The airmass was similar to what one would find on a summer day with moist and unstable conditions and weak winds aloft. Storms were pulse in nature with brief gusty winds.
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.
The airmass was similar to what one would find on a summer day with moist and unstable conditions and weak winds aloft. Storms were pulse in nature with brief gusty winds.
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 7, 2:29 PM EST, 1 hour 56 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...CORRECTED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TALLAHASSEE FL 329 PM EDT MON MAY 7 2012 .NEAR TERM (TONIGHT)... SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS HAVE BEGUN TO DEVELOP IN SOUTH CENTRAL GA, AND THEY WILL CONTINUE OVER THE NEXT FEW HOURS. THE BEST CHANCE OF RAIN WILL BE AROUND VALDOSTA, ALBANY, AND TIFTON, WHERE THE BEST DEEP LAYER MOISTURE AND INSTABILITY IS. ELSEWHERE, THERE HAS BEEN CONSIDERABLE DRYING OF THE BOUNDARY LAYER, WHICH WAS QUITE UNEXPECTED. THIS HAS REALLY DAMPENED THE DEEP MOIST CONVECTION OVER THE WESTERN HALF OF OUR FORECAST AREA. MOST OF THE RAIN WILL DIMINISH BY SUNSET, BUT THERE THERE MAY BE ENOUGH LIFT (AHEAD OF AN UPPER LEVEL SHORT WAVE/MCS CURRENTLY OVER MS) TO WARRANT AT LEAST A SLIGHT POP EVEN AFTER MIDNIGHT. && .SHORT TERM [TUESDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY]... UPPER TROUGHING WILL GRADUALLY BECOME MORE AMPLIFIED WITH DEEP MOISTURE IN PLACE THROUGH THE PERIOD. AT THE SURFACE, A WEAK TROUGH OVER OR JUST SOUTH OF THE LOCAL AREA WILL GRADUALLY DISSIPATE ON TUESDAY. A COLD FRONT WILL APPROACH FROM THE NORTHWEST ON WEDNESDAY. THESE FACTORS ALONG WITH DAYTIME HEATING AND SEA BREEZE INTERACTION WILL KEEP US IN AN UNSETTLED WEATHER PATTERN WITH ABOVE NORMAL RAIN CHANCES FOR EARLY MAY. THE MEAN 1000-700MB FLOW WILL BE LIGHT AGAIN ON TUESDAY SO WE WILL ONCE AGAIN HAVE THE POTENTIAL OF LOCALIZED FLOODING FROM VERY HEAVY DOWNPOURS. ON WEDNESDAY, SPC HAS A PORTION OF OUR WEST AND NORTHWEST ZONES HIGHLIGHTED IN A SLIGHT RISK FOR SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS. FORECAST SOUNDINGS FOR WEDNESDAY SHOW DEEP UNIDIRECTIONAL FLOW FROM THE WEST. THE MAIN SEVERE WEATHER THREAT WILL BE FROM DAMAGING THUNDERSTORM WINDS. TEMPS WILL BE ABOVE SEASONAL LEVELS WITH A FEW INLAND LOCATIONS POSSIBLY REACHING 90 DEGREES BOTH DAYS. && .LONG TERM [WEDNESDAY NIGHT THROUGH NEXT MONDAY]... NOT TOO MANY CHANGES WERE MADE FROM THE PRIOR EXTENDED FORECAST, AS BOTH THE ECMWF AND GFS ARE IN VERY GOOD AGREEMENT WITH THE COLD FRONTAL PASSAGE ON WEDNESDAY NIGHT INTO THURSDAY MORNING. HOWEVER, THE FAIR, COOLER, AND DRIER AIR BUILDING IN BEHIND IT MAY ONLY LAST FOR 2 TO 3 DAYS NOW (REST OF THU INTO SAT), AS THE UNUSUAL AND ANOMALOUSLY ACTIVE SUBTROPICAL JET STREAM FOR THIS TIME OF YEAR APPEARS POISED TO SEND YET AN ANOTHER UPPER LEVEL SHORTWAVE IN OUR DIRECTION OVER THE LATTER HALF OF THE WEEKEND INTO EARLY NEXT WEEK. THE NEW 00 UTC RUN OF ECMWF IS ESPECIALLY ACTIVE WITH THIS SYSTEM, SO POPS WERE ADJUSTED UPWARD A BIT TO BLEND IN WITH THE GFS. IF THE GFS TRENDS MORE TOWARDS THE EURO ON LATER RUNS, IT COULD BE A VERY WET PERIOD WITH PLENTY OF BENEFICIAL RAINFALL FROM SUNDAY THROUGH TUESDAY OF NEXT WEEK, WHICH IS CERTAINLY MUCH NEEDED ACROSS OUR DROUGHT STRICKEN AREA. && .MARINE... LIGHT WINDS WITH LOW SEAS WILL CONTINUE THROUGH TUESDAY NIGHT. A SLIGHT INCREASE IN WINDS IS EXPECTED AROUND A COLD FRONT PASSAGE LATE WEDNESDAY INTO THURSDAY, BUT CONDITIONS SHOULD REMAIN BELOW WHAT WOULD NECESSITATE A CAUTIONARY HEADLINE. && .AVIATION... GENERALLY VFR CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED, EXCEPT IN SCATTERED TO LOCALLY NUMEROUS SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS, WHERE PERIODICALLY LOWER CIGS AND VIS TO IFR-MVFR LEVELS ARE LIKELY. A FEW STORMS COULD PRODUCE WIND GUSTS OF 25 TO 35 KT. MOST OF THE RAIN WILL END BY SUNSET. OTHERWISE, THE BEST CHANCE FOR IFR-MVFR VIS AND CIGS OVERNIGHT WILL BE AT KVLD AND KTLH LATE. && .FIRE WEATHER... CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED TO BE TOO HUMID FOR ANY RED FLAG CONDITIONS THE NEXT FEW DAYS. && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... TALLAHASSEE 89 65 88 66 88 / 70 20 50 50 50 PANAMA CITY 84 69 87 69 84 / 30 20 40 30 40 DOTHAN 87 66 88 68 86 / 50 30 60 60 60 ALBANY 86 65 89 67 89 / 50 40 60 60 60 VALDOSTA 92 64 88 65 88 / 70 30 60 60 60 CROSS CITY 89 64 88 66 86 / 50 30 40 40 40 APALACHICOLA 82 68 83 69 84 / 30 20 30 30 30 && .TAE WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... AL...NONE. GA...NONE. FL...NONE. GM...NONE. && NEAR TERM/AVIATION/FIRE WEATHER...FOURNIER LONG TERM...GOULD SHORT TERM/MARINE...BARRY
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TALLAHASSEE FL 545 AM EDT MON MAY 7 2012 ALZ065>069-FLZ007>019-026>029-034-108-112-114-115-118-127-128-134- GAZ120>131-142>148-155>161-GMZ730-750-755-765-770-775-081000- 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- 545 AM EDT MON MAY 7 2012 /445 AM CDT MON MAY 7 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... THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO DEVELOP ONCE AGAIN...MAINLY THIS AFTERNOON AND INTO THE EVENING HOURS. THEY WILL BE MOST LIKELY ACROSS PARTS OF SOUTH CENTRAL GEORGIA...AND THE FLORIDA BIG BEND. SOME ISOLATED SEVERE WEATHER IS POSSIBLE AND DAMAGING WIND GUSTS AROUND 60 MPH WOULD BE THE MAIN THREAT. STORMS WILL MOVE VERY SLOWLY...AND COULD PRODUCE LOCALIZED HEAVY RAINFALL. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY... SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE POSSIBLE TUESDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY NIGHT...MAINLY IN THE AFTERNOON AND EVENING HOURS. A FEW STRONG OR SEVERE STORMS WILL BE POSSIBLE EACH DAY. MORE THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE POSSIBLE THIS WEEKEND. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... ANY REPORTS OF STRONG WINDS...HAIL...OR HEAVY RAINFALL WOULD BE APPRECIATED OVER THE NEXT SEVERAL DAYS. 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
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TALLAHASSEE FL 345 PM EDT MON MAY 7 2012 FLZ013-014-026-072015- CALHOUN FL-INLAND GULF FL-LIBERTY FL- 245 PM CDT MON MAY 7 2012 ...A SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY IS IN EFFECT FOR CALHOUN...GULF AND LIBERTY COUNTIES... * UNTIL 315 PM CDT/415 PM EDT/ AT 242 PM CDT...THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DETECTED A STRONG THUNDERSTORM 14 MILES NORTHEAST OF MEXICO BEACH...OR JUST WEST OF WEWAHITCHKA...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 5 TO 10 MPH. WINDS AROUND 50 MPH AND PENNY SIZED HAIL ARE EXPECTED WITH THIS STORM. ALSO...FREQUENT CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING IS OCCURRING WITH THIS STORM. MOVE INDOORS IMMEDIATELY! THIS STORM IS ALSO CAPABLE OF PRODUCING TORRENTIAL DOWNPOURS WHICH MAY REDUCE VISIBILITY AND CAUSE PONDING OF WATER ON ROADWAYS. LAT...LON 3034 8518 3006 8502 3006 8538 3019 8539 TIME...MOT...LOC 1945Z 245DEG 8KT 3011 8528 9-FOURNIER
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TALLAHASSEE FL
522 PM EDT MON MAY 7 2012
FLZ017-072200-
LEON FL-
522 PM EDT MON MAY 7 2012
...A SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY IS IN EFFECT FOR EASTERN LEON
COUNTY...
* UNTIL 600 PM EDT
AT 520 PM EDT...THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS DETECTED A STRONG
THUNDERSTORM 6 MILES NORTHEAST OF WOODVILLE...OR NEAR SOUTHWOOD...
MOVING NORTHWEST AT 5 MPH.
PENNY SIZE HAIL...AND WINDS 40 TO 50 MPH ARE EXPECTED WITH THIS
STORM.
THIS STORM IS CAPABLE OF PRODUCING TORRENTIAL DOWNPOURS WHICH MAY
REDUCE VISIBILITY AND CAUSE PONDING OF WATER ON ROADWAYS.
LAT...LON 3030 8421 3035 8432 3054 8409 3037 8408
3028 8414
TIME...MOT...LOC 2122Z 129DEG 6KT 3037 8417
18-WOOLThe Tallahassee radar (KTLH), 18 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 21:24 UTC.
3 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Two trees were blown down on Louvinia Drive between Apalachee Pkwy and Old St. Augustine Road. Monetary damage was estimated.
A single tree was blown down near Highway 221 just north of Interstate 10. There were no other reports of trees blown down anywhere else in the surrounding area. Monetary damage was estimated.
One tree was blown down on Hampton Springs Road with no other reports of trees down or damage in the area.
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: 369672, 369277, 370318.