A large ridge of high pressure in the upper levels of the atmosphere remained stationary across the Texas Hill Country into New Mexico. Flow around this high pressure ridge was from the northwest across the Lower Mississippi Valley and this meant that weak disturbances moved into the region.
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 SHV wrote it up.
A large ridge of high pressure in the upper levels of the atmosphere remained stationary across the Texas Hill Country into New Mexico. Flow around this high pressure ridge was from the northwest across the Lower Mississippi Valley and this meant that weak disturbances moved into the region. These disturbances reacted with deep moisture to produce showers and thunderstorms across portions of the region, some of which produced flash flooding and severe weather.
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 Shreveport, LA wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Aug 7, 8:53 AM CST, 7 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SHREVEPORT LA 953 AM CDT TUE AUG 7 2012 .DISCUSSION... WATER VAPOR IMAGERY INDICATING DRY AIR MOVING SOUTH ACROSS ARKANSAS AND NORTHERN LOUISIANA. WEAK DISTURBANCE IN UPPER-LEVEL FLOW PRODUCING SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS NORTH- CENTRAL LOUISIANA. TROUGH FORECAST TO LINGER ACROSS THE REGION THROUGHOUT THE DAY...ALLOWING FOR ANOTHER CHANCE OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS MAINLY SOUTH OF INTERSTATE 20 LATER THIS AFTERNOON. ONLY SLIGHT ADJUSTMENTS TO THE FORECAST WILL BE NEEDED FOR POPS. OTHERWISE...HOT DAY IN STORE WITH HEAT INDEX VALUES APPROACHING 105 IN SOME AREAS. /05/ && .AVIATION... A STATIONARY FRONTAL BOUNDARY NEAR THE I30 CORRIDOR WILL REMAIN IN PLACE...WITH THE FOCUS OF ISOLATED CONVECTION BEING ALONG AND SOUTH THIS BOUNDARY TODAY. VFR FLIGHT CATEGORIES WILL ONCE AGAIN BE COMMON IN THE AREA TAFS...BUT ANY TSRA ACTIVITY APPROACHING TERMINALS WILL REDUCE CATEGORIES TO MVFR/IFR CONDITIONS. LIGHT AND VARIABLE WINDS WILL COMMON ACROSS THE AREA IN THE 12Z PERIOD...BUT WINDS WILL BE GUSTY NEAR ANY THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY. NO VSBY CONCERNS...EXCEPT WHERE WE HAVE TSRA ACTIVITY. TXK AND ELD WILL BE UPDATED AT THE 18Z TAF PACKAGE TO INCLUDE VCTS FOR THIS AFTERNOON... /23/ && .PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 500 AM CDT TUE AUG 7 2012/ DISCUSSION... A LITTLE FOG OVER THE NORTH WHERE AIR TEMPS ARE COOLEST. THE FRONTAL BOUNDARY IS PRETTY MUCH TO OUR NORTH AND IS SLOWLY LIFTING BACK FARTHER NORTHWARD WITH LOWER 70 DEW POINTS AREA WIDE. OUR WINDS ARE CALM OR LIGHT S/SW WITH A FEW THUNDERSTORMS BREWING ALONG A REMNANT OUTFLOW PERHAPS OVER OUR SE PARISHES. THE WATER VAPOR SHOWS NORTHERLY FLOW ALOFT AND KSHV 88D VAD SHOWS THAT FLOW IS 15 TO 35KTS IN THE MID LEVELS AND AS FAR DOWN AS 3KFT BEFORE BACKING TO W/SW AROUND 10 KTS. THE WATER VAPOR SHOWS THE LONG WAVE TROUGH OVER THE GREAT LAKES EXTENDING DOWN THE AR/LA STATE LINE WITH ABUNDANT MID LEVEL DRY AIR TO THAT POINT. WE HAVE HIGHEST POPS STILL OVER OUR SE CWA WITH AN UPPER LOW OVER THE WESTERN GULF KEEPING MOISTURE POOLED OVER OUR SOUTH. MEANWHILE...THE UPPER RIDGE IS CENTERED OVER NM AND IS ROTATING AROUND NW FLOW OVER OK/TX. ANOTHER COLD FRONT IS DROPPING INTO THE OVERALL PATTERN OVER THE NORTHERN MID WEST U.S. AND STRETCHES FROM THE LAKES BACK ACROSS THE DAKOTAS. THIS FRONT IS PROGGED TO SLIDE DOWN IN THE COMING DAYS WHICH WILL KEEP THE CHANCE FOR THUNDERSTORMS AROUND THROUGH THE WORK WEEK AND THEN SINKING SOUTH OF OUR AREA INTO THE WEEKEND TIME FRAME. THIS NICE IN BETWEEN PATTERN WILL LINGER FOR OUR AREA...KEEPING THE USUAL WORST HEAT OF LATE SUMMER SOMEWHAT AT BAY FOR A WHILE. THE UPPER RIDGE DOES LIFT INTO THE PLAINS AROUND 594 DM OR SO AND THE 570 DM TROUGH LINGERS OVER THE NE U.S. THEN AS THE PATTERNS ZONES OUT...THE RIDGE IS WEAKER WITH ABOUT 590 DM OVER OUR AREA EARLY NEXT WEEK. WE ARE CLOSE TO MAV MEX FOR THE NEXT 7 DAYS BUT JUST ABOVE IF ANYTHING. /24/ AVIATION... SATELLITE IMAGERY SHOWS MID AND UPPER LEVEL CLOUDS REMAIN IN PLACE ACROSS THE ARKLATEX AIRSPACE THIS MORNING. A STATIONARY FRONTAL BOUNDARY NEAR THE I30 CORRIDOR WILL REMAIN IN PLACE...WITH THE FOCUS OF ISOLATED CONVECTION BEING ALONG AND SOUTH THIS BOUNDARY TODAY. VFR FLIGHT CATEGORIES WILL ONCE AGAIN BE COMMON IN THE AREA TAFS...BUT ANY TSRA ACTIVITY APPROACHING TERMINALS WILL REDUCE CATEGORIES TO MVFR/IFR CONDITIONS. LIGHT AND VARIABLE WINDS WILL COMMON ACROSS THE AREA IN THE 12Z PERIOD...BUT WINDS WILL BE GUSTY NEAR ANY THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY. NO VSBY CONCERNS...EXCEPT WHERE WE HAVE TSRA ACTIVITY. /11/ && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... SHV 98 77 97 76 96 / 30 10 20 30 30 MLU 98 72 97 73 95 / 30 10 20 20 30 DEQ 99 73 98 72 97 / 20 10 20 30 30 TXK 97 75 97 74 94 / 20 10 20 30 30 ELD 97 72 97 72 96 / 20 10 20 30 30 TYR 100 77 98 75 95 / 20 10 20 30 30 GGG 98 76 97 75 96 / 20 10 20 30 30 LFK 99 74 97 74 95 / 30 20 20 30 30 && .SHV WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... AR...NONE. LA...NONE. OK...NONE. TX...NONE. && 05/23
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SHREVEPORT LA 609 AM CDT TUE AUG 7 2012 ARZ050-051-059>061-070>073-LAZ001>006-010>014-017>022-OKZ077- TXZ096-097-108>112-124>126-136>138-149>153-165>167-071800- SEVIER-HOWARD-LITTLE RIVER-HEMPSTEAD-NEVADA-MILLER-LAFAYETTE- COLUMBIA-UNION AR-CADDO-BOSSIER-WEBSTER-CLAIBORNE-LINCOLN- UNION LA-DE SOTO-RED RIVER-BIENVILLE-JACKSON-OUACHITA-SABINE LA- NATCHITOCHES-WINN-GRANT-CALDWELL-LA SALLE-MCCURTAIN-BOWIE- FRANKLIN-TITUS-CAMP-MORRIS-CASS-WOOD-UPSHUR-MARION-SMITH-GREGG- HARRISON-CHEROKEE-RUSK-PANOLA-NACOGDOCHES-SHELBY-ANGELINA- SAN AUGUSTINE-SABINE TX- 609 AM CDT TUE AUG 7 2012 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR SOUTHWEST AND SOUTH CENTRAL ARKANSAS...FOR NORTHWEST AND NORTH CENTRAL LOUISIANA...FOR DEEP EAST AND NORTHEAST TEXAS AND FOR SOUTHEAST OKLAHOMA. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT... SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE POSSIBLE IN THE FOUR STATE AREA...DURING THIS AFTERNOON AND EARLY EVENING. THE GREATEST COVERAGE IS EXPECTED ACROSS NORTH CENTRAL LOUISIANA WITH DEVELOPMENT OCCURRING THIS MORNING AS WELL. ALTHOUGH WIDESPREAD SEVERE WEATHER IS NOT EXPECTED...A FEW DAMAGING WIND GUSTS CANNOT BE RULED OUT WITH ANY STRONG STORMS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY... ISOLATED TO SCATTERED AFTERNOON SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE POSSIBLE THROUGHOUT THE WORK WEEK AS A SERIES OF WEAK UPPER DISTURBANCES INTERACT WITH A STALLED FRONTAL BOUNDARY AND THEN EVEN A NEW COLD FRONT TO ARRIVE BEFORE THE WEEKEND. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... ACTIVATION OF EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT PERSONNEL...AMATEUR RADIO OPERATORS...AND STORM SPOTTERS WILL NOT BE NEEDED TODAY OR TONIGHT. 24
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
2 thunderstorm wind, 1 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.
Several inches of water covered Stuart Lake Road resulting in the road having to be closed.
Several trees were downed in Natchitoches, Louisiana.
Trees were downed on Paul Jordan Road.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Louisiana in 2012Every state in 2012This day in weather historyWarnings in Louisiana, August 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: 399497, 399501, 399499.