A cluster of thunderstorms rolled southeast from southeast Missouri and western Tennessee during the evening of the 30th, and through northeast Mississippi into northwest Alabama during the early morning hours of the 31st. The most severe storm produced storm tops well above 60000 feet, and knocked down or snapped several trees along it's path in Colbert and Franklin Counties.
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 HUN wrote it up.
A cluster of thunderstorms rolled southeast from southeast Missouri and western Tennessee during the evening of the 30th, and through northeast Mississippi into northwest Alabama during the early morning hours of the 31st. The most severe storm produced storm tops well above 60000 feet, and knocked down or snapped several trees along it's path in Colbert and Franklin Counties. Prolific lightning was noted as well, with several power outages reported.
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 Huntsville, AL wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Jul 30, 10:38 PM CST, 19 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HUNTSVILLE AL 1138 PM CDT MON JUL 30 2012 .UPDATE... FOR 06Z TAFS && .DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 907 PM CDT MON JUL 30 2012/ AT THE SFC A LOW PRESSURE AREA WAS OVER NRN AR WITH A FRONTAL BOUNDARY EXTENDING FROM SRN KS TO NRN AL. AT 5H...A LARGE RIDGE CONTINUES OVER THE SWRN US...PROVIDING TRICKY NW FLOW ACROSS THE SERN US. THE COMBINATION OF THE EASTWARD MOVING SFC LOW ALONG THE SFC BOUNDARY...AN UPPER DISTURBANCE AND 8H WINDS BETWEEN 20 TO 30 KT...WILL INCREASE THE COVERAGE OF SHRA/TSRA ACROSS THE CWA BEGINNING ARND MIDNIGHT OVER NW AL. SOME STORMS OVERNIGHT COULD BECOME STRONG TO SVR WITH DAMAGING WINDS THE MAIN THREAT. HAIL UP TO THE SIZE OF QUARTERS AND HVY RAIN WILL ALSO BE POSSIBLE. ONE FACTOR THAT MAY LIMIT THE COVERAGE OF STORMS ACROSS THE TN VALLEY WOULD BE A FAIRLY DRY LAYER FROM 8H TO THE SFC. 07 && .AVIATION... FOR 06Z TAFS...A SFC BOUNDARY STRETCHES FROM SRN KS THRU NRN AR AND INTO NRN AL ALONG WITH A COUPLE OF WAVES ON THE BOUNDARY. THIS WILL BE THE FOCUS OF SHRA AND TSRA OVERNIGHT AND INTO TUESDAY MRNG. NEW MODEL DATA SHOWS BEST TIMING OF PCPN WILL BE BETWEEN 08Z AND 18Z TUESDAY AFTN. AFTER 18Z THE CHC OF PCPN WILL DIMINISH. OTHERWISE EXCEPT FOR MVFR CONDITIONS IN TSRA...VFR CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED FOR TAFS THRU THE FCST PERIOD. 07 && .HUN WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... AL...NONE. TN...NONE. && FOR MORE INFORMATION PLEASE VISIT OUR WEBSITE AT WEATHER.GOV/HUNTSVILLE.
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HUNTSVILLE AL 817 PM CDT MON JUL 30 2012 ALZ001>010-016-TNZ076-096-097-311000- LAUDERDALE-COLBERT-FRANKLIN AL-LAWRENCE-LIMESTONE-MADISON-MORGAN- MARSHALL-JACKSON-DEKALB-CULLMAN-MOORE-LINCOLN-FRANKLIN TN- 817 PM CDT MON JUL 30 2012 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTH ALABAMA AND PORTIONS OF SOUTHERN MIDDLE TENNESSEE. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT... THUNDERSTORMS WILL BECOME MORE NUMEROUS TONIGHT BEGINNING AROUND MIDNIGHT AS A STRONG DISTURBANCE CROSSES THE REGION. SOME STRONG TO SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE POSSIBLE...WITH DAMAGING STRAIGHT LINE WINDS...HAIL UP TO THE SIZE OF QUARTERS AND LOCALLY HEAVY DOWNPOURS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY... STRONG TO SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WITH GUSTY STRAIGHT LINE WINDS MAY LINGER INTO TUESDAY...AS THE DISTURBANCE SLOWLY EXITS TO THE SOUTHEAST. TYPICAL MAINLY DAYTIME SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL RETURN ON WEDNESDAY...CONTINUING INTO THE WEEKEND. GUSTY WINDS WILL BE THE MAIN THREATS. .SPOTTER CALL TO ACTION STATEMENT... ACTIVATION OF STORM SPOTTERS AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT PERSONNEL MAY BE POSSIBLE LATE TONIGHT THROUGH EARLY TUESDAY MORNING.
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HUNTSVILLE AL
1151 PM CDT MON JUL 30 2012
ALZ016-310515-
CULLMAN-
1151 PM CDT MON JUL 30 2012
...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY FOR CULLMAN COUNTY UNTIL 1215 AM
CDT...
AT 1148 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR WAS TRACKING
A STRONG THUNDERSTORM NEAR CULLMAN...MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 30 MPH.
WINDS UP TO 40 MPH...FREQUENT CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING...AND HEAVY
DOWNPOURS ARE EXPECTED WITH THIS STORM.
* LOCATIONS IN OR NEAR THE PATH INCLUDE...
WALTER...HANCEVILLE.
GARDEN CITY.
THE GUSTY WINDS WILL BE CAPABLE OF KNOCKING DOWN SMALL TREE LIMBS.
SEEK SAFE SHELTER UNTIL THE STORM HAS PASSED.
STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO...COMMERCIAL RADIO...OR YOUR LOCAL
TELEVISION STATIONS FOR LATER STATEMENTS AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS
CONCERNING THIS WEATHER SITUATION.
&&
LAT...LON 3415 8697 3423 8690 3413 8660 3410 8665
3409 8665 3408 8667 3408 8669 3406 8668
3395 8682
TIME...MOT...LOC 0450Z 307DEG 24KT 3410 8682The Columbus AFB radar (KGWX), 101 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 04:55 UTC.
12 thunderstorm wind, 1 hail, 1 lightning. Local standard time, as filed.
A tree was knocked down on Blue Road. Time estimated by radar.
A twelve foot section of roof was peeled up and rolled back by thunderstorm winds at the Cherokee Public Library.
A tree was knocked down along Highway 24 near County Road 21. Time estimated by radar.
A tree was knocked down on County Farm Road. Time estimated by radar.
Hail up to the size of quarters fell in Hanceville for a ten minute period.
A tree was knocked down on Highway 43. Time was estimated by radar.
Several trees were snapped and uprooted and power lines were knocked down. A six foot piece of roof fascia was torn off a home.
Lightning sparked a house fire on the 800 block of Leanord Road. Exact time of event unknown. Extent of damage unknown.
Thunderstorm winds knocked down two small tree limbs in Red Bay.
A tree was knocked down on Riverton Rose Trail. Time estimated by radar.
A tree was knocked down on Robertson Hill Road. Time estimated by radar.
A tree was knocked down on Daniel Street. Time estimated by radar.
A tree and powerlines were knocked down on 8th Street in Cherokee.
A tree and power lines were knocked down at the intersection of Jones Road and Highway 247. Time estimated by radar.
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: 399487, 399489, 399490, 399491, 399486, 399492, 399502, 399488, 399493, 399494, 399495, 399496, 399498, 399500.