Periodic rainfall occurred across central Alabama during the first two months of 2012, however drought conditions continued to persist in the southeast sections of central Alabama. Although rain fell across the area during the latter part of the March, there was little relief felt and drought conditions persisted.
Every event with a place to put it; 12 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.
Periodic rainfall occurred across central Alabama during the first two months of 2012, however drought conditions continued to persist in the southeast sections of central Alabama. Although rain fell across the area during the latter part of the March, there was little relief felt and drought conditions persisted.
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 Feb 29, 3:22 PM CST, 8 hours 38 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL 322 PM CST WED FEB 29 2012 .SHORT TERM...TONIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY NIGHT. A PRE-FRONTAL TROF WILL MOVE INTO NORTHWEST ALABAMA THIS EVENING. THIS TROF WILL ACT AS THE MAIN FOCUS FOR SEVERE STORMS DURING THE EVENING HOURS. THE ACTUAL COLD FRONT SHOULD CATCH UP TO THE PRE- FRONTAL TROF AND STALL OUT ACROSS CENTRAL ALABAMA THURSDAY MORNING. THE MODELS ARE IN GOOD AGREEMENT IN STALLING OUT THE FRONT NEAR I-20 CORRIDOR...AND THEN LIFTING THE FRONT BACK NORTHWARD THURSDAY AFTERNOON. THERE WILL LIKELY BE AN ABRUPT CUT-OFF OF RAINFALL ACROSS CENTRAL ALABAMA DUE TO CAPPING INVERSION SHUTTING OFF RAIN CHANCES FOR AREAS SOUTH OF I-20. THE RAIN ON THURSDAY MORNING WILL BE MAINLY CONFINED TO THE AREAS ALONG THE STALLED OUT FRONTAL BOUNDARY...AND CONVECTIVE POTENTIAL LOOKS MINIMAL FOR THURSDAY AND THURSDAY NIGHT DUE TO MINIMAL FORCING AND WEAK MID LEVEL LAPSE RATES. THE FOCUS FOR THIS FORECAST PERIOD WILL BE ON A HIGHLY AMPLIFIED UPPER LEVEL TROUGH AS IT CROSSES ACROSS THE CENTRAL AND EASTERN PORTIONS OF THE U.S. AT THE SURFACE...A SURFACE LOW WILL TRACK FOR EASTERN KANSAS EARLY FRIDAY INTO THE GREAT LAKES REGION EARLY SATURDAY MORNING WITH A SURFACE COLD FRONT STRETCHING DOWN FROM THE LOW. ON FRIDAY STRONG SOUTHERLY FLOW WILL PUSH THE WARM FRONT INTO THE OHIO RIVER VALLEY. CENTRAL ALABAMA WILL REMAIN IN THE WARM SECTOR THROUGHOUT THE DAY. WINDS WILL MIX OUT FAIRLY WELL WITH STRONG SOUTH WINDS TEMPERATURES WILL SOAR INTO THE UPPER 70S TO NEAR 80 ON FRIDAY. MODELS HAVE BEEN TRENDING A LITTLE SLOWER WITH THE PASSAGE OF THE COLD FRONT AS THE UPPER LEVEL TROUGH ELONGATES ACROSS THE EASTERN U.S. THE ENVIRONMENT AHEAD OF THE FRONT WILL SUPPORT SUPERCELL DEVELOPMENT WITH A STRONG UPPER LEVEL JET PUSHING INTO THE AREA LATE FRIDAY WITH STRONG DIVERGENCE AND DIFFLUENCE ALOFT. MODEL SOUNDINGS INDICATE SHEAR AND INSTABILITY VALUES AHEAD OF THE FRONT WILL BE SUPPORTIVE OF ALL MODES OF SEVERE WEATHER LATE FRIDAY INTO EARLY SATURDAY AHEAD OF THE COLD FRONT. THE BEST CHANCE FOR SEVERE WEATHER AT THIS TIME APPEARS TO BE OVER THE NORTHERN HALF OF CENTRAL ALABAMA WITH THE BETTER DYNAMICS TO THE NORTH. DUE TO THE SLOWER PROGRESSION OF THE UPPER LEVEL FEATURES...LATEST 12Z MODELS DO NOT MOVE THE FRONT THROUGH CENTRAL ALABAMA UNTIL 18Z ON SATURDAY. THEREFORE...TIMING IS STILL UNCERTAIN WITH THIS SYSTEM BUT LATEST TRENDS CONTINUE TO SLOW THE COLD FRONT DOWN...AND RAISED RAIN CHANCES FOR AREAS SOUTH OF I-20. EVEN THOUGH THE FRONT PUSHES OUT OF THE AREA BY SUNSET SATURDAY...SOUTHWEST UPPER FLOW BEHIND FRONT WILL KEEP SHOWERS ACROSS SOUTHEAST ALABAMA EARLY SATURDAY EVENING. ROSE/ANDERSON .LONG TERM...SUNDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY. HIGH PRESSURE AND COOLER TEMPERATURES MOVE INTO THE AREA SUNDAY AND THROUGH THE EARLY PART OF NEXT WEEK. A PROGRESSIVE UPPER FLOW PATTERN WILL BRING ANOTHER STORM SYSTEM INTO THE LOWER MISSISSIPPI RIVER VALLEY BY WEDNESDAY...AND FORECAST SMALL RAIN CHANCES FOR WEDNESDAY. ROSE && .AVIATION... 18Z TAF DISCUSSION. OVERALL THE MAIN CHANGE TO THE NEXT 24 HOURS WAS JUST THE OVERALL TIMING OF THE THUNDERSTORMS FOR THE NORTHERN TAFS. A COLD FRONT WILL APPROACH THE TAF AREAS LATE THIS AFTERNOON. AHEAD OF THE FRONT...MOISTURE WILL CONTINUE TO INCREASE RESULTING IN MULTIPLE LAYERS OF CLOUDS...THE LOWEST BEING MVFR OR LOWER. ALSO...DUE TO THE TIGHTENING PRESSURE GRADIENT...SOUTHWESTERLY WINDS WILL BE GUSTY. THIS WILL CONTINUE THROUGH 20Z FOR THE NORTHERN TAFS. FRONT IS EXPECTED TO STALL ACROSS NORTH CENTRAL ALABAMA...AND CONVECTION DECREASE IN COVERAGE THROUGH THE OVERNIGHT PERIOD. IN FACT...WE MAY NOT SEE THE PRECIPITATION EVEN REACH MGM AND TOI SO REMOVED ANY PREDOMINATE WORDING FROM HERE. THERE ARE SOME ISOLATED SHOWERS IN SOUTHWEST ALABAMA THAT MAY WORK INTO THE SOUTHEAST LATE AFTERNOON...RESULTING IN RAIN SHOWERS AND ISOLATED CB. CONFIDENCE NOT HIGH ENOUGH TO INCLUDE TS FOR NOW ACROSS THE SOUTH. EXPECT A RETURN TO IFR CIGS AND A WIND SHIFT TO THE WEST LATE IN THE PERIOD. MAY SEE THE LOWEST DECKS IN THE SOUTHEAST...ESPECIALLY IF THEY DO STAY IN THE WARM SECTOR AND THE OUTFLOW NEVER MAKES IT DOWN. 16 && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... GADSDEN 56 74 61 77 54 / 80 20 50 50 80 ANNISTON 59 74 61 78 58 / 80 30 50 40 80 BIRMINGHAM 61 74 61 78 55 / 80 30 40 50 90 TUSCALOOSA 62 75 62 79 56 / 70 30 40 50 90 CALERA 61 74 62 79 58 / 70 30 30 50 80 AUBURN 63 74 63 79 64 / 40 30 20 20 50 MONTGOMERY 65 77 65 80 64 / 30 20 20 20 60 TROY 66 78 64 80 66 / 30 20 20 20 40 && .BMX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NONE. &&
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL 900 PM CST WED FEB 29 2012 ALZ011>015-017>050-020300- 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- 900 PM CST WED FEB 29 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...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY. A FEW STRONG TO SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE BY THURSDAY AFTERNOON INTO EARLY EVENING AS A WARM FRONT MOVES NORTHWARD ACROSS CENTRAL ALABAMA. THE MAIN HAZARDOUS THREATS INCLUDE DAMAGING STRAIGHT LINE WINDS AND HAIL. SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WILL ONCE AGAIN BE POSSIBLE LATE FRIDAY AFTERNOON NORTHWEST INTO EARLY SATURDAY FOR SOUTHEASTERN AREAS ACROSS CENTRAL ALABAMA. THE MAIN THREATS INCLUDE DAMAGING STRAIGHT LINE WINDS...LOCALLY HEAVY RAIN...AND ISOLATED TORNADOES. THESE STORMS WILL DEVELOP ALONG AND NEAR A COLD FRONT MOVING THROUGH THE STATE. STAY TUNED FOR UPDATES ON THIS DEVELOPING WEATHER SITUATION. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... ACTIVATION OF STORM SPOTTERS AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT MAY BE NEEDED THURSDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING...AND AGAIN LATE FRIDAY INTO EARLY SATURDAY. 08/MNK
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
714 PM CST WED FEB 29 2012
ALZ019-026-027-010200-
CALHOUN AL-ST. CLAIR AL-TALLADEGA AL-
714 PM CST WED FEB 29 2012
...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY FOR NORTHERN TALLADEGA...CENTRAL ST.
CLAIR AND SOUTHERN CALHOUN COUNTIES UNTIL 800 PM CST...
AT 711 PM CST...THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WAS TRACKING A STRONG
THUNDERSTORM NEAR ODENVILLE...MOVING EAST AT 55 MPH.
HAIL UP TO THE SIZE OF PENNIES AND WIND GUSTS UP TO 40 MPH ARE
EXPECTED WITH THIS STORM.
LOCATIONS IN OR NEAR THE PATH OF THIS STORM INCLUDE...
WEST END-COBB TOWN...
COBB TOWN...
SAKS...
OXFORD...
ANNISTON...
THIS STORM COULD INTENSIFY QUICKLY. STAY ALERT.
&&
LAT...LON 3361 8572 3360 8572 3359 8575 3360 8644
3378 8644 3380 8572 3361 8570
TIME...MOT...LOC 0113Z 270DEG 48KT 3369 8632
87PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
720 PM CST WED FEB 29 2012
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0702 PM HAIL MARGARET 33.69N 86.47W
02/29/2012 M0.25 INCH ST. CLAIR AL BROADCAST MEDIA
&&
SUNGERPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
721 PM CST WED FEB 29 2012
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0657 PM HAIL TRUSSVILLE 33.64N 86.59W
02/29/2012 E0.75 INCH JEFFERSON AL PUBLIC
&&
SUNGERPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT...SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
929 PM CST WED FEB 29 2012
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0438 PM TSTM WND DMG SULLIGENT 33.89N 88.13W
02/29/2012 LAMAR AL EMERGENCY MNGR
NUMEROUS TREES DOWN ACROSS THE NORTHERN HALF OF THE
COUNTY BLOCKING MANY ROADWAYS. ONE TREE DOWN ON
HOUSE...NO INJURIES. SHINGLES BLOWN OFF SEVERAL HOMES IN
DOWNTOWN SULLIGENT.
0657 PM HAIL TRUSSVILLE 33.64N 86.59W
02/29/2012 E0.75 INCH JEFFERSON AL PUBLIC
0702 PM HAIL MARGARET 33.69N 86.47W
02/29/2012 M0.25 INCH ST. CLAIR AL BROADCAST MEDIA
&&
SUNGERThe national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
12 drought. Local standard time, as filed.
Elmore County experienced Extreme (D3) drought conditions during the month of March.
Lee County experienced Extreme (D3) drought conditions during the month of March.
Bullock County experienced Extreme (D3) drought conditions during the month of March.
Macon County experienced Extreme (D3) drought conditions during the month of March.
Tallapoosa County experienced Extreme (D3) drought conditions during the month of March.
Montgomery County experienced Extreme (D3) drought conditions during the month of March.
Russell County experienced Extreme (D3) drought conditions during the month of March.
Pike County experienced Extreme (D3) drought conditions during the month of March.
Barbour County experienced Exceptional (D4) drought conditions during the month of March.
Randolph County experienced Severe (D2) drought conditions during the month of March.
Lowndes County experienced Severe (D2) drought conditions during first half of March and was upgraded to Extreme (D3) drought conditions on March 13th. .
Chambers County experienced Severe (D2) drought conditions during first half of March and was upgraded to Extreme (D3) drought conditions on March 13th. .
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, March 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: 368670, 368671, 368672, 368673, 368674, 368676, 368677, 368678, 368679, 368680, 368681, 368682.