2012 Atlantic hurricane season, Seasonal forecasts, Pre-season forecasts
On May 24, 2012, NOAA released their forecast for the season, predicting a near-normal season, with nine to fifteen named storms, four to eight hurricanes, and one to three major hurricanes. NOAA based its forecast on higher wind shear, cooler temperatures in the Main Development Region of the Eastern Atlantic, and the continuance of the "high activity" era – known as the Atlantic multidecadal oscillation warm phase – which began in 1995.


2012 Atlantic hurricane season, Seasonal forecasts, Pre-season forecasts
Gerry Bell, lead seasonal forecaster at NOAA's Climate Prediction Center, added the main uncertainty in the outlook was how much below or above the 2012 season would be, and whether the high end of the predicted range is reached dependent on whether El Niño develops or stays in its current Neutral phase. That same day, the United Kingdom Met Office (UKMO) issued a forecast of a below-average season. They predicted 10 named storms with a 70% chance that the number would be between 7 and 13. However, they do not issue forecasts on the number of hurricanes and major hurricanes.


2012 Atlantic hurricane season, Seasonal forecasts, Pre-season forecasts
They also predicted an ACE index of 90 with a 70% chance that the index would be in the range 28 to 152. On May 30, 2012, the Florida State University for Ocean-Atmospheric Prediction Studies (FSU COAPS) issued its annual Atlantic hurricane season forecast. The organization predicted 13 named storms, including 7 hurricanes, and an ACE index of 122.


2012 Atlantic hurricane season, Seasonal forecasts, Mid-season outlooks
On June 1, Klotzbach's team issued their updated forecast for the 2012 season, predicting thirteen named storms and five hurricanes, of which two of those five would further intensify into major hurricanes. The university stated that there was a high amount of uncertainty concerning whether or not an El Niño would develop in time to hinder tropical development in the Atlantic basin. They also stated there was a lower than average chance of a major hurricane impacting the United States coastline in 2012.


2012 Atlantic hurricane season, Seasonal forecasts, Mid-season outlooks
On June 6, Tropical Storm Risk released their second updated forecast for the season, predicting fourteen named storms, six hurricanes, and three major hurricanes. In addition, the agency called for an Accumulated Cyclone Energy index of 100. Near-average sea surface temperatures and slightly elevated trade winds for cited for lower activity compared to the 2010 and 2011 hurricane seasons. Tropical Storm Risk continued with their forecast of a near-average probability of a United States impact during the season using the 1950–2011 long-term normal, but a slightly below-average chance of a United States landfall by the recent 2002–2011 normal.


2012 Atlantic hurricane season, Seasonal forecasts, Mid-season outlooks
On August 9, 2012, the NOAA issued their mid-season outlook for the remainder of the 2012 season, upping their final numbers. The agency predicted between twelve and seventeen named storms, five to eight hurricanes, and two to three major hurricanes. Gerry Bell cited warmer-than-normal sea surface temperatures and the continuation of the high activity era across the Atlantic basin since 1995.


2012 Atlantic hurricane season, Seasonal summary
The Atlantic hurricane season officially began on June 1, 2012. It was an above average season in which 19 tropical cyclones formed. All nineteen depressions attained tropical storm status, and ten of these became hurricanes. However, only two hurricanes further intensified into major hurricanes. In fact, this was the first season since 2006 not to have a hurricane of at least Category 4 intensity. The season was above average most likely because of neutral conditions in the Pacific Ocean.


2012 Atlantic hurricane season, Seasonal summary
Three hurricanes (Ernesto, Isaac, and Sandy) and three tropical storms (Beryl, Debby, and Helene) made landfall during the season and caused 354 deaths and around $71.6 billion in damages. Additionally, Hurricanes Leslie and Rafael also caused losses and fatalities, though neither struck land. The last storm of the season, dissipated on October 29, over a month before the official end of hurricane season on November 30.


2012 Atlantic hurricane season, Seasonal summary
Tropical cyclogenesis began in the month of May, with Tropical Storms Alberto and Beryl. This was the first occurrence of two pre-season tropical storms in the Atlantic since 1951. Additionally, Beryl is regarded as the strongest pre-season tropical cyclone landfall in the United States on record. In June, there were also two systems, Hurricane Chris and Tropical Storm Debby. However, no tropical cyclones developed in the month of July, the first phenomenon since 2009. Activity resumed on August 1, with the development of Hurricane Ernesto. With a total of eight tropical storms in August, this ties the record set in 2004.


2012 Atlantic hurricane season, Seasonal summary
There were only two tropical cyclones that formed in September, though three systems that existed in that month originated in August. Michael became the first major hurricane of the season on September 6, when it peaked as a Category 3 hurricane. Hurricane Nadine developed September 10 and became extratropical on September 21. However, Nadine re-developed on September 23 and subsequently lasted until October 3. With a total duration of 24 days, Nadine was the fourth-longest lasting Atlantic tropical cyclone on record, behind the 1899 San Ciriaco hurricane, Hurricane Ginger in 1971, and Hurricane Inga in 1969.


2012 Atlantic hurricane season, Seasonal summary
In October, there were five tropical cyclones – Tropical Storms Oscar, Patty, and Tony – as well as Hurricanes Rafael and Sandy. This was well above average, yet not record, activity for the month of October. Hurricane Sandy outlived the final named storm, Tony, and became extratropical on October 29, ending cyclonic activity in the 2012 season.


2012 Atlantic hurricane season, Seasonal summary
The season's activity was reflected with an accumulated cyclone energy (ACE) rating of 133,  which was well above the 1981–2010 average of 92.


2012 Atlantic hurricane season, Systems, Tropical Storm Alberto
On May 18, a non-tropical area of low pressure formed from a stationary front offshore the Carolinas, becoming stationary just offshore of South Carolina while producing organized convective activity over the next day. It quickly gained tropical characteristics over the warm waters of the Gulf Stream, and by 1200 UTC on May 19, the system became Tropical Storm Alberto. Alberto was the first named storm to form during May in the Atlantic basin since Arthur in 2008. Combined with Aletta, this was the first such occurrence where more than one tropical cyclone in both the Atlantic and East Pacific – located east of 140°W – attained tropical storm intensity prior to the start of their respective hurricane seasons.


2012 Atlantic hurricane season, Systems, Tropical Storm Alberto
At 2250 UTC on May 19, a ship near Alberto reported winds of 60 mph (95 km/h), indicating the storm was stronger than previously assessed. Early on May 20, a minimum barometric pressure of 995 mbar (29.4 inHg) was reported. Little strengthening occurred over the next few hours, and in fact, slight weakening occurred that night as southeasterly shear and dry air began to impact the system, leaving the center exposed to the east of the circulation.


2012 Atlantic hurricane season, Systems, Tropical Storm Alberto
After remaining a minimal tropical storm for about 24 hours, the storm weakened to a tropical depression early on May 22 as it moved northeastward out to sea. Early on May 22, Alberto degenerated into a remnant area of low pressure after failing to maintain convection. At the time, it was located about 170 miles (270 km) south-southeast of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina. While the storm was active, Alberto produced 3 to 5 ft (0.91 to 1.52 m) waves, prompting several ocean rescues.


2012 Atlantic hurricane season, Systems, Tropical Storm Beryl
On May 22, a weak disturbance formed southwest of Cuba. The disturbance moved north as it became a low-pressure system on May 25. It was located offshore of North Carolina and it developed into Subtropical Storm Beryl on May 26. The storm slowly acquired tropical characteristics as it tracked across warmer waters and an environment of decreasing vertical wind shear. Late on May 27, Beryl transitioned into a tropical cyclone less than 120 miles (190 km) from North Florida.


2012 Atlantic hurricane season, Systems, Tropical Storm Beryl
Around that time, the storm attained its peak intensity with maximum sustained winds of 70 mph (115 km/h) and a minimum barometric pressure of 992 mbar (29.3 inHg). Early on May 28, it made landfall near Jacksonville Beach, Florida, with winds of 65 mph (105 km/h). The storm was the strongest pre-season tropical cyclone to make landfall on record. It quickly weakened to a tropical depression, dropping heavy rainfall while moving slowly across the Southeastern United States. A cold front turned Beryl to the northeast, and the storm became extratropical on May 30, while located near the southeast coast of North Carolina.


2012 Atlantic hurricane season, Systems, Tropical Storm Beryl
The precursor to Beryl produced heavy rainfall in Cuba, causing flooding and mudslides which damaged or destroyed 1,156 homes and resulted in two deaths. Torrential rain affected South Florida and the Bahamas. After forming, Beryl produced rough surf along the US southeastern coast, leaving one person from Folly Beach, South Carolina missing. Upon making landfall in Florida, the storm produced strong winds that left 38,000 people without power. High rains alleviated drought conditions and put out wildfires along the storm's path. A fallen tree killed a man driving in Orangeburg County, South Carolina. In northeast North Carolina, Beryl spawned an EF1 tornado that snapped trees and damaged dozens of homes near the city of Peletier. Overall damage was minor, estimated at $148,000.


2012 Atlantic hurricane season, Systems, Hurricane Chris
On June 17, a low-pressure area cut off from a stationary front near Bermuda. Due to warm seas and light wind shear, the system became Subtropical Storm Chris at 18:00 UTC on June 18. After deep convection became persistent, the National Hurricane Center reclassified it as Tropical Storm Chris on June 19. Despite being over ocean temperatures of 72 °F (22 °C), it strengthened into a hurricane on June 21. Later that day, Chris peaked with maximum sustained winds of 85 mph (135 km/h) and a minimum barometric pressure of 974 mbar (28.8 inHg). After encountering colder waters, it weakened back to a tropical storm on June 22. Chris transitioned into an extratropical cyclone at 1200 UTC, after interacting with another extratropical low-pressure area to its south.


2012 Atlantic hurricane season, Systems, Hurricane Chris
The precursor of Chris produced several days of rainfall in Bermuda from June 14 to 17, totaling 3.41 in (87 mm) at the L.F. Wade International Airport. On June 15, the system produced heavy precipitation, reaching 2.59 in (66 mm) at the same location, a daily record. Combined with high tides, localized flooding occurred in poor drainage areas, especially in Mills Creek. Sustained winds peaked at 46 mph (74 km/h) and gusts reached 64 mph (103 km/h). On June 17, as the system was rapidly organizing, gale warnings were issued for the island of Bermuda. After transitioning into an extratropical cyclone, the pressure gradient associated with Chris and a nearby non-tropical low produced gale-force winds over the Grand Banks of Newfoundland. Additionally, swells in the area reached 10 to 13 ft (3 to 4 m).


2012 Atlantic hurricane season, Systems, Tropical Storm Debby
A trough of low pressure in the central Gulf of Mexico developed into Tropical Storm Debby at 1200 UTC on June 23, while located about 290 miles (470 km) south-southeast of the mouth of the Mississippi River. Despite a projected track toward landfall in Louisiana or Texas, the storm headed the opposite direction, moving slowly north-northeast or northeastward. It steadily strengthened, and at 1800 UTC on June 25, the storm attained its peak intensity with maximum sustained winds of 65 mph (105 km/h) and a minimum barometric pressure of 990 mbar (29 inHg).


2012 Atlantic hurricane season, Systems, Tropical Storm Debby
Dry air, westerly wind shear, and upwelling prevented further intensification. Instead, Debby weakened, and late on June 26, it was a minimal tropical storm. At 2100 UTC, the storm made landfall near Steinhatchee, Florida with winds of 40 mph (65 km/h). Debby continued to weaken while crossing Florida and became extratropical on June 27. Its remnants shortly after emerge into the Atlantic and finally dissipated on June 30.


2012 Atlantic hurricane season, Systems, Tropical Storm Debby
Tropical Storm Debby dropped immense amounts of precipitation near its path. Rainfall peaked at 28.78 inches (731 mm) in Curtis Mill, Florida, located in southwestern Wakulla County. The Sopchoppy River, which reached its record height, flooded at least 400 structures in Wakulla County. Additionally, the Suwannee River reached its highest level since Hurricane Dora in 1964. Further south in Pasco County, the Anclote River and Pithlachascotee River overflowed, flooding communities with "head deep" water and causing damage to 106 homes. An additional 587 homes were inundated after the Black Creek overflowed in Clay County.


2012 Atlantic hurricane season, Systems, Tropical Storm Debby
Several roads and highways in North Florida were left impassable, Interstate 10 and U.S. Route 90. Coastal flooding also inundated U.S. Routes 19 and 98. In Central and South Florida, damage was primarily caused by tornadoes, one of which caused a fatality. Overall, Debby resulted in at least $210 million in losses and 10 deaths, 8 in Florida and one each in Alabama and South Carolina.


2012 Atlantic hurricane season, Systems, Hurricane Ernesto
A tropical wave developed into Tropical Depression Five on August 1, while located about 810 miles (1,305 km) east of the Lesser Antilles. Wind shear initially caused the depression to remain weak, though by August 2, it was upgraded to Tropical Storm Ernesto. The next day, Ernesto entered the Caribbean Sea. As the storm approached the western Caribbean on August 5, wind shear and dry air briefly halted strengthening; convection diminished, exposing the low-level circulation, which had become somewhat less defined. After the wind shear and dry air decreased, Ernesto regained deep convection and became a hurricane on August 6.


2012 Atlantic hurricane season, Systems, Hurricane Ernesto
Early on August 8, it made landfall in Costa Maya, Quintana Roo as with winds of 100 mph (160 km/h). A few hours later, a minimum barometric pressure of 973 mbar (28.7 inHg) was recorded. After weakening to a tropical storm and moving into the Bay of Campeche, the storm struck Coatzacoalcos, Veracruz on August 9. It weakened over Mexico and dissipated on August 10. The remnants contributed to the development of Tropical Storm Hector in the eastern Pacific.


2012 Atlantic hurricane season, Systems, Hurricane Ernesto
Despite light rainfall and gusty winds on islands such as Barbados, Martinique, and Puerto Rico, impact from Ernesto in the Lesser Antilles was negligible. Rip currents along the coast of the Florida Panhandle resulted in at least 10 lifeguard rescues at Pensacola Beach, while a portion of a store in the same city was washed away. In Mexico, officials reported that 85,000 people in Majahual lost power; roads were damaged elsewhere in state of Quintana Roo. Freshwater flooding occurred along the coast of the Bay of Campeche, including in Coatzacoalcos, Veracruz.


2012 Atlantic hurricane season, Systems, Hurricane Ernesto
Flooding and several landslides lashed mountainous areas of Veracruz, Puebla, and Oaxaca. Officials indicated that 10,000 houses were partially damaged by flooding in Veracruz. Flooding occurred well inland in association with the remnants of Ernesto. In Guerrero, at least 81 municipalities were impacted and 5 fatalities were reported. Overall, Ernesto was responsible for 12 deaths and about $174 million in damage.


2012 Atlantic hurricane season, Systems, Tropical Storm Florence
Early on August 2, a well-defined tropical wave, although accompanied with disorganized convection, exited the west coast of Africa. Located in a region of low wind shear and warm waters of 79–81 °F (26–27 °C), a low-pressure area developed and became increasingly better defined as it drifted west-northwest. Due to a further organized appearance on microwave and geostationary satellite imagery, it is estimated Tropical Depression Six formed at 1800 UTC on August 3, while located about 130 miles (210 km) south-southwest of the southernmost islands of Cape Verde. After formation, a subsequent increase in wind shear led to slow organization; despite this, the depression intensified into Tropical Storm Florence at 0600 UTC the following day.


2012 Atlantic hurricane season, Systems, Tropical Storm Florence
A central dense overcast pattern and prominent spiral banding developed later on August 4, indicating that the storm was strengthening. At 0000 UTC on August 5, Florence attained its peak intensity with maximum sustained winds of 60 mph (95 km/h) and a minimum barometric pressure of 1,002 mbar (29.6 inHg). However, weakening soon occurred as dry air diminished the coverage and intensity of convection. Early on August 6, Florence was downgraded to a tropical depression. The low-level circulation subsequently became exposed and the cyclone degenerated into a non-convective remnant area of low pressure at 1200 UTC, while located about midway between Cape Verde and the Lesser Antilles.


2012 Atlantic hurricane season, Systems, Tropical Storm Helene
A well-defined tropical wave crossed the west coast of Africa on August 5. It fluctuated in convective organization over the next four days. Late on August 9, the National Hurricane Center initiated advisories on Tropical Depression Seven, while located about midway between Cape Verde and the Lesser Antilles. While moving rapidly westward, the depression began disorganizing due to southwesterly wind shear. On August 10, a hurricane hunters flight failed to locate a closed circulation. Thus, the depression degenerated into an open tropical wave. The remnant tropical wave produced heavy rainfall in Trinidad and Tobago, causing flooding and mudslides in Diego Martin on island of Trinidad. Two fatalities, as well as widespread damage resulted from the flooding and mudslides, with losses exceeding TT$109 million (US$17 million).


2012 Atlantic hurricane season, Systems, Tropical Storm Helene
The remnants were monitored for possible redevelopment over the following days; however, on August 14, the system moved inland over Central America and was no longer expected to regenerate. Despite earlier predictions, the remnants of the storm moved over the Bay of Campeche and began to consolidate on August 16. A Hurricane Hunter aircraft into the system indicated that it regenerated into a tropical depression at 1200 UTC on August 17, just six hours before strengthening into Tropical Storm Helene.


2012 Atlantic hurricane season, Systems, Tropical Storm Helene
Shortly thereafter, it peaked with winds of 45 mph (70 km/h) and a minimum barometric pressure of 1,004 mbar (29.6 inHg). Early on August 18, Helene weakened back to a tropical depression while moving northwestward. At 1200 UTC it made landfall near Tampico, Tamaulipas, Mexico. Helene quickly weakened and dissipated at 0000 UTC on August 19. In Mexico, Helene brought moderate rains to areas previously affected by Hurricane Ernesto. Two communities within the city of Veracruz reported street flooding.


2012 Atlantic hurricane season, Systems, Hurricane Gordon
A tropical wave emerged into the Atlantic Ocean from the west coast of Africa on August 10. After passing over Cape Verde, it moved generally west-northwestward and crossed a region of colder seas. As a result, tropical cyclogenesis was impeded and convective activity remained minimal. As the low-pressure system turned to a more northerly direction, it reentered warmer waters. The environment was favorable for further organization, and the system attained deeper convection and a better-defined circulation. It is estimated that Tropical Depression Eight developed at 1200 UTC on August 15, while located about 690 miles (1,110 km) east-southeast of Bermuda. The depression strengthened, and approximately twelve hours later, became Tropical Storm Gordon.


2012 Atlantic hurricane season, Systems, Hurricane Gordon
After becoming a tropical storm on August 15, Gordon turned eastward and continued to intensify due to relatively light wind shear. By August 18, it was upgraded to a hurricane. The storm peaked with winds of 110 mph (175 km/h) and a minimum barometric pressure of 965 mbar (28.5 inHg) on the following day, before weakening from colder ocean temperatures and increasing shear. At 0530 UTC August 20, Gordon struck Santa Maria Island in the Azores about six and a half hours before weakening to a tropical storm. Later that day, it transitioned into an extratropical low-pressure area. Several homes sustained broken doors and windows, and streets were covered with fallen trees. Some areas temporarily lost power when the storm moved over, though electricity was restored hours later. Torrential rains triggered localized flooding, as well as a few landslides.


2012 Atlantic hurricane season, Systems, Hurricane Isaac
A tropical wave developed into Tropical Depression Nine at 0600 UTC on August 21, while located about 720 miles (1,160 km) east of the Lesser Antilles. The depression headed just north of due west and twelve hours later, strengthened into Tropical Storm Isaac. After intensifying somewhat further, Isaac passed through the Leeward Islands on August 22. A few islands reported tropical storm force winds and light rainfall, but no damage occurred. Unfavorable conditions, primarily dry air, as well as a reformation of the center caused Isaac to remain disorganized in the eastern Caribbean Sea.


2012 Atlantic hurricane season, Systems, Hurricane Isaac
Early on August 25, Isaac made landfall near Jacmel, Haiti as a strong tropical storm. Strong winds and heavy rain impacted numerous camps set up after the 2010 Haiti earthquake, with about 6,000 people losing shelter. Approximately 1,000 houses were destroyed, resulting in about $8 million in damage; there were 24 deaths confirmed. In neighboring Dominican Republic, 864 houses were damaged and cross loses reached approximately $30 million; five deaths were reported. Isaac became slightly disorganized over Haiti and re-emerged into the Caribbean Sea later on August 25, hours before striking Guantánamo Province, Cuba with winds of 60 mph (95 km/h). There, 6 homes were destroyed and 91 sustained damage.


2012 Atlantic hurricane season, Systems, Hurricane Isaac
Later on August 25, Isaac emerged into the southwestern Atlantic Ocean over the Bahama Banks. Initially, the storm posed a threat to Florida and the 2012 Republican National Convention, but passed to the southwest late on August 26. However, its outer bands spawned tornadoes and dropped isolated areas of heavy rainfall, causing severe local flooding, especially in Palm Beach County. Neighborhoods in The Acreage, Loxahatchee, Royal Palm Beach, and Wellington were left stranded for up to several days. Tornadoes in the state destroyed 1 structure and caused damage to at least 102 others.


2012 Atlantic hurricane season, Systems, Hurricane Isaac
Isaac reached the Gulf of Mexico and began a strengthening trend, reaching Category 1 hurricane status on August 28. At 0000 UTC on the following day, the storm made landfall near the mouth of the Mississippi River in Louisiana with winds of 80 mph (130 km/h). Three hours later, a dropsonde reported a barometric pressure of 965 mbar (28.5 inHg). Isaac briefly moved offshore, but made another landfall near Port Fourchon with winds of 80 mph (130 km/h) at 0800 UTC on August 29.


2012 Atlantic hurricane season, Systems, Hurricane Isaac
A combination of storm surge, strong winds, and heavy rainfall left 901,000 homes without electricity, caused damage to 59,000 houses, and resulted in losses to about 90% of sugarcane crops. Thousands of people required rescuing from their homes and vehicles due to flooding. The New Orleans area was relatively unscathed, due to levees built after hurricanes Katrina and Rita in 2005. Isaac slowly weakened while moving inland, and dissipated over Missouri on September 1. The remnants of Isaac continued generally eastward over southern Illinois before moving southward over Kentucky.


2012 Atlantic hurricane season, Systems, Hurricane Isaac
On September 3, the mid-level circulation of the storm split into two parts, with one portion continuing southward into the Gulf of Mexico and the other eastward over Ohio. The remnants brought rainfall to some areas impacted by an ongoing drought. Throughout the United States, damage reached about $2.35 billion and there were 9 fatalities, most of which was incurred within the state of Louisiana.


2012 Atlantic hurricane season, Systems, Tropical Storm Joyce
A tropical wave emerged into the Atlantic from the west coast of Africa on August 19. The system produced sporadic and disorganized convection for a few days while it moved westward across the eastern tropical Atlantic. Late on August 21, a well-defined surface low developed in association with the tropical wave, though the associated deep convection was not sufficiently organized. However, by 0600 UTC on August 22, the system organized enough to be designated Tropical Depression Ten, while located about 690 miles (1,110 km) west-southwest of Cape Verde. The depression was steered toward the west-northwest along the southern periphery of a deep-layer subtropical ridge.


2012 Atlantic hurricane season, Systems, Tropical Storm Joyce
Initially, the depression was within a region of with light southwesterly shear, 81–82 °F (27–28 °C) seas, and modestly moist mid-level air. Under these conditions, the depression intensified slowly, becoming Tropical Storm Joyce at 1200 UTC on August 23. Later that day, Joyce peaked with maximum sustained winds of 40 mph (65 km/h) and a minimum barometric pressure of 1,006 mbar (29.7 inHg). However, deep convection soon began to diminish around 0000 UTC on August 24, when the system weakened to a tropical depression. An environment of dry air, coupled with an increase of southwesterly vertical shear induced primarily by an upper-level low to the northwest of Joyce, continued to adversely affect the storm on August 24. Joyce degenerated into a remnant low-pressure area around 1200 UTC that day and dissipated shortly thereafter.


2012 Atlantic hurricane season, Systems, Hurricane Kirk
A tropical wave emerged into the Atlantic from the coast of Africa on August 22, accompanied by a broad area of low pressure. The system moved slowly westward, and the associated convective activity began organizing on August 24 near Cape Verde. However, little additional development occurred during the next three days as the circulation of the low was elongated and poorly defined. The system turned northwestward late on August 25 and continued in that direction until August 27. Despite the presence of vertical wind shear, convection became more concentrated. The circulation became better-defined, indicating that Tropical Depression Eleven developed at 1800 UTC on August 28, while located about 1,290 miles (2,080 km) southwest of the western Azores.


2012 Atlantic hurricane season, Systems, Hurricane Kirk
The depression initially moved westward before turning northwestward on August 29 in response to a weakness in the subtropical ridge. Minimal intensification was predicted, due to dry air and wind shear. It strengthened into Tropical Storm Kirk on the following day, but persistent wind shear slowed intensification. After a decrease in shear, Kirk quickly strengthened into a hurricane on August 30. A small eye appeared in satellite imagery on August 31 as the storm peaked with winds of 105 mph (170 km/h) and a minimum barometric pressure of 970 mbar (29 inHg).


2012 Atlantic hurricane season, Systems, Hurricane Kirk
Kirk weakened later that day while moving northward through a break in the subtropical ridge. On September 1, it fell to tropical storm intensity while recurving into the westerlies. Accelerating northeastward, Kirk weakened further due to increasing shear and decreasing sea surface temperatures. At 0000 UTC September 3, it merged with a frontal system located about 1,035 miles (1,665 km) north of the Azores.


2012 Atlantic hurricane season, Systems, Hurricane Leslie
A tropical wave developed into Tropical Depression Twelve while located nearly 1,500 miles (2,400 km) east of the Leeward Islands on August 30. About six hours later, it strengthened into Tropical Storm Leslie. Tracking steadily west-northwestward, it slowly intensified due to only marginally favorable conditions. By September 2, the storm curved north-northwestward while located north of the Leeward Islands. Thereafter, a blocking pattern over Atlantic Canada caused Leslie to drift for four days.


2012 Atlantic hurricane season, Systems, Hurricane Leslie
Late on September 5, Leslie was upgraded to a hurricane, shortly before strengthening to its peaking intensity with winds of 80 mph (130 km/h) and a minimum barometric pressure of 968 mbar (28.6 inHg). However, due to its slow movement, the storm caused upwelling, which decreased ocean temperatures, weakening Leslie to a tropical storm on September 7.


2012 Atlantic hurricane season, Systems, Hurricane Leslie
The storm drifted until September 9, when it accelerated while passing east of Bermuda. Relatively strong winds on the island caused hundreds of power outages and knocked down tree branches, electrical poles, and other debris. Re -intensification occurred, with Leslie becoming a hurricane again, before transitioning into an extratropical cyclone near Newfoundland on September 11. In Atlantic Canada, heavy rains fell in both Nova Scotia and Newfoundland. In the latter, localized flooding occurred, especially in the western portions of the province. Also in Newfoundland, strong winds ripped off roofs, downed trees, and left 45,000 homes without power. Additionally, a partially built house was destroyed and several incomplete homes were damaged in Pouch Cove. Overall, Leslie caused about $10.1 million in damage and no fatalities.


2012 Atlantic hurricane season, Systems, Hurricane Michael
A shortwave disturbance spawned a well-defined low-pressure area on September 2 while located about 840 miles (1,350 km) southwest of the Azores. The low moved southwestward and developed into Tropical Depression Thirteen at 0600 UTC on September 3. It moved westward and then northwestward and strengthened into Tropical Storm Michael at 0600 UTC on September 4, while located about 1,235 miles (1,990 km) southwest of the Azores. Initially, it was predicted by the National Hurricane Center that the depression would only strengthen slightly and then become extratropical by September 6, due to an anticipated increase in wind shear.


2012 Atlantic hurricane season, Systems, Hurricane Michael
Later on September 6, the system entered a region of weak steering currents, causing it to drift northeastward. In the 24 hours proceeding 1200 UTC on September 5, the storm rapidly intensified. Late on September 5, it was upgraded to a hurricane, before becoming a Category 2 hurricane early on the following day.


2012 Atlantic hurricane season, Systems, Hurricane Michael
At 1200 UTC on September 6, the storm reached Category 3 hurricane strength and attained its peak intensity with maximum sustained winds of 115 mph (185 km/h) and a minimum barometric pressure of 964 mbar (28.5 inHg). Michael was thus the first major hurricane of the season. Thereafter, it weakened back to a Category 2 hurricane later on September 6. The storm curved back to the northwest and briefly weakened to a Category 1 hurricane on September 8.


2012 Atlantic hurricane season, Systems, Hurricane Michael
The cyclone turned westward on September 9 and resumed weakening later that day, due to encountering wind shear generated by the outflow of nearby Hurricane Leslie. Michael weakened to a tropical storm while accelerating northward on September 11, several hours before degenerated into remnant low-pressure area, while located well west of the Azores.


2012 Atlantic hurricane season, Systems, Hurricane Nadine
A tropical wave developed into Tropical Depression Fourteen on September 10, while located about 885 miles (1,425 km) west of Cape Verde. Initially, it moved west-northwest, intensifying into Tropical Storm Nadine early on September 12. During the next 24 hours, the storm intensified quickly, reaching winds of 70 mph (115 km/h) by early on September 13; Nadine maintained this intensity for the next 36 hours. A break in the subtropical ridge caused the storm to curved northwestward, followed by a turn to the north on September 14. Later that day, the storm was upgraded to a hurricane.


2012 Atlantic hurricane season, Systems, Hurricane Nadine
On September 15, it turned eastward to the north of the ridge. By the following day, Nadine began weakening and was downgraded to a tropical storm early on September 17. The storm then curved east-northeastward and eventually northeastward, posing a threat to the Azores. Although Nadine veered east-southeastward, it did cause relatively strong winds on the islands.


2012 Atlantic hurricane season, Systems, Hurricane Nadine
Late on September 21, Nadine curved southward, shortly before degenerating into non-tropical low-pressure area. After moving into an area of more favorable conditions, it regenerated into Tropical Storm Nadine early on September 23. The storm then drifted and moved aimlessly in the northeastern Atlantic, turning west-northwestward on September 23 and southwestward on September 25. Thereafter, Nadine curved westward on September 27 and northwestward on September 28. During that five-day period, minimal change in intensity occurred, with Nadine remaining a weak to moderate tropical storm. However, by 1200 UTC on September 28, the storm re-strengthened into a hurricane.


2012 Atlantic hurricane season, Systems, Hurricane Nadine
Slow intensification continued, with Nadine peaking with winds of 90 mph (145 km/h) and a minimum barometric pressure of 978 mbar (28.9 inHg) on September 30. Thereafter, Nadine began weakened after turning southward, and was downgraded to a tropical storm on October 1. The storm then curved southeastward and then east-northeastward ahead of a deep-layer trough. After strong wind shear and cold waters left Nadine devoid of nearly all deep convection, the storm transitioned into an extratropical cyclone at 0000 UTC on October 4, while located about 195 miles (315 km) southwest of the central Azores. The low rapidly moved northeastward, degenerated into a trough of low pressure, and was absorbed by a cold front later that day.


2012 Atlantic hurricane season, Systems, Tropical Storm Oscar
A tropical wave and an accompanying low-pressure area emerged into the Atlantic from the west coast of Africa on September 28. Minimal organization occurred until October 2, when deep convection developed and began organizing. At 0600 UTC on October 3, the system became Tropical Depression Fifteen, while located about 1,035 miles (1,665 km) west of Cape Verde. A mid-level ridge near Cape Verde and a mid to upper-level low pressure northeast of the Leeward Islands forced the depression to move north-northwestward at roughly 17 mph (27 km/h). After further consolidation of convection near its low-level center, the depression was upgraded to Tropical Storm Oscar later on October 3.


2012 Atlantic hurricane season, Systems, Tropical Storm Oscar
Although strong wind shear began exposing the low-level center of circulation to the west of deep convection, Oscar continued to intensify. Oscar curved northeastward and accelerated on October 4, in advance of an approaching cold front. At 0600 UTC on October 5, the storm attained its peak intensity with maximum sustained winds of 50 mph (80 km/h) and a minimum barometric pressure of 994 mbar (29.4 inHg). Six hours later, ASCAT Scatterometer and satellite data indicated that Oscar degenerated into a trough while located well northwest of Cape Verde, which was absorbed by the cold front early on October 6.


2012 Atlantic hurricane season, Systems, Tropical Storm Patty
A weak surface trough detached from a quasi-stationary frontal system on October 6, while located between 345 and 460 miles (555 and 740 km) north of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. The trough approached the southern Bahamas and acquired a closed circulation late on October 10, developing into Tropical Depression Sixteen early on the following day. Initially, the National Hurricane Center predicted no further intensification, citing strong vertical wind shear. However, the depression strengthened and by 0600 UTC on October 11, it was upgraded to Tropical Storm Patty, while centered about 175 miles (282 km) east-northeast of San Salvador Island in The Bahamas.


2012 Atlantic hurricane season, Systems, Tropical Storm Patty
Although it reached tropical storm status, the National Hurricane Center noted that Patty was "on borrowed time", as the storm was predicted to eventually succumb to unfavorable conditions. At 0000 UTC on October 12, Patty attained its peak intensity with maximum sustained winds of 45 mph (70 km/h) and a minimum barometric pressure of 1,005 mbar (29.7 inHg). Later that day, increasing vertical wind shear caused the storm to weaken. Early on October 13, Patty was downgraded to a tropical depression, about six hours before degenerating into a trough of low pressure.


2012 Atlantic hurricane season, Systems, Hurricane Rafael
A tropical wave emerged into the Atlantic from the west coast of Africa on October 5. It slowly organized while moving westward and crossed the Lesser Antilles between October 11 and October 12. The system was classified as Tropical Storm Rafael at 1800 UTC on October 12, while located about 200 miles (320 km) south-southeast of St. Croix. Though initially disorganized due to wind shear, a subsequent decrease allowed for significant convective activity to develop by October 14. While moving north-northwestward the following day, Rafael intensified into a hurricane.


2012 Atlantic hurricane season, Systems, Hurricane Rafael
A cold front moving off the East Coast of the United States caused the system to turn northward and eventually northeastward by October 16, at which time it peaked with maximum sustained winds of 90 mph (145 km/h) and a barometric pressure of 969 mbar (28.6 inHg). As the cyclone entered a more stable atmosphere and into increasingly cooler seas, Rafael became extratropical by late on October 17.


2012 Atlantic hurricane season, Systems, Hurricane Rafael
Although a disorganized tropical cyclone, Rafael produced flooding across the northeastern Caribbean islands. As much as 12 inches (300 mm) of rain fell across portions of the Lesser Antilles, causing mudslides and landslides, as well river flooding. In addition, the heavy rains led to significant crop loss. Near-hurricane-force winds were recorded on Saint Martin, while tropical storm-force gusts occurred widespread. Lightning activity as a result of heavy thunderstorms caused many fires and power outages. One fatality occurred when a woman in Guadeloupe unsuccessfully attempted to drive her car across a flooded roadway.


2012 Atlantic hurricane season, Systems, Hurricane Rafael
As Rafael passed just to the east of Bermuda as a hurricane, light rainfall was recorded. Gusts over 50 mph (80 km/h) left hundreds of houses without electricity. Large swells from the system caused significant damage to the coastline of Nova Scotia, while many roads were washed away or obscured with debris. However, damage was minimal overall, reaching about $2 million.


2012 Atlantic hurricane season, Systems, Hurricane Sandy
A tropical wave developed into Tropical Depression Eighteen at 1200 UTC on October 22, while located about 350 miles (560 km) south-southwest of Kingston, Jamaica. Six hours later, it strengthened into Tropical Storm Sandy. Initially, the storm headed southwestward, but re-curved to the north-northeast due to mid to upper-level trough in the northwestern Caribbean Sea. A gradual increase in organization and deepening occurred, with Sandy becoming a hurricane on October 24. Several hours later, it made landfall near Bull Bay, Jamaica as a moderate Category 1 hurricane.


2012 Atlantic hurricane season, Systems, Hurricane Sandy
In that country, there was 1 fatality and damage to thousands of homes, resulting in about $100 million in losses. After clearing Jamaica, Sandy began to strengthen significantly. At 0525 UTC on October 25, it struck near Santiago de Cuba in Cuba, with winds of 115 mph (185 km/h); this made Sandy the second major hurricane of the season. In the province of Santiago de Cuba alone, 132,733 homes were damaged, of which 15,322 were destroyed and 43,426 lost their roofs. The storm resulted in 11 deaths and $2 billion in damage in Cuba. It also produced widespread devastation in Haiti, where over 27,000 homes were flooded, damaged, or destroyed, and 40% of the corn, beans, rice, banana, and coffee crops were lost. The storm left $750 million in damage, 54 deaths, and 21 people missing.


2012 Atlantic hurricane season, Systems, Hurricane Sandy
The storm weakened slightly while crossing Cuba and emerged into the southwestern Atlantic Ocean as a Category 2 hurricane late on October 25. Shortly thereafter, it moved through the central Bahamas, where three fatalities and $300 million in damage was reported. Early on October 27, it briefly weakened to a tropical storm, before re-acquiring hurricane intensity later that day. In the Southeastern United States, impact was limited to gusty winds, light rainfall, and rough surf. The outer bands of Sandy impacted the island of Bermuda, with a tornado in Sandys Parish damaging a few homes and businesses.


2012 Atlantic hurricane season, Systems, Hurricane Sandy
Movement over the Gulf Stream and baroclinic processes caused the storm to deepen, with the storm becoming a Category 2 hurricane again at 1200 UTC on October 29. Although it soon weakened to a Category 1 hurricane, the barometric pressure decreased to 940 mbar (28 inHg). At 2100 UTC, Sandy became extratropical, while located just offshore New Jersey. The center of the now extratropical storm moved inland near Brigantine late on October 29. In the Northeastern United States, damage was most severe in New Jersey and New York.


2012 Atlantic hurricane season, Systems, Hurricane Sandy
Within the former, 346,000 houses were damaged or destroyed, while nearly 19,000 businesses suffered severe losses. In New York, an estimated 305,000 homes were destroyed. Severe coastal flooding occurred in New York City, with the hardest hit areas being New Dorp Beach, Red Hook, and the Rockaways; eight tunnels of the subway system were inundated. Heavy snowfall was also reported, peaking at 36 inches (910 mm) in West Virginia. Additionally, the remnants of Sandy left 2 deaths and $100 million in damage in Canada, with Ontario and Quebec being the worst impacted. Overall, 286 fatalities were attributed to Sandy. Damages totaled $65 billion in the United States and $68.7 billion overall, making Sandy the fifth-costliest Atlantic hurricane in recorded history, behind only Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Maria in 2017.


2012 Atlantic hurricane season, Systems, Tropical Storm Tony
A tropical wave emerged into the Atlantic from the west coast of Africa on October 11. The wave split, with a portion later developing into Hurricane Sandy, while the other drifted slowly in the eastern Atlantic. The latter portion interacted with an upper-level trough, which developed into a surface low-pressure area on October 21. After acquiring deeper convection, the system was classified as Tropical Depression Nineteen at 1800 UTC on October 22. The depression headed northward along the eastern periphery of a cutoff low-pressure area. Although wind shear was not very strong, the depression initially failed to strengthen. Nonetheless, the depression organized further and intensified into Tropical Storm Tony at 0000 UTC on October 24.


2012 Atlantic hurricane season, Systems, Tropical Storm Tony
A mid-level trough to the northwest and a ridge to the east caused the storm to curve northeastward on October 24. Tony strengthened further, and by 1200 UTC on October 24, attained its peak intensity with maximum sustained winds of 50 mph (80 km/h) and a minimum barometric pressure of 1,000 mbar (30 inHg). The storm maintained this intensity for about 24 hours while moving east-northeastward and accelerating. On October 25, Tony began to weaken due to a combination of increasing vertical wind shear and decreasing sea surface temperatures. Later that day, the circulation of Tony began to entrain cooler and drier air, while shear displaced the deep convection well away from the center. By 1800 UTC on October 25, the storm was declared extratropical after it took on a frontal cyclone appearance on satellite imagery.


2012 Atlantic hurricane season, Storm names
The following list of names was used for named storms that formed in the North Atlantic in 2012. The names not retired from this list were used again in the 2018 season. This was the same list used in the 2006 season. The names Kirk, Oscar, Patty, Rafael, Sandy, and Tony were used for the first (and only, in the case of Sandy) time this year. The name Kirk replaced Keith after the 2000 season, but was not used in 2006.


2012 Atlantic hurricane season, Storm names, Retirement
On April 11, 2013, at the 35th session of the RA IV hurricane committee, the World Meteorological Organization retired the name Sandy from its rotating name lists due to the damage and deaths it caused, and it will not be used for another Atlantic hurricane. Sandy was replaced with Sara for the 2018 Atlantic hurricane season.


2012 Atlantic hurricane season, Season effects
This is a table of all of the storms that have formed in the 2012 Atlantic hurricane season. It includes their duration, names, damage, and death totals. Deaths in parentheses are additional and indirect (an example of an indirect death would be a traffic accident), but were still related to that storm. Damage and deaths include totals while the storm was extratropical, a wave, or a low, and all of the damage figures are in 2012 USD.


2012 Auburn Tigers football team
The 2012 Auburn Tigers football team represented Auburn University in the 2012 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The team was coached by Gene Chizik, who was in his fourth season with Auburn. The Tigers played their home games at Jordan–Hare Stadium in Auburn, Alabama, and competed in the Western Division of the Southeastern Conference (SEC).


2012 Auburn Tigers football team
On November 25, 2012, Auburn athletic director Jay Jacobs fired head coach Chizik and all of the assistant coaches after finishing the season 3–9 overall with a 0–8 record in SEC play, the program's worst season in 60 years.


2012 Auburn Tigers football team, Previous season
Auburn finished 2011 with a record of 8–5 (4–4 SEC) and won the Chick-fil-A Bowl over Virginia 43–24. During the month leading up to the bowl game defensive coordinator Ted Roof resigned to take a similar position at Central Florida before ultimately becoming the defensive coordinator at Penn State, and offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn resigned to become the head coach at Arkansas State, but remained with the Tigers through the bowl game. Star running back Michael Dyer was released from his scholarship and followed Malzahn to Arkansas State after violating undisclosed team rules prior to the bowl game.


2012 Auburn Tigers football team, Forthcoming season
A shooting at an off campus party killed former players Ed Christian and LaDarius Phillips on June 9 after they had planned to transfer. Current Offensive Guard Eric Mack was also shot but survived, he remains on the team, but has not participated in summer drills. Freshman QB Zeke Pike was arrested for public intoxication and was dismissed from the team. Pike will transfer to Louisville. Other transfers included CB Jonathan Rose and OG Thomas O'Reilly. DE Joel Bonomolo quit the team and linebacker Jawara White suffered a career ending neck injury. Transfers Corey Grant, Mike Blakely and Melvin Ray will be eligible to play this upcoming season.


2012 Auburn Tigers football team, New coordinators
The Tigers played the 2012 season with new coordinators on both offense and defense. On offense, Scot Loeffler took control. Loeffler was previously the offensive coordinator at Temple University, and had served stints as an assistant coach at Michigan, Florida and the Detroit Lions. While serving as a graduate assistant coach at Michigan, Loeffler tutored future New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady.


2012 Auburn Tigers football team, New coordinators
The new Auburn defensive coordinator was Brian VanGorder, who most recently served in a similar capacity with the Atlanta Falcons. Also new to the Tigers defensive coaching staff was Willie Martinez, who coached defensive backs. Martinez was previously an assistant coach at Oklahoma. VanGorder and Martinez previously coached together at Georgia in the early 2000s. The Tigers switched to a more aggressive blitzing scheme on defense. The presence of VanGorder on the Tigers’ coaching staff paid dividends in recruiting, as they secured commitments from several high-profile recruits for the 2013 class.


2012 Auburn Tigers football team, Recruiting class
The main focus in offseason recruiting was adding new offensive linemen. The Tigers signed seven, led by tackles Avery Young and Jordan Diamond, who were both rated five stars by Scouts.com. Parade  All-American Shane Callahan and Patrick Miller, both rated as four star recruits, also highlight the recruiting class, as do tackle Will Adams and guard Robert Leff. The final signee to Auburn’s impressive class of offensive linemen is Alex Kozan, who signed with the Tigers three weeks after the National Signing Day. In addition, 2010 signee Shon Coleman has been cleared to play after being cured of acute leukemia. He will have four years of eligibility remaining.


2012 Auburn Tigers football team, Recruiting class
The only high school running back signed was Jovon Robinson; however, he has been unable to practice until potential irregularities in his high school transcripts are resolved. Three running backs have transferred to the Tigers from other programs: Mike Blakely (Florida), Corey Grant (Alabama) and fullback Jay Prosch (Illinois).


2012 Auburn Tigers football team, Recruiting class
The Tigers added two four-star recruits at wide receiver. Ricardo Louis signed with Auburn, picking the Tigers over Florida State; also, the Tigers beat out Georgia Tech for the services of JaQuay Williams. In addition, Melvin Ray transferred from Alabama and will be eligible for the 2013 season. The Tigers also signed two tight ends: highly regarded Ricky Parks and Darrien Hutchinson, who is 6’8” and weighs 272 pounds.


2012 Auburn Tigers football team, Recruiting class
On defense Auburn concentrated on the secondary, picking up four-star recruit Josh Hosely as well as T.J. Davis and Jonathan Jones. Defensive line signees include Parade All-American Gimel President and four-star recruit Tyler Nero, who has been timed running a 40-yard dash in 4.62 seconds. Linebackers Cassanova McKinzy and Javier Mitchell round out the class.


2012 Auburn Tigers football team, Game summaries, Alabama
In the 2012 edition of the Iron Bowl, Alabama shutout the Auburn Tigers 49–0 at Tuscaloosa. The Crimson Tide opened the game with a 10-play, 75-yard drive that culminated in a two-yard Eddie Lacy touchdown run and a 7–0 lead. After the Alabama defense held Auburn to a three-and-out on their first possession, their offense responded with their second touchdown of the afternoon on a two-yard T. J. Yeldon touchdown run for a 14–0 lead. The Crimson Tide then forced a Tigers' punt on their second possession, and then scored their third touchdown in as many possessions when A. J. McCarron threw a 37-yard pass to Amari Cooper for a 21–0 lead early in the second quarter.


2012 Auburn Tigers football team, Game summaries, Alabama
On the Auburn possession that ensued, the Alabama defense collected their first turnover of the game when Robert Lester intercepted a Jonathan Wallace pass at the Tigers' 29-yard line. Five plays later the Crimson Tide led 28–0 after McCarron threw a seven-yard touchdown pass to Kevin Norwood. The Alabama defense held Auburn to their second three-and-out of the game, and then the Crimson Tide scored their fifth touchdown of the game on a one-yard Lacy run for a 35–0 lead. Auburn then committed their second turnover of the game when Nico Johnson forced a Tre Mason fumble that Dee Milliner recovered and returned to the Tigers' 35-yard line. Alabama then took a 42–0 halftime lead when McCarron threw a 29-yard touchdown pass to Cooper.


2012 Auburn Tigers football team, Game summaries, Alabama
With the Alabama starters in the game for the first possession of the second half, the defense again held the Tigers to a three-and-out and forced a punt. The offense then made it seven-for-seven on offense when McCarron threw a 38-yard touchdown pass to Norwood for a 49–0 lead. The Alabama defense then did not allow Auburn to get past their own 41-yard line for the duration of the game and secured their fourth shutout of the season. This marked the second consecutive Iron Bowl in which Auburn's offense was unable to score against Alabama's defense. The victory was the second largest in the history of the Iron Bowl after the 55–0 Alabama win in 1948 and improved Alabama's all-time record against the Tigers to 42–34–1.


2012 Auckland Open (darts)
2012 Auckland Open was a darts tournament that took place in Auckland, New Zealand on 22 September 2012.


2012 Audi Melbourne Pro Tennis Classic
The 2012 Audi Melbourne Pro Tennis Classic was a professional tennis tournament played on clay courts. It was the seventh edition of the tournament which was part of the 2012 ITF Women's Circuit. It took place in Indian Harbour Beach, Florida, United States between 30 April and 6 May 2012.


2012 Audi Melbourne Pro Tennis Classic, WTA entrants, Other Entrants
The following players received wildcards into the singles main draw:


2012 Audi Melbourne Pro Tennis Classic, WTA entrants, Other Entrants
The following players received entry by a lucky loser spot:


2012 Audi Melbourne Pro Tennis Classic – Doubles
Alyona Sotnikova and Lenka Wienerová were the defending champions, but Wienerová chose not to participate. Sotnikova partnered up with Marie-Ève Pelletier, but lost in the final to Maria Fernanda Alves and Jessica Moore, 6–7(6–8), 6–3, [10–8].


2012 Audi Melbourne Pro Tennis Classic – Singles
Melinda Czink was the defending champion, but chose to participate in Budapest instead.


2012 Audi Melbourne Pro Tennis Classic – Singles
Grace Min won the title, defeating Maria Sanchez in the final, 6–4, 7–6(7–4).


2012 Aurora, Colorado shooting
On July 20, 2012, a mass shooting occurred inside a Century 16 movie theater in Aurora, Colorado, United States, during a midnight screening of the film The Dark Knight Rises. Dressed in tactical clothing, James Holmes set off tear gas grenades and shot into the audience with multiple firearms. Twelve people were killed and 70 others were injured, 58 of them from gunfire. It was the deadliest shooting in Colorado since the Columbine High School massacre in 1999. At the time, the event had the largest number of victims (82) in one shooting in modern U.S. history. This number was eventually surpassed by the 107 victims in the 2016 Orlando nightclub shooting.


2012 Aurora, Colorado shooting
Holmes was arrested minutes later in his car outside the cinema. Earlier, he had rigged his apartment with homemade explosives and incendiary devices. These were defused by the Arapahoe County Sheriff's Office Bomb Squad a day after the shooting.


2012 Aurora, Colorado shooting
Fearing copycat crimes, movie theaters showing the same film across the US increased their security. Gun sales increased in Colorado, and political debates were generated about gun control in the United States.


2012 Aurora, Colorado shooting
Holmes confessed to the shooting but pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity. Arapahoe County prosecutors sought the death penalty in this case. The trial began on April 27, 2015. On July 16 of that year, Holmes was convicted of 24 counts of first-degree murder, 140 counts of attempted first-degree murder, and one count of possessing explosives. On August 7, he was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. On August 26, he was given 12 life sentences, one for every person he killed; he also received 3,318 years for the attempted murders of those he wounded and for rigging his apartment with explosives.


2012 Aurora, Colorado shooting, Events, Shooting
The shooting occurred in Theater 9 at the Century 16 multiplex (operated by Cinemark Theatres), located in the Town Center at Aurora shopping mall at 14300 E. Alameda Avenue. Police said that Holmes bought a ticket, entered the theater, and sat in the front row. About 20 minutes into the film, he left theater 9 through an emergency exit door beside the movie screen, with direct access to the lightly used parking area at the back of the complex, while propping the door slightly open with a plastic tablecloth holder. There were about 400 people inside theater 9.


2012 Aurora, Colorado shooting, Events, Shooting
Holmes went to his car (which he had parked near the exit door), changed into protective clothing, and retrieved his guns. About 30 minutes into the movie, police say, around 12:30 a.m., he reentered the theater through the exit door. Holmes was dressed in black and wore a gas mask, a load-bearing vest (not to be confused with a bulletproof vest), a ballistic helmet, bullet-resistant leggings, a bullet-resistant throat protector, a groin protector, and tactical gloves. He was listening to techno music through a set of headphones so that he could not hear anything from people in the theater.


2012 Aurora, Colorado shooting, Events, Shooting
Initially, few in the audience considered Holmes to be a threat. Some witnesses thought he was wearing a costume, like other audience members who had dressed up for the screening. Some believed he was playing a prank, while others thought he was part of a special effects setup for the film's premiere, or a publicity stunt by the studio or theater management.


2012 Aurora, Colorado shooting, Events, Shooting
Holmes reportedly threw one canister towards the left side of the theatre, emitting a gas or smoke, that partially obscured the audience members' vision, made their throats and skin itch, and caused eye irritation. He fired a 12-gauge Remington 870 Express Tactical shotgun, first at the ceiling and then at the audience. He also fired a Smith & Wesson M&P15 semi-automatic rifle with a 100-round drum magazine, which eventually malfunctioned. Finally, he fired a .40-caliber Glock 22 Gen4 handgun. He shot first to the back of the room, and then toward people in the aisles. A bullet passed through the wall and hit three people in adjacent theater 8, which was screening the same film. Witnesses said the multiplex's fire alarm system began sounding soon after the attack began, and staff told people in Theater 8 to evacuate.


2012 Aurora, Colorado shooting, Events, Shooting
Holmes fired 76 shots in the theater: six from the shotgun, 65 from the semi-automatic rifle, and five from the .40-caliber handgun.


2012 Aurora, Colorado shooting, Events, Police response
The first phone calls to emergency services via 9-1-1 were made at 12:39 a.m. Police arrived within 90 seconds and found three .40-caliber handgun magazines, a shotgun, and a large drum magazine on the floor of the theater. Some people reported the shooting via Twitter or text messaging rather than calling the police; officers were already at the theater by the time that the tweets were sent.


2012 Aurora, Colorado shooting, Events, Police response
Ambulances were hindered by chaos and congestion in the parking lot, and they were unable to reach the back of the complex where police had pulled the injured out through the emergency exit doors of Theatre 9. Sgt . Stephen Redfearn, one of the first police officers to arrive on the scene, sent victims to area hospitals in squad cars.


2012 Aurora, Colorado shooting, Events, Police response
About 12:45 a.m., police officer Jason Oviatt apprehended Holmes behind the cinema, next to his car, without resistance. Because of his tactical clothing, Holmes was at first mistaken for another police officer. He was described as being calm and "disconnected" during his arrest. Two federal officials said that Holmes had dyed his hair red and called himself "The Joker", although authorities later declined to confirm this. Three days later, at his first court appearance in Centennial, Colorado, Holmes's hair appeared reddish-orange.


2012 Aurora, Colorado shooting, Events, Police response
Later, the Colorado district attorney who prosecuted Holmes said he never called himself The Joker, and blamed the federal officials for the rumor. The officers found several firearms in the theater and inside the shooter's car, including another Glock 22 handgun. Holmes was found carrying a first aid kit and spike strips, which he later admitted in an interview he had planned to use if police either shot at or chased him.


2012 Aurora, Colorado shooting, Events, Police response
Following his arrest, Holmes was initially jailed at the Arapahoe County Detention Center, under suicide watch. The police interviewed more than 200 witnesses of the shooting. Speaking on behalf of himself and FBI agent James Yacone, who was in charge of the investigation, Aurora Police Chief Dan Oates said he was confident that the shooter acted alone.


2012 Aurora, Colorado shooting, Events, Discovery of explosive devices
When apprehended, Holmes told the police that he had booby-trapped his apartment with explosive devices. Police evacuated five buildings surrounding his Aurora residence, which was about 5 mi (8 km) north of the cinema. Holmes' apartment complex is limited to University of Colorado Medical Center students, patients, and employees. One day after the shooting, officials disarmed an explosive device that was wired to the apartment's front door, allowing a remote-controlled robot to enter and disable other explosives. The apartment held more than 30 homemade grenades, wired to a control box in the kitchen and filled with at least 110 L (30 US gal) of gasoline.


2012 Aurora, Colorado shooting, Events, Discovery of explosive devices
Neighbors reported loud music from the apartment around midnight on the night of the massacre, and one went to his door to tell him she was calling the police; she said the door seemed to be unlocked, but she chose not to open it.


2012 Aurora, Colorado shooting, Events, Discovery of explosive devices
A police official said a Batman mask was found in the apartment. On July 23, police finished collecting evidence from the apartment. Two days later, residents were allowed to return to the four surrounding buildings, and six days later, residents were allowed to move back into the formerly booby-trapped building.


2012 Aurora, Colorado shooting, Casualties
Eighty-two casualties were reported. Seventy were hit by bullets, and were reported by mainstream news as the most victims of any mass shooting in United States history. This figure would not be surpassed until the 2016 Orlando nightclub shooting, which killed 49 people and injured 58 others for a combined total of 107 casualties. Four people's eyes were irritated by the tear gas grenades, while eight others sustained non-gunshot injuries while fleeing the theater. The massacre was the deadliest shooting in Colorado since the Columbine High School massacre on April 20, 1999.


2012 Aurora, Colorado shooting, Casualties, Fatalities
Ten victims died at the scene and two more were pronounced dead in local hospitals. Four men — Jonathan Blunk, John Larimer, Matt McQuinn, and Alexander Teves — died protecting their girlfriends. Gordon Cowden died saving the lives of his two teenage daughters. The people murdered were:


2012 Aurora, Colorado shooting, Casualties, Injuries
The injured were treated at Children's Hospital Colorado, Denver Health Medical Center, The Medical Center of Aurora, Parker Adventist Hospital, Rose Medical Center, Swedish Hospital, and University Hospital. On July 25, three of the five hospitals treating victims announced they would limit medical bills or forgive them entirely.


2012 Aurora, Colorado shooting, Casualties, Injuries
Ashley Moser, Veronica Moser-Sullivan's mother, suffered critical injuries after being shot in the chest. She was rendered a paraplegic. She miscarried a week after the attack.


2012 Aurora, Colorado shooting, Casualties, Injuries
Caleb Medley, the last victim discharged, left University Hospital on September 12. He had serious brain damage and an injury to his right eye from a shotgun blast to the head, and underwent three brain surgeries. He required a feeding tube, had severely impaired movement, and could no longer speak.


2012 Aurora, Colorado shooting, Casualties, Injuries
The Community First Foundation collected more than $5 million for a fund for victims and their families. In September, victims and their families received surveys asking about their preferences for how collected funds should be distributed, either by dividing it equally among victims or through a needs-assessment process.


2012 Aurora, Colorado shooting, Casualties, Injuries
On November 16, 2012, the Aurora Victim Relief Fund announced that each family of the dead would receive $220,000.


2012 Aurora, Colorado shooting, Court proceedings
Holmes' booking photo was released and he first appeared in court on July 23, 2012. According to press reports, he seemed dazed and largely unaware of his surroundings.


2012 Aurora, Colorado shooting, Court proceedings
On July 30, Colorado prosecutors filed formal charges against Holmes, including 24 counts of first-degree murder, 116 counts of attempted first-degree murder and one count of illegal possession of explosives. Two charges were filed for each victim to expand the opportunities for prosecutors to obtain convictions. Colorado State District Court Judge William B. Sylvester, who was the trial judge overseeing the case, placed a gag order on lawyers and law enforcement, sealing the court file and barring the University of Colorado from releasing public records relating to Holmes' year at the school. Media organizations challenged the sealing of the court file.


2012 Aurora, Colorado shooting, Court proceedings
On August 9, Holmes' attorneys said he is mentally ill and they needed more time to assess the nature of his illness. The disclosure was made at a court hearing in Centennial, Colorado, where news media organizations asked a judge to unseal court documents in the case. Prosecutors alleged on August 24, 2012, that Holmes told a classmate he wanted to kill people four months before the shooting.


2012 Aurora, Colorado shooting, Court proceedings
A judge ruled on August 30 that a notebook written by Holmes, in which he allegedly described a violent attack, was covered by physician–patient privilege because it was addressed to his psychiatrist. This made it inadmissible as evidence unless Holmes' mental health became an issue in the case. Prosecutors dropped their request for access to the notebook on September 20, 2012. Due to suicide attempts made by Holmes, Judge Sylvester agreed to postpone proceedings until December 2012.


2012 Aurora, Colorado shooting, Court proceedings
On January 2, 2013, prosecutors and defense attorneys in the case returned to court in advance of the preliminary hearing, the public's first officially sanctioned look at the evidence, due to the gag order. It began on January 7. Prosecutors offered their case as to why the trial should proceed, and defense lawyers argued that it should not. At the conclusion, Judge Sylvester decided there was enough relevant, admissible evidence to proceed to a trial.


2012 Aurora, Colorado shooting, Court proceedings
Also on January 7, lawyers for both sides argued whether to admit four unspecified prescription bottles and immunization records investigators had seized from Holmes' apartment when they searched it in July 2012, considering doctor-patient confidentiality laws. The judge ruled in October that prosecutors could keep the items.


2012 Aurora, Colorado shooting, Court proceedings
On March 27, Holmes' lawyers offered a guilty plea in exchange for prosecutors not seeking the death penalty. On April 1, the prosecution announced it had declined the offer. Arapahoe County district attorney George Brauchler said: "It's my determination and my intention that in this case for James Eagan Holmes justice is death."


2012 Aurora, Colorado shooting, Court proceedings
Jury selection started on January 20, 2015. It ended on April 15, 2015.


2012 Aurora, Colorado shooting, Court proceedings, Trial
The trial started on April 27, 2015. The jury consisted of 19 women and five men, two of whom had connections to the Columbine High School massacre. Arapahoe County prosecutors said that Holmes was sane during the shooting and intended to kill all 400 people in the theater, while Holmes' lawyers said he had a psychotic episode during the attack.


2012 Aurora, Colorado shooting, Court proceedings, Trial
On May 7, an FBI agent displayed pieces of evidence at the trial, including Holmes' body armor, an arsenal of weapons, unfired ammunition, and a helmet with strands of his dyed orange hair. Jurors examined the evidence for thirty minutes. Holmes was represented by the Colorado State Public Defender.


2012 Aurora, Colorado shooting, Court proceedings, Trial
On May 26, details of Holmes' notebook, reportedly found in a university mail room addressed to his psychiatrist Lynne Fenton, were entered into evidence at the trial for the first time. The notebook elaborated on Holmes' obsession to kill since ten years prior to the shooting,  his dissatisfaction with life and finding work, as well as health issues. It also had details of his planning for the shooting, which prosecutors said indicated Holmes premeditated the attack. On May 27, Dr. William Reid, a court-appointed psychiatrist, testified that Holmes was mentally ill but legally sane. Reid and another doctor evaluated Holmes in December 2013 and determined that he understood what he was doing. On June 8, a second psychiatrist, Jeffrey Metzner, testified that Holmes was mentally ill but legally sane during the shooting, and suffers from schizoaffective disorder.


2012 Aurora, Colorado shooting, Court proceedings, Trial
On June 9, three jurors were dismissed from the trial due to concerns of their violating orders not to talk about news reports about the case. In the following week, two additional jurors were dismissed; the first due to emotional problems following the shooting of a family member, the second for recognizing a survivor who was wounded in the massacre.


2012 Aurora, Colorado shooting, Court proceedings, Trial
On July 9, Judge Carlos Samour asked Holmes if he would testify in court, and advised him of his rights to do so. Holmes chose not to testify.


2012 Aurora, Colorado shooting, Court proceedings, Trial
By July 10, the prosecution and the defense rested their cases. Closing statements were made on July 14, with formal deliberations beginning the following morning.


2012 Aurora, Colorado shooting, Court proceedings, Verdict and sentencing
On July 16, after jury deliberations, Holmes was found guilty of 24 counts of first-degree murder, 140 counts of attempted first-degree murder, one count of possessing illegal explosives, and a sentence enhancement of a crime of violence. The two murder convictions for each death were first-degree murder or attempted murder after deliberation, and first-degree murder or attempted murder with extreme indifference.


2012 Aurora, Colorado shooting, Court proceedings, Verdict and sentencing
The sentencing phase began on July 22. On July 23, the jury ruled that Holmes acted in a cruel manner, was lying in wait, and ambushed his victims during the shooting, which constitute as aggravating factors. However, the jurors decided that Holmes did not intend to kill children when he opened fire.


2012 Aurora, Colorado shooting, Court proceedings, Verdict and sentencing
On July 27, Holmes' sister stated in her testimony that her brother became withdrawn from the family after they moved from Salinas to San Diego during his early teenage years. On July 28, Holmes' father pleaded for his son's life, stating that he is severely mentally ill. He displayed photos of camping trips and family vacations with Holmes to the jury. On July 30, Holmes' lawyers made a final appeal to the jurors, urging them to consider mental illness in his sentencing despite their rejection of the insanity defense used in the trial. The appeal for clemency was rejected on August 3 under the basis that mitigating factors such as mental illness did not outweigh aggravating factors such as the number of casualties in the massacre.


2012 Aurora, Colorado shooting, Court proceedings, Verdict and sentencing
Holmes was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole on August 7 after jurors failed to reach a unanimous decision over sentencing him to death. Formal sentencing began on August 24 and was expected to last for three days. At the end of the hearing on August 26, Samour formally sentenced Holmes to 12 life imprisonment sentences without parole and a maximum of 3,318 additional years on attempted murder and explosives possession convictions.


2012 Aurora, Colorado shooting, Reactions, Government
The evening after the shooting, a candlelight vigil was held at the site in Aurora. President Barack Obama ordered flags at government buildings flown at half-staff, in tribute to the victims, until July 25. Both Obama's and Mitt Romney's campaigns temporarily suspended television advertising in Colorado for the 2012 presidential election. On July 22, President Obama met with victims and local and state officials and gave a nationally televised speech from Aurora. Many world leaders sent their condolences, including Queen Elizabeth II, French President François Hollande, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Russian President Vladimir Putin, and Pope Benedict XVI.


2012 Aurora, Colorado shooting, Reactions, Entertainment industry
I would not presume to know anything about the victims of the shooting but that they were there last night to watch a movie. I believe movies are one of the great American art forms and the shared experience of watching a story unfold on screen is an important and joyful pastime. The movie theatre is my home, and the idea that someone would violate that innocent and hopeful place in such an unbearably savage way is devastating to me. Nothing any of us can say could ever adequately express our feelings for the innocent victims of this appalling crime, but our thoughts are with them and their families.


2012 Aurora, Colorado shooting, Reactions, Entertainment industry
—Director Christopher Nolan's reaction to the theater shooting in Aurora, Colorado.


2012 Aurora, Colorado shooting, Reactions, Entertainment industry
Warner Bros., the distributor of The Dark Knight Rises, said it was deeply saddened by the shooting. The studio canceled the film's gala premieres in France, Mexico, and Japan, scaled down its marketing campaign in Finland, and decided not to report box office figures for the movie until July 23. Some television advertisements for the film were also canceled. Other major film studios joined Warner Bros. in withholding early box office numbers on July 21. Warner Bros. reportedly made a "substantial" donation to Colorado's Community First Foundation to benefit victims.


2012 Aurora, Colorado shooting, Reactions, Entertainment industry
Christopher Nolan, the film's director, spoke on behalf of his cast and crew and called the event "savage" and "devastating". Christian Bale, who plays Batman in the film series, privately visited victims on July 24. Members of the Colorado Rockies baseball team also visited victims. Members of the Denver Broncos also called or visited individuals at the hospitals.


2012 Aurora, Colorado shooting, Reactions, Entertainment industry
Warner Bros. instructed cinemas to stop screening a trailer for the film Gangster Squad, which preceded The Dark Knight Rises screenings in some cities (though not in Aurora), because it contained a scene involving the main characters shooting at a movie theater audience with machine guns. The film's release date was rescheduled to January 2013, and the theater scene was replaced by a new sequence in a different setting.


2012 Aurora, Colorado shooting, Reactions, Entertainment industry
In the wake of the shooting, DC Comics delayed the release of Batman Incorporated #3, which includes a scene in which a female Leviathan agent brandishes a handgun in a classroom full of children while disguised as a schoolteacher. Warner Bros. Animation reportedly edited the Cartoon Network series Beware the Batman to make the firearms look less realistic.


2012 Aurora, Colorado shooting, Reactions, Entertainment industry
Hans Zimmer, who composed the soundtrack for The Dark Knight Rises, recorded a choral song entitled "Aurora" in honor of the victims. The song was sold for donations that went to a fund for the victims.


2012 Aurora, Colorado shooting, Reactions, Entertainment industry
Cinemark agreed to pay any funeral expenses incurred by the deceased victims' families not covered by the Crime Victims' Compensation Fund. Cinemark closed the entire Century Aurora 16 multiplex in the wake of the shooting but reopened January 17, 2013, with a 40-minute ceremony led by Aurora Mayor Steve Hogan, followed by a showing of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. As of 2020, Cinemark Theatres has not released any photographs or video evidence.


2012 Aurora, Colorado shooting, Reactions, Entertainment industry
Soon after the shooting, police departments and cinemas across the United States and around the world increased security for fear of copycat incidents. In New York City, police officers were deployed to theaters screening the new film.


2012 Aurora, Colorado shooting, Reactions, Entertainment industry
The National Association of Theatre Owners distributed checklists from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to its members and said in a July 21 statement that members were "working closely with local law enforcement agencies and reviewing security procedures". AMC Theatres announced it would "not allow any guests into our theatres in costumes that make other guests feel uncomfortable and we will not permit face-covering masks or fake weapons inside our buildings". Security Director News raised the possibility in a July 23 article that "the massacre could be a Virginia Tech for movie theaters, causing security to become a bigger part of the conversation and more stringent security procedures to be adopted at theaters across the country."


2012 Aurora, Colorado shooting, Reactions, Civil litigation, Cinemark Theaters
Three victims sued Cinemark Theatres in the U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado on September 21, 2012, for the company's alleged negligence in failing to provide adequate safety and security measures. Their attorneys released the statement "Readily available security procedures, security equipment and security personnel would likely have prevented or deterred the gunman from accomplishing his planned assault on the theater's patrons."


2012 Aurora, Colorado shooting, Reactions, Civil litigation, Cinemark Theaters
In response, Cinemark's representation filed a motion to dismiss on September 27, 2012, on the grounds that there was no liability under Colorado law for failure to prevent an unforeseeable criminal act. Cinemark's motion quoted extensively from the landmark California appellate opinion that held McDonald's had no duty of care to prevent the 1984 San Ysidro McDonald's massacre. On October 30, 2012, the court hearing the criminal case against Holmes denied a motion by some of the survivors that would have let them access sealed evidence for review in their civil action against the theater chain. On January 24, 2013, U.S. Magistrate Judge Michael Hegarty issued a recommendation that most of the claims be thrown out, as they were not allowable under Colorado law. He also said claims alleging violations of the Colorado Premises Liability Act could proceed.


2012 Aurora, Colorado shooting, Reactions, Civil litigation, Cinemark Theaters
Judge R. Brooke Jackson stated that for theaters today, "One might reasonably believe that a mass shooting incident in a theater was likely enough (that is, not just a possibility) to be a foreseeable next step in the history of such acts by deranged individuals". Attorney Christina Habas, who represents several theater victims, has said: "We essentially don't have a single photograph, a single piece of evidence that we can show to a jury". In June 2016, a federal judge dismissed the last claims in the lawsuit.


2012 Aurora, Colorado shooting, Reactions, Civil litigation, Cinemark Theaters
In a separate lawsuit in state court, Cinemark was sued by families of the victims, who alleged the theater should have taken greater measures to prevent such a shooting. In May 2016, after years of legal debate, a jury took three hours to deliver a unanimous verdict that the theater chain was not liable to any degree for the tragedy that transpired. The judge allowed Cinemark Theatres to submit a bill of costs to the plaintiffs to recover expenses due to the litigation, as Colorado state law allows for prevailing parties. In September 2016, Cinemark dropped all claims for reimbursement of legal fees.


2012 Aurora, Colorado shooting, Reactions, Civil litigation, University of Colorado
On January 14, 2013, Chantel Blunk, widow of victim Jonathan Blunk, filed a lawsuit against the University of Colorado in federal court. She alleged that a school psychiatrist could have prevented the slaughter by having Holmes detained after he admitted he "fantasized about killing a lot of people". This type of lawsuit had been anticipated in an August 2012 article co-authored by bioethicist Arthur Caplan which discussed the applicability of the landmark California Supreme Court decision in Tarasoff v. Regents of the University of California (1976) to the facts of the Aurora shooting.


2012 Aurora, Colorado shooting, Reactions, Community center
A grassroots community center, Aurora Strong Resilence Center, was established by community leaders, elected officials, and mental health professionals, as a response to the shooting. The center offers therapy for people who experienced traumatic stress from the theater shooting, and also people who were victims of other crimes and refugees who experienced a traumatic event in their country of origin before coming to the U.S.


2012 Aurora, Colorado shooting, Aftermath, Sale of guns and gun control debate
Colorado gun sales spiked after the shooting, with the number of background checks for people seeking to purchase a firearm in the state increasing to 2,887, up 43% from the previous week. Gun sales in Washington, Florida, California, and Georgia also increased. The shooting reignited the political debate on gun control, with one issue being the "easy access" Holmes had to semi-automatic rifles and high-capacity magazines, which were banned federally from 1994 to 2004. The results of a survey released on July 30, 2012, by the Pew Research Center suggested the incident did not change Americans' views on the issue.


2012 Aurora, Colorado shooting, Aftermath, Campaign against media coverage
In 2015, a campaign titled "No Notoriety" was started by the parents of Alexander Teves, who died in the shooting. According to Teves' father, the campaign's incentive is to encourage media outlets to limit the usage of the suspect's name and photos when reporting about the Aurora shooting, as well as other mass shootings that receive national media coverage. In an interview on CNN, Teves' parents said they and the relatives of other victims believe the mass media coverage of Holmes' name and photo may inspire others to commit mass shootings for notoriety.


2012 Aurora, Colorado shooting, Aftermath, Memorial
A memorial to the victims of the attack was installed near Aurora Municipal Center, some 850 m (929.57 yd) from the theater, and dedicated on July 19, 2018, one day before the sixth anniversary of the attack. It consists of a park-like dell with 83 abstract birds, one for each victim. Thirteen of the birds, with translucent wings, are on a center column and represent the twelve dead and the unborn child.


2012 Aurora, Colorado shooting, Aftermath, Memorial
The memorial, titled "Ascentiate," was designed by artist Douwe Blumberg.


2012 Austin Peay Governors football team
The 2012 Austin Peay Governors football team represented Austin Peay State University during the 2012 NCAA Division I FCS football season. They were led by sixth-year head coach Rick Christophel and played their home games at Governors Stadium. They are a member of the Ohio Valley Conference. They finished the season 2–9, 1–7 in OVC play to finish in eighth place.


2012 Austin mayoral election
The 2012 Austin mayoral election was held on May 12, 2012 to elect the mayor of Austin, Texas. It saw the reelection of incumbent mayor Lee Leffingwell.


2012 Austin mayoral election
Due to a shift in the following 2014 election from mayoral elections from being held every three years to being held every four years in United States midterm election years, this was an election to an abbreviated term.


2012 Australia Day Honours
The Australia Day Honours 2012 were appointments to various orders and honours to recognise and reward good works by Australian citizens. The list was announced on 26 January 2012 by the Governor General of Australia, Quentin Bryce.


2012 Australia Day Honours
The Australia Day Honours are the first of the two major annual honours lists, the first announced to coincide with Australia Day (26 January), with the other being the Queen's Birthday Honours, which are announced on the second Monday in June.


2012 Australia Open Grand Prix Gold
The 2012 Australia Open Grand Prix Gold was the third grand prix gold and grand prix tournament of the 2012 BWF Grand Prix Gold and Grand Prix. The tournament was held in Sydney Convention and Exhibition Centre, Sydney, Australia April 3 until April 8, 2012 and had a total purse of $120,000.


2012 Australia national soccer team season
This page summarises the Australia national soccer team fixtures and results in 2012.


2012 Australia national soccer team season, Summary
The year started with Australia topping their group in the third round of the AFC World Cup Qualifiers. During the fourth round, Australia had collected just five points from the first four games. Australia finished the year by debuting in the preliminary rounds of the East Asian Cup and successfully topped the group to qualify for the finals.


2012 Australia national soccer team season, Match results
All times are in the Western Australian time zone, UTC+8.


2012 Australian Baseball League All-Star Game
The 2012 Australian Baseball League All-Star Game, known as the 2012 ConocoPhillips Australia ABL All-Star Game due to naming rights sponsorship from ConocoPhillips, was the second exhibition game held by the Australian Baseball League (ABL) between Team Australia and a team of World All-Stars. The game was held on Sunday, 16 December 2012 at Melbourne Ballpark in Melbourne, Victoria, the new home of the Melbourne Aces. The players involved were selected from the rosters of the six ABL teams, with players not eligible for selection in the Australian team for international tournaments eligible for the World All-Stars.


2012 Australian Baseball League postseason
The 2012 Australian Baseball League postseason, known as the 2012 ConocoPhillips ABL Postseason due to naming rights sponsorship from ConocoPhillips, was being held from 26 January to 12 February 2012. The postseason was contested by four of the six teams participating in the regular season, with the teams with the best winning percentages qualifying.


2012 Australian Baseball League postseason
In the semi-finals, the Adelaide Bite were the first team eliminated, defeated by the Sydney Blue Sox three games to one in Adelaide in the minor semi-final series. The Perth Heat became the first team to qualify for the championship series, by defeating the Melbourne Aces three games to one in the major semi-final series, held in Perth. The Aces defeated the Blue Sox in Melbourne, winning the preliminary final series three games to two. The Heat defeated the Aces for the second postseason series in a row, winning the championship series two games to one, to become ABL Champions in back–to–back seasons.


2012 Australian Baseball League postseason, Format
At the conclusion of the regular season, the postseason involved the teams in a three-round structure. The first- and second-place teams played each other in the major semi-final, the winner of which proceeded directly to the championship series and the loser to the preliminary final. The winner of the minor semi-final between the third- and fourth-place teams also qualified for the preliminary final, while the loser was eliminated. Likewise, the winner of the preliminary final qualified for the championship series, the loser being eliminated. Unlike the previous postseason, where each round consisted of a best-of-three game series, both of the semi-finals and the preliminary final will be played out over best-of-five game series. The championship series once again used a best-of-three game format.


2012 Australian Baseball League postseason, Bracket, Qualification
The Perth Heat were the first team to clinch a postseason position when they defeated the Brisbane Bandits in Perth on 8 January, and then clinched a first place finish in their next game when they defeated the Canberra Cavalry in Canberra on 12 January. The three remaining positions in the postseason, and the teams that would take them, were not determined until the last game was finished. The Melbourne Aces finished a half-game ahead of a four-way tie between the Adelaide Bite, Brisbane Bandits, Canberra Cavalry and Sydney Blue Sox to secure the remaining spot in the major semi-final. The Bite and the Blue Sox finished third and fourth respectively after the ABL's tiebreakers were applied.


2012 Australian Baseball League postseason, Bracket, Qualification
Until only a few hours before their final game of the season, Cavalry officials believed that regardless of the result in the game they would progress to the postseason based on their interpretation of the tiebreaking procedures. However they were informed by the League that was not the case. Canberra's interpretation was that once Adelaide were determined as having finished third, a separate tiebreaker would be held between themselves, Brisbane and Sydney and excluding Adelaide, which would have result in Canberra progressing.


2012 Australian Baseball League postseason, Bracket, Qualification
The actual process used was to continue with the next level of the tiebreaker as Brisbane and Sydney as they were still level after using the head-to-head records between the four teams. As Sydney had won their season series with Brisbane 5-4, Sydney claimed the final postseason position, Brisbane were left in fifth place, and Canberra in sixth.


2012 Australian Capital Territory general election
Elections to the Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly occurred on Saturday, 20 October 2012. The 11-year incumbent Labor Party, led by Chief Minister Katy Gallagher, won a fourth term over the main opposition Liberal Party, led by opposition leader Zed Seselja.


2012 Australian Capital Territory general election
Candidates are elected to fill all 17 Legislative Assembly seats in the unicameral parliament which consists of three multi-member electorates, Brindabella (five seats), Ginninderra (five seats) and Molonglo (seven seats), using a proportional representation single transferable vote method known as the Hare-Clark system. The election was conducted by the ACT Electoral Commission.


2012 Australian Capital Territory general election, Background
The incumbent Labor Party led by Chief Minister Katy Gallagher attempted to win re-election for a historic fourth term after 11 years in government in the 17-member unicameral ACT Legislative Assembly. Labor, led by Jon Stanhope, formed a minority government after the 2008 election, with Greens holding the balance of power – Labor 7 seats (37.4%), Liberal 6 seats (31.6%), Greens 4 seats (15.6%). Stanhope resigned as Chief Minister and Labor leader on 12 May 2011, and was replaced by his deputy, Katy Gallagher.


2012 Australian Capital Territory general election, Background
All members of the unicameral Assembly faced re-election, with members being elected by the Hare-Clark system of proportional representation. The Assembly is divided into three electorates: five-member Brindabella (including Tuggeranong and parts of the Woden Valley) and Ginninderra (including Belconnen and suburbs) and seven-member Molonglo (including North Canberra, South Canberra, Gungahlin, Weston Creek, and the remainder of the Woden Valley). Election dates are set in statute with four-year fixed terms.


2012 Australian Capital Territory general election, Candidates
Nine political parties were registered with the ACT Electoral Office as eligible for the October 2012 election.


2012 Australian Capital Territory general election, Candidates
Three further organisations—Pirate Party Australia, Australian Democrats and No Carbon Tax Climate Sceptics—were not registered as political parties in the ACT, however had stated they intended to nominate candidates to be listed on ballot papers as independents.


2012 Australian Capital Territory general election, Candidates, Brindabella
Five seats were up for election. The Labor Party was defending two seats. The Liberal Party was defending two seats. The Greens were defending one seat.


2012 Australian Capital Territory general election, Candidates, Ginninderra
Five seats were up for election. The Labor Party was defending two seats. The Liberal Party was defending two seats. The Greens were defending one seat.


2012 Australian Capital Territory general election, Candidates, Molonglo
Seven seats were up for election. The Labor Party was defending three seats. The Liberal Party was defending two seats. The Greens were defending two seats.


2012 Australian Capital Territory general election, Candidates, Molonglo
Elected in this election were 3 Labour (Barr, Corbell, Gallagher), 2 Liberals (Doszpot, Hanson), and two Greens (Le Coutour, Rattenbury)


2012 Australian Capital Territory general election, Results, Territory-wide vote
Australian Capital Territory general election, 20 October 2012Legislative Assembly << 2008–2016 >>


2012 Australian Capital Territory general election, Results, Ginninderra Effect
Owing to the peculiarities of the ACT's Hare-Clark voting system, Greens candidate Meredith Hunter was excluded from the count prior to the election of the ALP's Chris Bourke and Yvette Berry after polling a quota a one point of 0.79 to the ALP's 2.69.


2012 Australian Capital Territory general election, Results, Ginninderra Effect
However, instead of the excess ALP quota being held by the 2nd place candidate, and the surplus electing Hunter, (as would traditionally occur in federal Australian Senate style election), it was evenly distributed between the second and third candidates, whom with other preferences individually polled above Hunter at the point of the count where the Green's candidate was excluded. This has been described by psephologist Kevin Bonham as 'getting Ginninderraed' or the 'Ginninderra effect'. This was later seen in the 2014 Tasmanian State Election with ALP candidate Brenton Best losing the fifth seat in the state electorate of Braddon.


2012 Australian Capital Territory general election, Formation of Government
After the distribution of preferences neither of the two major parties had won sufficient number of seats to form government in their own right and would need the support of the sole Greens representative Shane Rattenbury.


2012 Australian Capital Territory general election, Formation of Government
While Labour leader Katy Gallagher wanted to renew the cooperation with the Greens from the previous election period, Liberal leader Zed Seselja argued that in the light of the overall losses of the previous Labour-Green alliance, the strong Liberal gain of 7.3%, and a historic tie in both seats and percentage (38.9% for each major party), with his party having received 41 more preference votes than Labour, the Liberals as the formally strongest party should lead the new government.


2012 Australian Capital Territory general election, Formation of Government
After a week of negotiations with both major parties, Shane Rattenburry came to a formal agreement with the Labor Party in order to form a coalition government, which meant that he would be appointed to the cabinet, and implement nearly 100 policies and reforms mainly regarding the rail network in Canberra, the clean up of Canberra's lakes, the ACT's climate change targets, the Gonski education reforms and the reduction of homelessness.


2012 Australian Capital Territory general election, Formation of Government
Despite "constructive conversations" with the Liberals Rattenbury justified the decision with the greater closeness between the two parties' policies, which would allow a "stable government", Gallagher's "more substantial agenda" and the Liberals' perceived irresponsibility towards progressive tax reforms. Another reason discussed by the press was that Seselja did not want to give a minister post to Rattenbury. As a result of Rattenbury's promotion to the cabinet, Gallagher planned to enlarge the cabinet to six ministers.