. ALTHOUGH THERE WAS A GOOD CUMULUS FIELD OVERHEAD AT TIMES...HIGH TEMPERATURES WERE A FEW DEGREES WARMER IN MOST PLACES...IN THE 90S. LOWS HAVE BEEN CLOSE TO NORMAL READINGS IN THE 70S. THE MODEL SUITE THIS RUNS DOES NOT INDICATE ANY REAL SURPRISES AND MATCHES PERSISTENCE VERY CLOSE. THE GFS AND ECMWF HAVE A SLIGHT DISCREPANCY ON WHERE THE UPPER FEATURES SET UP AND WHERE THE GULF MOISTURE RESIDES...WITH THE ECMWF A BIT MORE AGGRESSIVE MOVING MOISTURE INTO SOUTHEAST ALABAMA. KEPT SOME POPS IN EACH DAY THROUGH THURSDAY WITH THE HIGHEST CHANCE ACROSS THE SOUTHEAST HALF OF THE AREA...A BIT OF A MIX LEANING TOWARD THE ECMWF AS THE UPPER RIDGE HAS MORE INFLUENCE NORTHWEST. BY FRIDAY...A MID LEVEL IMPULSE MOVES FROM NORTH TO SOUTH OVER CENTRAL ALABAMA AS THE UPPER RIDGE GETS THIS WEAKNESS OVERHEAD. THIS PATTERN WILL RESEMBLE THE ONE WE WERE JUST IN WITH A RIDGE WEST AND WEAKNESS EAST. THE SURFACE FRONT APPEARS TO HANG UP NORTH OF THE AREA AND THIS UPPER FEATURE PROVIDES LIFT TO A RATHER MOIST BOUNDARY LAYER. THEREFORE...THE HIGHEST POPS FOR FRIDAY WITH LOWER THAN NORMAL POPS BEYOND. VERY HAPPY WITH THE ADJUSTMENTS MADE ON THE PREVIOUS FORECAST AND THIS MATCHES CLOSELY THE THINKING WITH THIS MODEL SUITE. THEREFORE... OVERALL CHANGES WERE RATHER MINOR IN POPS AND TEMPS. TEMPS FLUCTUATE IN THE 90S FOR HIGHS AND 70S FOR LOWS. 75 && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... GADSDEN 94 71 95 74 96 / 30 20 20 20 20 ANNISTON 94 72 93 73 96 / 30 20 30 20 30 BIRMINGHAM 94 74 95 75 96 / 20 20 20 20 20 TUSCALOOSA 93 74 97 74 99 / 10 20 20 20 20 CALERA 92 73 95 75 97 / 20 20 30 20 30 AUBURN 93 73 93 74 95 / 30 20 40 30 40 MONTGOMERY 96 74 97 75 97 / 20 20 40 30 40 TROY 93 72 93 72 96 / 20 20 40 30 40 && .BMX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NONE. &&
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL 553 AM CDT MON JUL 23 2012 ALZ011>015-017>050-241100- 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- 553 AM CDT MON JUL 23 2012 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR THE COUNTIES SERVED BY THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OFFICE IN BIRMINGHAM. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT. NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY. NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... ACTIVATION OF STORM SPOTTERS AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT IS NOT EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
5 heat. Local standard time, as filed.
Weedon Field Airport ASOS in Eufaula reported heat index values over 105 degrees each afternoon from July 23-July 26.
Tuscaloosa ASOS reported heat index values over 105 degrees each afternoon from July 24-July 27. Heat related illnesses were reported to the Alabama Department of Public Health as follows: five on July 17; four on July 18; two on July 25; and two on July 27.
Montgomery Regional Airport ASOS reported heat index values over 105 degrees each afternoon from July 24-July 27.
COOP observers across Talladega county reported highs of 100 on the afternoon of July 25. Heat related illnesses were reported to the Alabama Department of Public Health as follows: two on July 19; one on July 21; one on July 24; and two on July 25.
Auburn AWOS reported heat index values over 105 degrees on July 26.
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: 407333, 407319, 407323, 407338, 407322.