An approaching frontal system and passing upper level energy brought a warm and moist southwest flow over the area. Increased instability and active sea breeze and outflows sparked isolated strong to severe storms.
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 JAX wrote it up.
An approaching frontal system and passing upper level energy brought a warm and moist southwest flow over the area. Increased instability and active sea breeze and outflows sparked isolated strong to severe storms.
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 Jacksonville, FL wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at May 9, 1:02 PM EST, 2 hours 48 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSONVILLE FL 202 PM EDT WED MAY 9 2012 ...STRONG TO LOCALLY SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS POSSIBLE THROUGH THIS EVENING... .SHORT TERM /TONIGHT THROUGH THURSDAY/... ISOLATED TO SCATTERED SHOWERS CONTINUE TO GRADUALLY DEVELOP ACROSS NORTHEAST FLORIDA...WITH MORE ORGANIZED ACTIVITY ENTERING SOUTHEAST GEORGIA IN ADVANCE OF A COLD FRONT. THE FRONTAL BOUNDARY WILL ENTER FAR SOUTHEAST GEORGIA LATER THIS AFTN...CROSSING NORTHERN FLORIDA THIS EVENING...EXITING OVERNIGHT/EARLY THURSDAY. A SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS EXISTS FOR MOST OF THE AREA THROUGH THIS EVENING...THINKING THE GREATEST RISK WILL BE ACROSS SOUTHEAST GEORGIA CLOSER TO THE GREATEST DEEP LAYER SHEAR. WILL USE GUSTY WINDS/SMALL HAIL FOR THE STORMS THROUGH THIS EVENING...WITH NUMEROUS POPS FOR SE GA/EXTREME NE FL...AND SCATTERED POPS FURTHER SOUTH. ACTIVITY WILL WEAKEN LATER THIS EVENING AS THE FRONT MOVES SOUTH. CONDITIONS WILL DRY OUT THURSDAY AS THE FRONT EXITS TO THE SOUTHEAST. MILD LOW TEMPERATURES IN THE 60S WILL PREVAIL TNGT...WITH COOLER LOWER/MID 80S FOR MOST AREAS THURSDAY. .LONG TERM /THURSDAY NIGHT THROUGH WEDNESDAY/... HIGH PRESSURE WILL BUILD NORTH OF THE REGION FOR THURSDAY NIGHT INTO THE WEEKEND. THE ONSHORE FLOW SHOULD PROVIDE ENOUGH MOISTURE FOR PRECIP SATURDAY INTO SUNDAY. MODELS INDICATE AN UPPER TROUGH OVER THE GULF...WITH A WEAK SURFACE LOW TO THE WEST OF FLORIDA FOR THE FIRST HALF OF NEXT WEEK...WHICH SHOULD KEEP THE REGION SOMEWHAT UNSETTLED...SO CONTINUED WITH PRECIP CHANCES THROUGH THE PERIOD. EXPECTING TEMPERATURES TO GENERALLY BE A FEW DEGREES BELOW NORMAL. && .AVIATION... CONVECTION IS EXPECTED TO DEVELOP ACROSS THE FORECAST AREA THIS AFTERNOON AND CONTINUE THROUGH EARLY EVENING...AHEAD OF AN APPROACHING FRONTAL BOUNDARY. THIS FRONT WILL PASS SOUTH OF AREA TERMINALS OVERNIGHT. WHILE CONVECTION WILL BE POSSIBLE THROUGH AROUND MIDNIGHT...MOST OF IT IS EXPECTED LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND EARLY EVENING. WHILE PREVAILING VFR CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED REDUCED CONDITIONS CAN BE EXPECTED IN AND NEAR STORMS...AS WELL AS IN EARLY MORNING FOG AT VQQ/GNV. && .MARINE... WINDS/WAVES BELOW CRITERIA INTO THIS EVENING...WITH WINDS INCREASING TO SCEC LATE TNGT/THURSDAY OFFSHORE IN THE WAKE OF A COLD FRONT. WINDS BRIEFLY DIMINISH LATE THURSDAY/THURSDAY NIGHT AS WEAK HIGH BUILDS NEAR THE COAST. HIGH PRES RIDGE REESTABLISHES NORTH OF THE AREA FOR INCREASING WINDS FRIDAY INTO EARLY NEXT WEEK. RIP CURRENTS: LOW RISK THROUGH THURSDAY. && .FIRE WEATHER... CONVECTION IS EXPECTED ACROSS THE FORECAST AREA THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING...AHEAD OF AN APPROACHING COLD FRONT. THIS FRONT WILL MOVE SOUTH OF THE REGION OVERNIGHT INTO THURSDAY MORNING. DRIER AIR WILL ADVECT SOUTH BEHIND THIS FRONT. WHILE MIN RH VALUES ARE EXPECTED TO FALL BELOW 35 PERCENT OVER THE SUWANNEE VALLEY FOR THURSDAY AND FRIDAY...WINDS...ERC AND DISPERSIONS ARE NOT EXPECTED TO REACH RED FLAG CRITERIA. AS HIGH PRESSURE BUILDS NORTHEAST OF THE REGION OVER THE WEEKEND...ONSHORE FLOW SHOULD RESULT IN HIGHER RH VALUES. && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... AMG 61 83 53 84 / 50 0 0 0 SSI 66 79 63 79 / 60 0 0 0 JAX 64 82 58 83 / 60 10 0 0 SGJ 67 80 65 79 / 50 10 0 10 GNV 65 85 56 85 / 40 10 0 0 OCF 67 86 59 87 / 40 20 0 0 && .JAX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... FL...NONE. GA...NONE. AM...NONE. && ALLEN/STRUBLE/KEEGAN
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSONVILLE FL 1225 PM EDT WED MAY 9 2012 AMZ450-452-454-470-472-474-FLZ020>025-030>033-035>038-040- GAZ132>136-149>154-162>166-101000- ALTAMAHA SOUND GA TO FERNANDINA BEACH FL OUT 20 NM- FERNANDINA BEACH TO ST AUGUSTINE FL OUT 20 NM- ST AUGUSTINE TO FLAGLER BEACH FL OUT 20 NM- ALTAMAHA SOUND GA TO FERNANDINA BEACH FL 20 NM TO 60 NM OFFSHORE- FERNANDINA BEACH TO ST AUGUSTINE FL 20 NM TO 60 NM OFFSHORE- ST AUGUSTINE TO FLAGLER BEACH FL 20 NM TO 60 NM OFFSHORE-HAMILTON- SUWANNEE-COLUMBIA-BAKER-NASSAU-DUVAL-UNION-BRADFORD-CLAY-ST JOHNS- GILCHRIST-ALACHUA-PUTNAM-FLAGLER-MARION-COFFEE-JEFF DAVIS-BACON- APPLING-WAYNE-ATKINSON-WARE-PIERCE-BRANTLEY-INLAND GLYNN- COASTAL GLYNN-ECHOLS-CLINCH-CHARLTON-INLAND CAMDEN-COASTAL CAMDEN- 1225 PM EDT WED MAY 9 2012 THIS OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTHEAST FLORIDA...SOUTHEAST GEORGIA AND THE ADJACENT COASTAL WATERS. ..SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE STORMS THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING... .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT... SOME THUNDERSTORMS MAY BECOME SEVERE LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING...WITH THE MAIN SEVERE THREATS DAMAGING WINDS AND LARGE HAIL. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY... THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE POSSIBLE OVER THE AREA SUNDAY THROUGH TUESDAY AS AN UPPER TROUGH SLOWLY APPROACHES THE AREA. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT REQUESTED AT THIS TIME. HOWEVER...SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE NEED LATER THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION...VISIT THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN JACKSONVILLE WEBSITE ON THE INTERNET AT WEATHER.GOV/JAX.
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSONVILLE FL
416 PM EDT WED MAY 9 2012
GAZ132>134-149-150-092100-
ATKINSON-BACON-COFFEE-JEFF DAVIS-WARE-
416 PM EDT WED MAY 9 2012
...A SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR EXTREME
NORTHWESTERN WARE...SOUTHERN JEFF DAVIS...NORTHWESTERN ATKINSON...
WESTERN BACON AND COFFEE COUNTIES FOR STRONG WINDS AND SMALL HAIL
VALID UNTIL 500 PM EDT...
AT 416 PM EDT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED STRONG
THUNDERSTORMS CENTERED 11 MILES WEST OF DOUGLAS...OR 9 MILES SOUTH OF
AMBROSE...MOVING EAST AT 25 MPH. THESE STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WILL ALSO
AFFECT AREAS AROUND BROXTON...DOUGLAS...WEST GREEN AND NICHOLLS
THROUGH 500 PM EDT. HAIL UP TO THREE QUARTER INCH IN DIAMETER AND
GUSTY WINDS OF 45 TO 55 MPH CAN BE EXPECTED ALONG WITH POSSIBLE MINOR
DAMAGE. HEAVY RAINFALL WILL PRODUCE PONDING OF WATER ON ROADWAYS AND
MINOR FLOODING OF LOW-LYING AREAS.
REPORT DAMAGE TO THE NEAREST LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCY OR YOUR COUNTY
EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT.
LAT...LON 3148 8312 3158 8306 3171 8264 3141 8257
3137 8312 3148 8314
TIME...MOT...LOC 2016Z 261DEG 21KT 3147 8303
STRUBLESPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSONVILLE FL 442 PM EDT WED MAY 9 2012 GAZ132>136-150-151-092130- APPLING-BACON-COFFEE-JEFF DAVIS-PIERCE-WARE-WAYNE- 442 PM EDT WED MAY 9 2012 ...A SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR NORTHWESTERN WAYNE...EXTREME NORTHWESTERN WARE...NORTHERN PIERCE...SOUTHERN JEFF DAVIS...SOUTHERN APPLING...BACON AND EXTREME EASTERN COFFEE COUNTIES FOR STRONG WINDS AND SMALL HAIL VALID UNTIL 530 PM EDT... AT 443 PM EDT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED STRONG THUNDERSTORMS CENTERED 3 MILES WEST OF ALMA...MOVING EAST AT 25 MPH. THESE STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WILL ALSO AFFECT AREAS AROUND ALMA...NEW LACY AND SURRENCY THROUGH 530 PM EDT. HAIL UP TO THREE QUARTER INCH IN DIAMETER AND GUSTY WINDS OF 45 TO 55 MPH CAN BE EXPECTED ALONG WITH POSSIBLE MINOR DAMAGE. REPORT DAMAGE TO THE NEAREST LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCY OR YOUR COUNTY EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT. LAT...LON 3181 8210 3150 8201 3142 8257 3168 8263 TIME...MOT...LOC 2043Z 261DEG 22KT 3156 8249 STRUBLE
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
1 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Trees were blown down blocking Bennett Still Highway. The time of the event was based on radar imagery.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Georgia in 2012Every state in 2012This day in weather historyWarnings in Georgia, 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: 381223.