A mesoscale convective vortex affected the forecast area during the afternoon hours of April 3rd. This feature locally enhanced the wind profile and with a moderately unstable airmass in place, severe thunderstorms erupted over portions of northwest Florida and southwest Georgia.
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.
A mesoscale convective vortex affected the forecast area during the afternoon hours of April 3rd. This feature locally enhanced the wind profile and with a moderately unstable airmass in place, severe thunderstorms erupted over portions of northwest Florida and southwest Georgia. One man was killed in Leon county when a tree fell on him.
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 Apr 3, 9:36 AM EST, 4 hours 23 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TALLAHASSEE FL 1036 AM EDT Tue Apr 3 2012 .NEAR TERM (Today and Tonight)...Another foggy morning for Tallahassee and surrounding areas. After the fog lifts, moisture will stay high for many areas as some storms pass the region. An upper level impulse in the ridge aloft in combination with conditionally unstable lapse rates around 850-650 mb is causing a system of storms to move through the forecast area today. There are breezy winds ahead of this system and the leading edge has some heavy rain. There is potential for small hail and damaging winds with these storms. They are currently around Panama City to Pensacola, but will lift to the northeast this afternoon. Highs today are expected to reach the mid to upper 80s inland, with 70s to 80s along shore and slightly lower highs to the west where the storm will reach first. Lows tonight will be in the lower 60s. && .Aviation (Through 12 UTC Wednesday)...BR and low level stratus this morning is resistant to lift at the FL and AL sites. Some showers and thunderstorms are near ECP right now and will move northeast later today. With added moisture from this system and calm winds again overnight, BR tomorrow is likely. && .Marine...Winds and seas will remain well below advisory levels today and tomorrow, except for slight bumps in the winds with the approach of an impulse moving eastward today and tonight with the seabreeze. Winds and seas will increase through Friday as a cold front slowly approaches from the west, bringing with it a chance of rain. Winds will shift to the north behind the front late Friday or Saturday as the rain ends. && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... Tallahassee 86 61 85 64 83 / 20 30 20 10 50 Panama City 79 65 79 67 77 / 70 30 20 20 50 Dothan 85 62 84 64 81 / 40 30 30 30 50 Albany 86 61 85 63 81 / 30 30 30 20 50 Valdosta 87 61 85 64 83 / 30 30 30 10 50 Cross City 82 62 83 63 82 / 10 30 20 10 50 Apalachicola 78 65 78 66 76 / 50 30 10 10 50 && .TAE WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... AL...None. GA...None. FL...None. GM...None. && Moore/Van Dyke/Godsey
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TALLAHASSEE FL 405 AM EDT TUE APR 3 2012 ALZ065>069-FLZ007>019-026>029-034-108-112-114-115-118-127-128-134- GAZ120>131-142>148-155>161-GMZ730-750-755-765-770-775-040815- 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- 405 AM EDT TUE APR 3 2012 /305 AM CDT TUE APR 3 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... PATCHY FOG IS POSSIBLE THIS MORNING. OTHERWISE...ISOLATED TO SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO DEVELOP TODAY. CONDITIONS DO NOT APPEAR FAVORABLE FOR WIDESPREAD SEVERE STORMS...BUT A STORM OR TWO COULD BRIEFLY APPROACH SEVERE LEVELS...WITH MARGINALLY DAMAGING WIND GUSTS OR HAIL. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY... ISOLATED TO SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE AGAIN EXPECTED WEDNESDAY. CONDITIONS DO NOT APPEAR FAVORABLE FOR WIDESPREAD SEVERE STORMS...BUT A STORM OR TWO COULD BRIEFLY APPROACH SEVERE LEVELS. A MORE ORGANIZED SEVERE STORM THREAT IS POSSIBLE THURSDAY AS THE WINDS ALOFT INCREASE AHEAD OF A SLOWLY APPROACHING COLD FRONT. HOWEVER...IT IS NOT YET CLEAR WHETHER THIS COLD FRONT WILL BE STRONG ENOUGH TO ORGANIZE THE STORMS INTO A WELL DEFINED THREAT AREA. PLEASE MONITOR FUTURE FORECASTS FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE POTENTIAL FOR SEVERE STORMS ON THURSDAY. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEEDED. 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. FOURNIER
The Tallahassee radar (KTLH), 2 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 18:59 UTC.
14 thunderstorm wind, 2 hail. Local standard time, as filed.
The Tallahassee Regional Airport measured a wind gust of 256/54 knots at 2:59 pm EDT and a wind gust of 274/52 knots at 3:00 pm EDT.
A tree was blown down on Kendall Drive. Monetary damage was estimated.
A tree was blown down near Betton and Marion Ave near Lake Winthrop Park. Monetary damage was estimated.
Several trees were blown down near the intersection of Jackson Cove Road and Old Bainbridge, including a large, 6 foot diameter tree. A man working outside in his yard was hit by a falling tree and later died on April 6th due to his injuries. Several power outages also occurred as a result of the downed trees. A tree also fell on a resident's vehicle as well as a house. Monetary damage was estimated.
A tree was blown down blocking Old Bainbridge road near the intersection of Bryant Street. Pea sized hail was also reported in the area. Monetary damage was estimated.
A tree was blown down at the intersection of Old Bainbridge and Valley Farm Road. Monetary damage was estimated.
A tree was blown down onto a power line on Old Bainbridge Road in Gadsden county near the county border. Monetary damage was estimated.
A tree was blown down on Kinhega Drive near Thomasville Road. Monetary damage was estimated.
A tree was blown down onto a pickup on the road near the intersection of North Meridian and Orchard Pond Road. The driver escaped uninjured, but the pickup was destroyed. Monetary damage was estimated.
A tree was blown down in the County Road 12 area of Gallien Road. Monetary damage was estimated.
A tree was blown down near Meridian Hills Road and Buckhorn Drive. Monetary damage was estimated.
Dime to quarter sized hail covered a yard near Moccasin Gap and Miccosukee Road. The report was relayed by WCTV.
Quarter sized hail was reported at 14000 Moccasin Gap Road in Miccosukee.
A tree was blown down near Centerville Road and Treasure Oaks. Monetary damage was estimated.
A tree was blown down near the intersection of Miccosukee Road and Baum Road. Monetary damage was estimated.
A tree was blown down on Chemonie Plantation near Miccosukee Road. Monetary damage was estimated.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind, Leon | 2012-04-03 | 38 | Male | Under Tree | Direct |
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Florida in 2012Every state in 2012This day in weather historyWarnings in Florida, April 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: 364299, 364300, 364301, 364302, 364303, 364304, 364305, 364306, 364307, 364308, 364309, 364310, 364311, 364312, 364313, 364314.