The combination of above normal temperatures in the lower 90s with high humidity, led to a heat related death in Morgan County, Alabama.
Every event with a place to put it; 1 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 HUN wrote it up.
The combination of above normal temperatures in the lower 90s with high humidity, led to a heat related death in Morgan County, Alabama.
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 May 2, 1:55 PM CST, 2 hours 5 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HUNTSVILLE AL 255 PM CDT WED MAY 2 2012 .DISCUSSION... THE SHORTWAVE INDICATED BY THE LATEST IR SATELLITE IMAGES AND AREA 88-D RADAR RETURNS WAS ANALYZED TO BE MOVING NORTHWARD OUT OF THE GULF OF MEXICO INTO SOUTHERN MISSISSIPPI AND ALABAMA AS OF 19Z. IT IS EXPECTED THAT SCATTERED SHOWERS AND STORMS WILL CONTINUE TO MOVE NORTHWARD INTO THE FORECAST AREA BY TONIGHT...WITH SHOWERS AND SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS EXPECTED TO BECOME LIKELY ESPECIALLY AFTER MIDNIGHT ACROSS THE FORECAST AREA. HAVE UPPED PRECIP CHANCES TO REFLECT THIS TRENDING AND EXPECT LIKELY PRECIP CHANCES TO CONTINUE INTO THURSDAY AS THE TWO UPPER LEVEL VORT MAXES AT 500 MILLIBARS MOVE THROUGH THE FORECAST AREA BY 00Z FRIDAY. BUFR SOUNDINGS ARE CONSISTENT IN INCREASING PWAT VALUES TO THE 1.5 TO 1.6 INCHES CATEGORY AND EXPECT POTENTIAL IS THERE FOR MEASURABLE PRECIP ACROSS MUCH OF THE FORECAST AREA. HAVE UPPED OVERNIGHT LOWS TONIGHT TO ACCOUNT FOR MORE CLOUDS AND PRECIP CHANCES AND HAVE ALSO SLIGHTLY LOWERED DAYTIME HIGH TEMPS ON THURSDAY. AFTER THE FIRST UPPER LEVEL SYSTEM DEPARTS THE TENNESSEE VALLEY REGION...THE UPPER PATTERN IS EXPECTED TO SLOWLY EVOLVE INTO A SLIGHT NORTHWEST FLOW PATTERN THROUGH THE REST OF THE FORECAST PERIODS. THIS PATTERN IS VERY DIFFICULT TO TIME INDIVIDUAL SHORT WAVES IN THE WEAK UPPER FLOW...AS THE MODELS ARE HAVING SOME DIFFICULTY IN KEYING ON THESE FEATURES. HAVE NOT MADE MUCH IN THE WAY OF CHANGES TO PRECIP CHANCES THROUGH THE WEEKEND...AND HAVE ADDED IN SLIGHT PRECIP CHANCES FOR MUCH OF THE EXTENDED FORECAST PERIOD. THE GFS AND ECMWF MODELS ARE IN FAIRLY DECENT AGREEMENT IN PUSHING A LARGE UPPER LOW ACROSS SOUTHERN CANADA INTO THE GREAT LAKES REGION BETWEEN TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY. THIS WILL HELP IN KEEPING A STRONG UPPER LEVEL RIDGE FROM BUILDING ACROSS THE REGION THROUGH THIS TIME PERIOD. THE GFS AND ECMWF MODELS DIFFER SLIGHTLY IN MOVING A SURFACE COLD FRONT TO THE SOUTHEAST THROUGH THE OHIO VALLEY INTO THE TENNESSEE VALLEY DURING THIS TIME PERIOD. WILL CONTINUE WITH A CHANCE OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ESPECIALLY BY WEDNESDAY DUE TO THE PROXIMITY OF THE BOUNDARY. FOLLOWED GFS TEMPS FAIRLY CLOSELY THROUGH THE EXTENDED FORECAST PERIOD DUE TO THE EXPECTED PRECIP CHANCES AND CLOUDS ACROSS THE AREA. TT && .AVIATION... /ISSUED 101 PM CDT WED MAY 2 2012/ FOR 18Z TAFS... VFR CONDITIONS WILL CONTINUE FOR BOTH KHSV AND KMSL THROUGH THE AFTERNOON AND EVENING HOURS. ISOLATED SHRA/TSRA WILL BE POSSIBLE... BUT GIVEN LOW CHANCES OF THIS OCCURRING DIRECTLY AT EITHER TERMINAL THROUGH 03/00Z...DID NOT FORMALLY INCLUDE FOR NOW. AS A DISTURBANCE CROSSES THE AREA OVERNIGHT...SHOWERS AND STORMS WILL BECOME MORE WIDESPREAD TONIGHT INTO THURSDAY. INCLUDED VCSH AT BOTH KMSL/KHSV AFTER 03/03Z WITH GUSTS UP TO 20KTS ADDED IN AFTER 03/12Z. WITH THE NEXT ISSUANCE AT 03/00Z...MAY HAVE TO INCLUDE THUNDER IN THE TAF FOR BOTH LOCATIONS...BUT DID NOT INCLUDE ATTM. 12 && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... HUNTSVILLE 68 83 66 88 68 / 50 60 20 20 20 SHOALS 67 84 67 88 68 / 50 60 10 20 20 VINEMONT 67 81 66 85 69 / 50 60 20 20 20 FAYETTEVILLE 66 81 64 86 66 / 50 60 10 20 20 ALBERTVILLE 64 81 63 86 67 / 50 60 20 20 20 FORT PAYNE 63 81 62 87 63 / 50 60 20 20 20 && .HUN WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... AL...NONE. TN...NONE. && FOR MORE INFORMATION PLEASE VISIT OUR WEBSITE AT WEATHER.GOV/HUNTSVILLE.
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...UPDATED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HUNTSVILLE AL 346 PM CDT WED MAY 2 2012 ALZ001>010-016-TNZ076-096-097-031000- LAUDERDALE-COLBERT-FRANKLIN AL-LAWRENCE-LIMESTONE-MADISON-MORGAN- MARSHALL-JACKSON-DEKALB-CULLMAN-MOORE-LINCOLN-FRANKLIN TN- 346 PM CDT WED MAY 2 2012 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTH ALABAMA AND PORTIONS OF SOUTHERN MIDDLE TENNESSEE. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT... SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS WILL BECOME LIKELY OVERNIGHT ACROSS THE AREA. SOME OF THE STORMS MAY PRODUCE HEAVY RAINFALL...BRIEF GUSTY WINDS...AND OCCASIONAL LIGHTNING. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY... THE PROBABILITY FOR WIDESPREAD HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS LOW. WIDELY SCATTERED TO SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE BEGINNING THURSDAY AND CONTINUING THROUGH THE REMAINDER OF THE PERIOD. GUSTY WINDS...FREQUENT LIGHTNING AND LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL WILL BE POSSIBLE IN STRONGER STORMS THAT DEVELOP. .SPOTTER CALL TO ACTION STATEMENT... ACTIVATION OF STORM SPOTTERS AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT PERSONNEL IS NOT ANTICIPATED AT THIS TIME. TT
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HUNTSVILLE AL 403 PM CDT WED MAY 2 2012 ALZ002-003-022145- COLBERT-FRANKLIN- 403 PM CDT WED MAY 2 2012 ...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY FOR WESTERN PORTIONS OF COLBERT AND FRANKLIN COUNTIES UNTIL 445 PM CDT... AT 403 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR WAS TRACKING A COUPLE OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS IN THE ADVISORY AREA. THE STRONGEST CELL WAS LOCATED NEAR HALLTOWN...OR NEAR RED BAY. ALL ACTIVITY WAS MOVING NORTH AT 15 MPH. PEA SIZE HAIL AND WINDS UP TO 40 MPH ARE EXPECTED WITH THIS STORM. * LOCATIONS IN OR NEAR THE PATH INCLUDE... PLEASANT SITE. POGO. MAUD...MYNOT. ALLSBORO...MALONE. REMEMBER...IF YOU CAN HEAR THUNDER...YOU ARE CLOSE ENOUGH TO THE STORM TO BE STRUCK BY LIGHTNING. SEEK SAFE SHELTER IMMEDIATELY. && LAT...LON 3483 8811 3483 8796 3432 8794 3432 8818 TIME...MOT...LOC 2103Z 174DEG 15KT 3449 8809 70/DD
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HUNTSVILLE AL
452 PM CDT WED MAY 2 2012
ALZ001-002-022230-
COLBERT-LAUDERDALE-
452 PM CDT WED MAY 2 2012
...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY FOR WESTERN PORTIONS OF COLBERT AND
LAUDERDALE COUNTIES UNTIL 530 PM CDT...
AT 451 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR WAS TRACKING
A COUPLE OF STRONG THUNDERSTORM ACROSS THE ADVISORY AREA. THE
STRONGEST CELL WAS LOCATED NEAR MT HESTER...OR 15 MILES SOUTHEAST OF
IUKA. ALL ACTIVITY WAS MOVING NORTHWESTWARD AT 15 MPH.
PEA SIZE HAIL AND WINDS UP TO 40 MPH ARE EXPECTED WITH THESE STORMS.
* LOCATIONS IN OR NEAR THE PATH INCLUDE...
MT HESTER...CHEROKEE.
MALONE.
MARGERUM.
RIVERTON...WATERLOO.
REMEMBER...IF YOU CAN HEAR THUNDER...YOU ARE CLOSE ENOUGH TO THE
STORM TO BE STRUCK BY LIGHTNING. SEEK SAFE SHELTER IMMEDIATELY.
&&
LAT...LON 3501 8804 3458 8779 3458 8813 3461 8815
3473 8812 3489 8811 3491 8814 3493 8817
3499 8821 3501 8820
TIME...MOT...LOC 2151Z 151DEG 15KT 3469 8800
70/DDThe national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
1 heat. Local standard time, as filed.
An elderly male died after suffering from heat exhaustion in Morgan County, AL.
As the offices recorded each death: direct deaths were caused by the weather itself, indirect ones by something it set in motion.
| Event | Date | Age | Sex | Where | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Heat, Morgan | 2012-05-02 | 80 | Male | Unknown | Direct |
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, May 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: 414694.