Weak upper level troughing, instability over 2000 j/kg, dry air aloft, and fairly steep mid level lapse rates contributed to a few strong to severe thunderstorms.
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.
Weak upper level troughing, instability over 2000 j/kg, dry air aloft, and fairly steep mid level lapse rates contributed to a few strong to severe thunderstorms.
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 29, 7:54 PM CST, 6 hours 2 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TALLAHASSEE FL 954 PM EDT Tue May 29 2012 .UPDATE... No major changes were made to the evening forecast. Storms in the vicinity of Pensacola have begun to diminish, or evolve further west of our local area. To the north, storms across southern TN and northern AL/GA will continue through the night. There is a chance that some of these storms will reach our northern Georgia, and Alabama counties late tonight. However, any storms that do reach our borders will have weakened significantly through the night. Broad troughing will remain in place over the southeastern part of the country for the next several days. At the surface, high pressure will build in behind Beryl (currently situated along the GA/SC border). Afternoon seabreeze circulations and weak impulses in the broad east coast trough will provide the support each afternoon for scattered thunderstorms. However, probabilities will remain low (in the 20-30% range). By the end of the week, rain chances will increase as a frontal boundary approaches from the west. Highs in the lower 90s with overnight lows in the lower 70s are expected each day. && MARINE... Cautionary (borderline SCA) level winds will continue for the next couple of hours across our eastern forecast waters. This is an area where the pressure difference is great between Beryl to the north, and high pressure in the Gulf. As Beryl moves away the gradient will weaken and winds will subside. Winds and seas will remain below headline criteria for the remainder of the period, with only slight enhancements near shore each afternoon within the afternoon seabreeze. && .AVIATION... VFR conditions are expected to hold at all terminals into the early morning hours, when chances of patchy fog will increase. A few sites may see MVFR conditions for a few hours beginning around 10Z. After the fog diminishes by 14Z, VFR conditions will prevail. Widely scattered showers and thunderstorms are expected in the afternoon and have mentioned VCTS at TLH and VLD to account for this potential. && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... Tallahassee 75 93 70 92 71 / 20 30 20 30 20 Panama City 78 89 76 87 74 / 20 20 10 20 20 Dothan 71 94 71 92 70 / 20 20 10 30 20 Albany 68 95 71 94 70 / 20 20 10 30 20 Valdosta 70 93 68 93 70 / 30 30 20 40 20 Cross City 76 90 70 91 70 / 30 40 20 40 20 Apalachicola 79 88 75 86 74 / 20 30 10 20 10 && .TAE WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... AL...None. GA...None. FL...None. GM...None. && Harrigan/Evans
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TALLAHASSEE FL 938 PM EDT TUE MAY 29 2012 ALZ065>069-FLZ007>019-026>029-034-108-112-114-115-118-127-128-134- GAZ120>131-142>148-155>161-GMZ730-750-755-765-770-775-310145- 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- 938 PM EDT TUE MAY 29 2012 /838 PM CDT TUE MAY 29 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...TONIGHT... NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY... NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .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. HARRIGAN
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TALLAHASSEE FL
112 AM EDT WED MAY 30 2012
ALZ067-300615-
HENRY AL-
1212 AM CDT WED MAY 30 2012
...A SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY IS IN EFFECT FOR HENRY COUNTY...
* UNTIL 115 AM CDT
AT 1206 AM CDT...THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS DETECTED A STRONG
THUNDERSTORM 10 MILES NORTH OF ABBEVILLE...OR NEAR SCOTTSBORO
CROSSROADS...MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 20 MPH.
PENNY SIZE HAIL...AND WINDS AROUND 40 MPH ARE EXPECTED WITH THIS
STORM.
LAT...LON 3161 8509 3152 8507 3169 8538 3171 8536
3171 8522 3174 8521 3177 8516
TIME...MOT...LOC 0512Z 314DEG 18KT 3169 8522
24-BLOCKSPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TALLAHASSEE FL
343 AM EDT WED MAY 30 2012
GAZ122>124-300830-
TERRELL GA-RANDOLPH GA-CALHOUN GA-
343 AM EDT WED MAY 30 2012
...A SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY IS IN EFFECT FOR CALHOUN...RANDOLPH
AND TERRELL COUNTIES...
* UNTIL 430 AM EDT
AT 340 AM EDT...THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS DETECTED A SEVERAL
STRONG THUNDERSTORMS 11 MILES NORTHWEST OF CUTHBERT...OR NEAR
UNION...MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 25 MPH AND INTO CALHOUN AND TERRELL
COUNTIES.
THIS STORM WILL BE NEAR...
CUTHBERT BY 410 AM EDT.
SHELLMAN BY 430 AM EDT.
PENNY SIZE HAIL...AND WINDS AROUND 40 MPH ARE EXPECTED WITH THESE
STORMS.
LAT...LON 3191 8474 3187 8465 3174 8448 3153 8450
3150 8464 3153 8475 3190 8489 3192 8488
TIME...MOT...LOC 0742Z 316DEG 18KT 3190 8487
24-BLOCKThe Eglin Afb radar (KEVX), 52 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 07:55 UTC.
4 thunderstorm wind, 2 hail. Local standard time, as filed.
At least two trees were blown down on Highway 83 near the AL/FL state line. Monetary damage was estimated.
Dime sized hail was reported on Dickson Bay Road.
Quarter sized hail was reported near Old Jolly Bay Road and Highway 331.
Several large oak trees were snapped near the Oglesby Nursery on Bodiford Road, Oglesby Road, and Buddy Johnson Road. There was also roof damage to two of the nursery buildings and damage to a shed. Monetary damage was estimated.
A singe tree fell on Thomasville Road between Hermitage Blvd and I-10 with no other trees down in the area. Monetary damage was estimated.
Several trees were snapped in a very localized area and one tree fell onto a home. Monetary damage was estimated.
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: 374152, 374150, 374151, 374307, 374312, 374309.