Very steep lapse rates were in place atop rich boundary layer moisture with 500 mb temperatures from -11C to -14C. This supported strong instability with afternoon SBCAPE values exceeding 3000 J/Kg.
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 TAE wrote it up.
Very steep lapse rates were in place atop rich boundary layer moisture with 500 mb temperatures from -11C to -14C. This supported strong instability with afternoon SBCAPE values exceeding 3000 J/Kg. Winds aloft were weak, so storms were mainly pulse in nature with brief-lived intense cores. The strongest of these pulsating storms produced large hail and damaging winds. Storms became semi-organized along a common outflow late in the day and shifted southward.
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 Tallahassee, FL wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at May 6, 11:59 AM CST, 14 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TALLAHASSEE FL 159 PM EDT Sun May 6 2012 SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IN EFFECT UNTIL 9 PM EDT FOR SOUTHEAST ALABAMA...SOUTHWEST GEORGIA AND PORTIONS OF INLAND FLORIDA PANHANDLE AND BIG BEND... .PREV DISCUSSION... .Discussion...Not many changes appear to be needed to the near term grids with primary focus on coverage and intensity of afternoon/evening thunderstorms. 12z soundings from TLH and BMX indicate very steep lapse rates are in place atop rich boundary layer moisture with h5 temps from -11c to -14c. This will support moderate to strong instability with afternoon MLCAPE likely exceeding 2500 J/Kg this afternoon as highs push 90f. Primary hindrance for any sustained severe threat will be the weak winds aloft. Thus, storms will mainly be pulse in nature with brief-lived intense cores. The strongest of these pulsating storms should be capable of hail around 1 inch in diameter and brief damaging winds. Coverage and initiation locations of ensuing diurnal storms remains problematic with only weak focusing mechanisms in place. Storms may continue propagating southwards out of central AL/GA...with additional isolated development possible along the sea breeze or any other weak, residual surface boundaries given the general lack of capping this afternoon. It is not out of the question to see activity become semi-organized along a common outflow and shift south across the CWA this evening with pulse-severe cores. This possibility is the reason SPC has placed area back under a SLGT in the day 1 outlook. && .Aviation (through 12 UTC Monday)...Partly sunny conditions will become prevalent into the early afternoon as fog/low clouds have burned off. However, expect increasing chances of showers/ thunderstorms as the day wears on. Some of the stronger storms could produce wind gusts at least in the 20-30 kt range with an isolated severe gust and hail not out of the question at TAF sites. This activity is expected to move offshore/diminish during the evening with VFR for several hours tonight before fog and low clouds again bring MVFR/IFR conditions around sunrise. && .MARINE... A fairly benign pattern is expected over the marine area the next several days (outside of thunderstorm activity). Seas should be generally 1 foot or less with winds below 15 knots. && .TAE WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... AL...None. GA...None. FL...None. GM...None. && Evans
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TALLAHASSEE FL 530 AM EDT SUN MAY 6 2012 ALZ065>069-FLZ007>019-026>029-034-108-112-114-115-118-127-128-134- GAZ120>131-142>148-155>161-GMZ730-750-755-765-770-775-070930- COFFEE-DALE-HENRY-GENEVA-HOUSTON-INLAND WALTON-CENTRAL WALTON- HOLMES-WASHINGTON-JACKSON-INLAND BAY-CALHOUN-INLAND GULF- INLAND FRANKLIN-GADSDEN-LEON-INLAND JEFFERSON-MADISON-LIBERTY- INLAND WAKULLA-INLAND TAYLOR-LAFAYETTE-INLAND DIXIE-SOUTH WALTON- COASTAL BAY-COASTAL GULF-COASTAL FRANKLIN-COASTAL JEFFERSON- COASTAL WAKULLA-COASTAL TAYLOR-COASTAL DIXIE-QUITMAN-CLAY- RANDOLPH-TERRELL-DOUGHERTY-LEE-WORTH-TURNER-TIFT-BEN HILL-IRWIN- EARLY-MILLER-BAKER-MITCHELL-COLQUITT-COOK-BERRIEN-SEMINOLE- DECATUR-GRADY-THOMAS-BROOKS-LOWNDES-LANIER- APALACHEE BAY OR COASTAL WATERS FROM KEATON BEACH TO OCHLOCKONEE RIVER FL OUT TO 20 NM- COASTAL WATERS FROM APALACHICOLA TO DESTIN FL OUT 20 NM- COASTAL WATERS FROM OCHLOCKONEE RIVER TO APALACHICOLA FL OUT TO 20 NM- COASTAL WATERS FROM SUWANNEE RIVER TO KEATON BEACH OUT 20 NM- WATERS FROM APALACHICOLA TO DESTIN FL FROM 20 TO 60 NM- WATERS FROM SUWANNEE RIVER TO APALACHICOLA FL FROM 20 TO 60 NM- 530 AM EDT SUN MAY 6 2012 /430 AM CDT SUN MAY 6 2012/ THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR SOUTHEAST ALABAMA... SOUTHWEST AND SOUTH CENTRAL GEORGIA...AND THE FLORIDA BIG BEND AND PANHANDLE...AND ADJACENT COASTAL WATERS. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT... SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO DEVELOP OVER MUCH OF THE AREA THIS AFTERNOON...AND LINGER INTO THIS EVENING. SOME OF THE STORMS COULD BE SEVERE. THE MAIN THREAT WOULD BE DAMAGING WIND GUSTS. HAIL TO AROUND 1 INCH IN DIAMETER MAY ALSO BE POSSIBLE IN THE STRONGEST STORMS. THUNDERSTORMS SHOULD REACH PEAK INTENSITY BETWEEN APPROXIMATELY 3 PM AND 9 PM. THE MAIN ADDITIONAL HAZARD WILL BE AREAS OF DENSE FOG...BOTH THIS MORNING AROUND SUNRISE AND POSSIBLY AGAIN TONIGHT. THE DENSE FOG THIS MORNING SHOULD BE CONFINED MOSTLY TO THE FLORIDA PANHANDLE AND SOUTHEAST ALABAMA...GENERALLY FROM TALLAHASSEE TO THE WEST. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY... SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS WILL OCCUR MONDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY NIGHT. A FEW STRONG STORMS WILL BE POSSIBLE EACH DAY. LOCALIZED HEAVY RAINFALL WILL ALSO BE POSSIBLE. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER REPORTS OF SEVERE WEATHER TODAY WOULD BE APPRECIATED. FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION...VISIT THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WEBSITE ON THE INTERNET AT WEATHER.GOV...THEN CLICK ON YOUR AREA OF INTEREST ON THE NATIONAL MAP. 08-LAMERS
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
4 hail, 2 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
A tree was blown down along County Road 59 to the north of County Road 36. Monetary damage was estimated.
Penny size hail fell near Logan Road.
The hail falling near Logan Road increased to ping pong size.
A tree was blown down onto a power line at the 300 block of Valley Stream Drive. Monetary damage was estimated.
A picture was posted on facebook of hail estimated at quarter size near Headland.
A spotter reported penny size hail 2 miles north of Taylor.
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: 369274, 369270, 369271, 369275, 369272, 369273.