Below normal rainfall fell across the southeastern portions of central Alabama during the month of March, causing drought conditions to worsen and spread across Coosa and Clay counties.
Every event with a place to put it; 2 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.
Below normal rainfall fell across the southeastern portions of central Alabama during the month of March, causing drought conditions to worsen and spread across Coosa and Clay counties.
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 Mar 12, 10:56 PM CST, 1 hour 4 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL 1156 PM CDT MON MAR 12 2012 .UPDATE... FOR 06Z AVIATION. && .DISCUSSION... THE LATEST WATER VAPOR IMAGERY HAS A LARGE UPPER LOW MOVING THROUGH THE GREAT LAKES WITH ITS TROUGH AXIS BECOMING ELONGATED AND DIFFUSE. IT DOES NOT APPEAR THAT A SURFACE FRONT WILL KICK THROUGH WITH THIS FEATURE BUT SOME MOISTURE DISCONTINUITY SHOWS UP JUST ABOVE THE SURFACE. SHOWER COVERAGE WAS MINIMAL THIS EVENING. THE AREA OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WAS MAINLY CONFINED TO THE OUTFLOW LEFT FROM THE PREVIOUS MCS ACROSS SOUTHERN AREAS FROM COASTAL LA TO THE FL PANHANDLE. THE AIRMASS OVER CENTRAL ALABAMA STABILIZED IN THE LOWEST LEVELS THIS EVENING. AS THIS WEAKENING TROUGH APPROACHES ALOFT...A FEW SHOWERS MAY STILL DEVELOP IN THE CONVERGENCE ZONE...BUT LOWERED OVERALL CHANCES TO 20 PERCENT OR SO. TEMPERATURES AND DEW POINTS SHOULD CHANGE LITTLE OVERNIGHT AND MADE MODIFICATIONS BASED ON CURRENT CONDITIONS. ADDED PATCHY FOG WITH VIS AROUND 1 MILE AT TIMES FOR THE ENTIRE AREA. THE LIGHT RAIN THAT WAS AROUND HAS ADDED SOME GROUND MOISTURE AND EXPECT THE LOW LEVELS TO REMAIN FAIRLY MOIST OVERNIGHT. THE BEST CHANCES APPEAR TO BE NEAR WATER BODIES OR NEAR LEFT OVER WET ZONES. FAIRLY WEAK ISENTROPIC LIFT AND CONVERGENCE ABOVE THE SURFACE WILL ALLOW CLOUDS TO REDEVELOP OVER THE AREA WITH OVERCAST CONDITIONS EXPECTED BY SUNRISE. THE LATEST MODEL RUNS STILL HAVE THE UPPER RIDGE STARTING TO BUILD LATE TUESDAY AND LASTING MUCH OF THE REMAINDER OF THE WEEK. 75 && .AVIATION... 06Z TAF DISCUSSION. STILL A CHALLENGING AVIATION FORECAST THROUGH THE OVERNIGHT HOURS TONIGHT...AS MODELS CONTINUE TO HINT AT SHOWER DEVELOPMENT ACROSS NORTHERN AND EASTERN PORTIONS OF THE STATE AS AN UPPER TROUGH MOVES THROUGH AND TRIES TO ENHANCE DEVELOPMENT. WENT AHEAD AND PLACED A VCSH IN THE TAF FOR ALL OF THE NORTHERN SITES FOR THE POSSIBLE SHOWER DEVELOPMENT. BASED ON THE LATEST TRENDS...HAVE ALSO MOVED THE IFR CIGS BACK A BIT LATER TO AFTER 09-10Z IN THE NORTH AND AS SOON AS 08Z IN THE SOUTHERN SITES. FOG DEVELOPMENT LOOKS ONLY PATCHY AT THIS TIME...AND LEFT REDUCED VISIBILITIES OUT OF THE TAF. THE LOW CIGS FINALLY BEGIN TO LIFT AND BREAK UP A BIT BY THE EARLY AFTERNOON HOURS ON TUESDAY. WINDS WILL BE GENERALLY FROM THE SOUTH TO SOUTHEAST THROUGH THE PERIOD. 56 && .PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 333 PM CDT MON MAR 12 2012/ DISCUSSION... THE MCS THAT DEVELOPED AND MOVED ACROSS SOUTHERN MISSISSIPPI AND ALABAMA THIS MORNING HAS DISSIPATED QUITE A BIT...AND THE LEFT OVER SHOWERS ARE BEGINNING TO MAKE THEIR WAY INTO THE FAR EASTERN PORTIONS OF THE CWA. SCATTERED LIGHT SHOWERS HAVE DEVELOPED AND ARE MOVING ACROSS THE CENTRAL PORTIONS OF THE AREA. THINGS HAVE REMAINED FAIRLY STABLE ACROSS CENTRAL ALABAMA DUE TO THE CLOUD COVER...AND CURRENTLY THE ONLY THUNDER ON RADAR IS IN SOUTHERN MISSISSIPPI...WHERE A BOUNDARY HAS SET UP AND SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUE TO DEVELOP. BREAKS IN THE CLOUD COVER ACROSS THE WEST HAVE ALLOWED TEMPERATURES TO REACH INTO THE LOW 70S WITH DEWPOINTS IN THE LOWER 60S...SO THERE IS STILL THE POSSIBILITY OF SOME THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT IN THIS AREA. HAVE KEPT POPS IN FOR THIS AREA...WITH THE MENTION OF ISOLATED SEVERE POTENTIAL IN THE HWO. PRECIPITATION COVERAGE SHOULD DECREASE SHORTLY AFTER SUNSET. UPPER LEVEL RIDGING WILL TAKE HOLD OF THE WEATHER PATTERN BEYOND TODAY...WITH SURFACE HIGH PRESSURE SETTING UP ACROSS THE REGION. SOUTHERLY FLOW THROUGH THE REMAINDER OF THE FORECAST PERIOD WILL ALLOW MOISTURE TO CONTINUOUSLY FILTER INTO THE AREA. THIS...ALONG WITH DAYTIME HEATING...WILL ALLOW FOR THE CHANCE FOR PRECIPITATION EACH AFTERNOON. WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY LOOK TO HAVE THE BEST CHANCE FOR COVERAGE ACROSS THE NORTH...AS SEVERAL SHORTWAVES ROTATE AROUND THE NORTHERN PORTIONS OF THE UPPER LEVEL RIDGE. THE PATTERN WILL REMAIN MUCH THE SAME FOR THE WEEKEND AND THE BEGINNING OF NEXT WEEK...WITH THE UPPER LEVEL RIDGE MAINTAINING ITS HOLD OVER THE AREA. THE BIGGEST TOPIC WITH THIS FORECAST PACKAGE IS THE TEMPERATURES. THICKNESS VALUES TOWARDS THE END OF THE WEEK SUPPORT TEMPERATURES REACHING INTO THE LOWER 80S. SOME LOCATIONS MAY APPROACH RECORD HIGH TERRITORY...BUT WILL HOLD OFF ON INCREASING TEMPERATURES THAT MUCH FOR NOW. TEMPERATURES WILL REACH THE HIGHEST ON THURSDAY AND FRIDAY...BUT REMAIN WELL INTO THE 70S THRU THE WEEKEND. 73 && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... GADSDEN 59 76 56 79 53 / 20 20 10 20 20 ANNISTON 60 77 58 81 57 / 20 30 10 20 20 BIRMINGHAM 63 78 61 82 60 / 20 20 10 30 20 TUSCALOOSA 62 79 60 81 56 / 20 20 10 30 20 CALERA 60 76 60 81 59 / 20 30 10 20 20 AUBURN 60 74 60 78 60 / 20 30 10 20 20 MONTGOMERY 61 77 60 83 59 / 20 40 10 20 20 TROY 59 75 58 81 55 / 20 40 10 20 20 && .BMX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NONE. && 75/73/56
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL 805 PM CDT MON MAR 12 2012 ALZ011>015-017>050-140115- 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- 805 PM CDT MON MAR 12 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...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.
2 drought. Local standard time, as filed.
Clay County was upgraded to Severe (D2) drought conditions on March 13th.
Coosa County was upgraded to Severe (D2) 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: 368684, 368685.