Very little rainfall fell across the southeast portions of Central Alabama during the month of October. Most locations in the drought stricken area received less than 2 inches of rainfall during the entire month, causing the drought conditions to continue.
Every event with a place to put it; 13 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.
Very little rainfall fell across the southeast portions of Central Alabama during the month of October. Most locations in the drought stricken area received less than 2 inches of rainfall during the entire month, causing the drought conditions to continue. In areas outside of the drought, an average of 2 to 3 inches of rainfall occurred, with isolated locations receiving up to 5 inches of rain.
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 Sep 30, 11:03 PM CST, 57 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...UPDATED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL 1203 AM CDT MON OCT 1 2012 .UPDATE... FOR EVENING FORECAST. && .DISCUSSION... ALTHOUGH GAPS IN THE RADAR COVERAGE ARE PRESENT...STILL IN THE MOIST PLUME WITH CONVECTION DEVELOPING ALONG THE COAST AND PRESSING NORTHWARD INTO CENTRAL ALABAMA. SO KEEPING LIKELY TO CATEGORICAL POPS THROUGH OUT OVERNIGHT. WITH THIS SOMEWHAT TROPICAL AIR MASS...NOT AS MUCH LIGHTNING PRESENT. MARGINAL INSTABILITY OVERNIGHT WILL KEEP AN ISOLATED SEVERE THREAT FOR DAMAGING WINDS/TORNADO. BEST CAPE/LI'S CURRENTLY ACROSS SOUTHERN MISSISSIPPI AND SOUTHERN ALABAMA WHILE BEST SHEAR AND HELICITY JUST NORTH AND EAST OF THE LOW...OVER MISSISSIPPI AND SOUTHWEST ALABAMA. ALTHOUGH MARGINAL...BEST SEVERE THREAT OVERNIGHT WILL BE ACROSS EXTREME SOUTH AND WEST COUNTIES...CLOSER TO OUR BETTER PARAMETERS. AS FOR TEMPERATURES...NOT MUCH WIGGLE ROOM WITH EXTENSIVE CLOUD COVER AND HIGH DEW POINTS SO WE SHOULD NOT SEE A BIG DROP TONIGHT. UPDATE ALREADY OUT. 08/MK && .AVIATION... 06Z TAF DISCUSSION. STILL QUITE A MESS OUT THERE...AND CEILINGS/VISIBILITIES ARE ALL OVER THE PLACE -- MOSTLY MVFR WITH POCKETS HIGHER AND POCKETS LOWER. THUNDER HAS REMAINED LIMITED...AND I EXPECT THAT TO STAY THE CASE THROUGH THE OVERNIGHT HOURS. THERE MAY BE A SMALL BREAK IN THE RAIN AROUND/AFTER DAYBREAK MONDAY...WITH REDEVELOPMENT OF THUNDERSTORMS IN THE AFTERNOON. MODEL LOW LEVEL HUMIDITY PROFILES SUGGEST CEILINGS WITH STAY PREDOMINANTLY BELOW 3000 FT FOR AT THE NEXT 24 HOURS. /61/ NOTE***THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IS ISSUING SEASONAL TERMINAL FORECASTS FOR THE TALLADEGA MUNICIPAL AIRPORT (KASN) IN TALLADEGA... ALABAMA. THE FORECASTS WILL LAST THROUGH AT LEAST THE 10TH OF OCTOBER. DUE TO THE LIMITED AVAILABILITY OBSERVATIONS...KASN TAF WILL HAVE AMD NOT SKED APPENDED TO THE END OF THE FORECAST. && .BMX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NONE. &&
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL 630 PM CDT SUN SEP 30 2012 ALZ011>015-017>050-020000- 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- 630 PM CDT SUN SEP 30 2012 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR THE COUNTIES SERVED BY THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OFFICE IN BIRMINGHAM. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT. THERE IS A MARGINAL TORNADO THREAT FOR MAINLY LATE TONIGHT AFTER 1 AM FOR AREAS GENERALLY SOUTHWEST OF A LINE FROM VERNON...TO CENTREVILLE...TO SELMA. A FEW AREAS SOUTH OF AN ALICEVILLE TO UNIONTOWN LINE COULD POSSIBLY SEE STRONGER STORMS A BIT EARLIER BY LATE EVENING. ADDITIONALLY...LOCALLY HEAVY RAIN WILL BE POSSIBLE ALMOST ANYWHERE IN CENTRAL ALABAMA TONIGHT...WHICH MAY LEAD TO SOME FLOODING. THE BEST CHANCE WILL BE FOR AREAS ALONG AND WEST OF INTERSTATE 65. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY. THE THREAT OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS...INCLUDING BRIEF TORNADOES... CONTINUES INTO MONDAY. A MARGINAL DAMAGING WIND AND TORNADO THREAT EXISTS ACROSS ALL OF CENTRAL ALABAMA FROM DAYBREAK WEST THROUGH AROUND 6 PM NEAR THE GEORGIA STATE LINE. THE THREAT WILL SLOWLY MOVE FROM WEST TO EAST THROUGH THE DAY. ALTHOUGH THIS SEVERE WEATHER THREAT IS RELATIVELY LIMITED AT THIS POINT...A SMALL CHANGE IN THE TIMING OR TRACK OF THE RESPONSIBLE STORM SYSTEM COULD CAUSE THE SEVERE WEATHER THREAT TO INCREASE. PLEASE CHECK BACK FOR LATER UPDATES. THE THREAT OF LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL CONTINUES INTO MONDAY WHICH MAY LEAD TO SOME FLOODING ACROSS PORTIONS OF CENTRAL ALABAMA. THIS HEAVY RAIN THREAT SHOULD END BE AROUND 6 PM AND GRADUALLY DECREASE FROM WEST TO EAST THROUGH THE DAY. THE AREA WITH THE GREATEST FLOODING THREAT WILL BE ALONG AND NORTH OF INTERSTATE 59. STORM TOTAL RAINFALL WILL REACH 1 TO 3 INCHES..WITH A FEW HIGHER AMOUNTS POSSIBLE. SOME OF THIS RAIN MAY OCCUR IN A SHORT PERIOD OF TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... ACTIVATION OF STORM SPOTTERS AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT MAY BE NEEDED THROUGH MONDAY AFTERNOON...DUE TO THE THREAT OF FLOODING OR SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS. 08/MK
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
13 drought. Local standard time, as filed.
Montgomery County experienced Severe (D2) drought conditions for the entire month of October.
Bullock County experienced Severe (D2) drought conditions for the entire month of October.
Chambers County experienced Extreme (D3) drought conditions for the entire month of October.
Cleburne County experienced Extreme (D3) drought conditions for the entire month of October.
Clay County experienced Extreme (D3) drought conditions for the entire month of October.
Coosa County experienced Extreme (D3) drought conditions for the entire month of October.
Tallapoosa County experienced Extreme (D3) drought conditions for the entire month of October.
Randolph County experienced Extreme (D3) drought conditions for the entire month of October.
Elmore County experienced Extreme (D3) drought conditions for the entire month of October.
Macon County experienced Severe (D2) drought conditions for the entire month of October.
Lee County experienced Extreme (D3) drought conditions for the entire month of October.
Russell County experienced Extreme (D3) drought conditions for the entire month of October.
Barbour County experienced Severe (D2) drought conditions for the entire month of October.
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, October 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: 416171, 416172, 416173, 416174, 416175, 416176, 416177, 416178, 416179, 416180, 416181, 416182, 416183.