An early start to the wet season caused by persistent low pressure over the Gulf of Mexico led to the improvement in drought conditions over interior South Florida and the Lake Okeechobee area.
Every event with a place to put it; 4 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 MFL wrote it up.
An early start to the wet season caused by persistent low pressure over the Gulf of Mexico led to the improvement in drought conditions over interior South Florida and the Lake Okeechobee area.
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 Miami, FL wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Apr 30, 7:45 PM EST, 4 hours 15 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MIAMI FL
845 PM EDT MON APR 30 2012
.UPDATE...HAVE UPDATED THE ZONES TO TAKE OUT MENTION OF FLOOD
WATCH FOR THE EAST COASTAL AREAS. STILL HAVE ABUNDANT TROPICAL
MOISTURE ACROSS S FL BUT AREAL COVERAGE OF RAINFALL HAS DIMINISHED
CONSIDERABLY AND CLOUD TOPS HAVE WARMED SIGNIFICANTLY TOO. THE 00Z
MFL SOUNDING STILL SHOWS VERY HIGH PWAT BUT SOME SUBTLE CHANGES
HAVE BEEN NOTICED. LOOKING AT IR SATELLITE SHOWS THE MID LEVEL
TROUGH HAS NUDGED EASTWARD AND THE SOUNDING ALSO SHOWS THE FLOW
ABOVE 20K HAS BECOME MORE WESTERLY AS OPPOSED TO SOUTHERLY 12 TO
24 HOURS EARLIER. THIS COULD HAVE CUT OFF SOME OF THE DEEP SUPPLY
OF TROPICAL MOISTURE AND COULD EXPLAIN THE DIMINISHING PHASE OF
THE PRECIPITATION. HOWEVER, THE ATMOSPHERE UP THROUGH 20K REMAINS
NEARLY SATURATED WITH PWAT AT 2 INCHES WHICH STILL PLACES THIS 2
STANDARD DEVIATIONS ABOVE NORMAL SO SHRA DEVELOPMENT AND ISOLD
TSRA ARE POSSIBLE AT ANY TIME ESPECIALLY REFORMING OVER THE
ATLANTIC AFTER MIDNIGHT. SO WILL NOT LOWER POPS BUT THE CHANCES
FOR WIDESPREAD HEAVY RAINFALL APPEARS TO BE MINIMAL.
KOB
&&
.PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS...
WEST PALM BEACH 72 79 73 83 / 30 30 20 30
FORT LAUDERDALE 71 78 73 82 / 50 40 40 30
MIAMI 70 77 72 82 / 60 50 40 30
NAPLES 66 79 69 84 / 30 50 20 30
&&
.MFL WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
FL...HIGH RIP CURRENT RISK THROUGH TUESDAY EVENING FOR COASTAL
BROWARD-COASTAL MIAMI DADE-COASTAL PALM BEACH.
AM...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY UNTIL 8 AM EDT TUESDAY FOR COASTAL WATERS
FROM DEERFIELD BEACH TO OCEAN REEF, FL OUT 20 NM-COASTAL
WATERS FROM JUPITER INLET TO DEERFIELD BEACH, FL OUT 20 NM-
WATERS FROM DEERFIELD BEACH TO OCEAN REEF, FL EXTENDING
FROM 20 NM TO THE TERRITORIAL WATERS OF THE BAHAMAS-WATERS
FROM JUPITER INLET TO DEERFIELD BEACH, FL EXTENDING FROM 20
NM TO 60 NM.
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY UNTIL 8 AM EDT TUESDAY FOR BISCAYNE BAY.
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY FOR WINDS UNTIL 8 AM EDT TUESDAY FOR LAKE
OKEECHOBEE.
GM...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY UNTIL 8 AM EDT TUESDAY FOR COASTAL WATERS
FROM CHOKOLOSKEE TO BONITA BEACH, FL OUT 20 NM-COASTAL
WATERS FROM EAST CAPE SABLE TO CHOKOLOSKEE, FL OUT 20 NM-
GULF WATERS FROM CHOKOLOSKEE TO BONITA BEACH, FL EXTENDING
FROM 20 TO 60 NM.
&&
DISCUSSION/MARINE/FIRE...10/CD
AVIATION/RADAR...10/CDHAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK FOR SOUTH FLORIDA...UPDATE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MIAMI FL 815 PM EDT MON APR 30 2012 AMZ610-630-FLZ063-066>075-168-172>174-011000- LAKE OKEECHOBEE-BISCAYNE BAY-GLADES-HENDRY-INLAND PALM BEACH- METRO PALM BEACH-COASTAL COLLIER-INLAND COLLIER-INLAND BROWARD- METRO BROWARD-INLAND MIAMI DADE-METRO MIAMI DADE-MAINLAND MONROE- COASTAL PALM BEACH-COASTAL BROWARD-COASTAL MIAMI DADE- FAR SOUTH MIAMI DADE- 815 PM EDT MON APR 30 2012 ...HAZARDOUS MARINE AND COASTAL CONDITIONS THROUGH TUESDAY... THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR SOUTH FLORIDA. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT THUNDERSTORMS: ANY THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY TONIGHT WILL PRODUCE OCCASIONAL LIGHTNING, LOCALLY HEAVY RAIN AND GUSTY WINDS. RIP CURRENTS: THERE IS A HIGH RISK OF RIP CURRENTS AT THE ATLANTIC COAST BEACHES OF MIAMI DADE, BROWARD, AND PALM BEACH COUNTIES. WIND: EAST WINDS WILL AVERAGE 20 TO 25 KNOTS OVER THE LOCAL ATLANTIC AND GULF WATERS WITH FREQUENT HIGHER GUSTS. WAVES: SEAS WILL RANGE FROM 7 TO 9 FEET OVER THE ATLANTIC WATERS AND 8 TO 10 FEET IN THE OFFSHORE GULF WATERS. A SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR ALL LOCAL WATERS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY THE CHANCE OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE TUESDAY THROUGH FRIDAY, WITH THE HIGHEST CHANCE TUESDAY INTO WEDNESDAY. SOME OF THE MORE INTENSE SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS MAY PRODUCE STRONG WIND GUSTS AROUND 50 MPH ON TUESDAY. THERE WILL LIKELY BE A CONTINUED HIGH RISK OF RIP CURRENTS AT THE ATLANTIC BEACHES TUESDAY THROUGH AT LEAST WEDNESDAY. STRONG WINDS AND SEAS WILL RESULT IN HAZARDOUS MARINE CONDITIONS OVER PORTIONS OF THE LOCAL WATERS THROUGH AT LEAST EARLY TUESDAY. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED. FOR MORE INFORMATION...VISIT THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN MIAMI WEBSITE AT WWW.WEATHER.GOV/MIAMI.
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
4 drought. Local standard time, as filed.
A dry start to May was followed by an early start to the South Florida wet season which began during the second week of May. More frequent rains from this point forward led to drought conditions improving from severe to moderate.
A dry start to May was followed by an early start to the South Florida wet season which began during the second week of May. More frequent rains from this point forward led to drought conditions improving from severe to moderate.
A dry start to May was followed by an early start to the South Florida wet season which began during the second week of May. More frequent rains from this point forward led to drought conditions improving from severe to moderate.
A dry start to May was followed by an early start to the South Florida wet season which began during the second week of May. More frequent rains from this point forward led to drought conditions improving from severe to moderate.
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, 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: 386035, 386036, 386037, 386038.