Hurricane Claudette (2003)

Basin

North Atlantic

Dates

July 7, 2003 to July 17, 2003

Peak strength

Category 1, 80 kt (92 mph)

Lowest pressure

979 mb (28.91 inHg)

Landfall

Yes

Accumulated cyclone energy

9.2

Tropical-storm-force wind reached

140 nmi (259 km, 161 mi) from the center at its widest

Eyewall radius at its peak

15 nmi (28 km, 17 mi)

Overall size

180 nmi (333 km, 207 mi) to the outermost closed isobar

Fastest the center moved

28 kt (32 mph)

Identifier

AL042003

Radar at KCRP as it neared land, Jul 15, 15:30 UTC

The sources count different things and are not added together.

Landfall points the US agencies flagged in the best track. The nearest town is named from the site’s gazetteer, not from the report.

NOAA’s Storm Events database, the record National Weather Service offices compile months after a storm, as compiled March 2026.

Deaths

1 (1 direct, 0 indirect)

Injuries

2

Property damage

$15 million

Crop damage

$3.1 million

Events recorded

43 in 16 reports from 1 states and marine areas

State by state

What was recorded

13 tropical storm, 10 hurricane (typhoon), 6 high wind, 4 flood, 4 flash flood, 3 high surf, 2 tornado, 1 thunderstorm wind.

2 tornadoes recorded in the United States, strongest first.

The Weather Prediction Center attributes 498 rain gauge totals over the contiguous United States to this storm. The wettest reached 6.62 inches (168 mm).

WPC’s storm rainfall file, 1900 to 2020, compiled by David Roth.

The strongest winds National Weather Service offices recorded with this storm. An estimated figure is a forecaster’s judgment from the damage, not an instrument reading.

From the Storm Events narratives, unedited.

Former Hurricane Claudette, now Tropical Storm Claudette, produced widespread damage in Karnes County, knocking over hundreds of trees and power poles. Major damage was reported to14 homes, along with minor damage to another 237. Nearly every home in Kenedy reported some type of damage. Most of the damage was caused to roofs by a combination of high winds and falling trees. An unofficial weather station at a manufacturing plant in Kenedy recorded a peak wind gust of 106 mph. However, the wind instrument was blown over to the side prior to the recorded gust, making the report of uncertain reliability. The storm knocked over several dozen power poles and hundreds of people without power for a period of several days. The cost to repair electric services was estimated at $400,000.

Karnes, Texas · Tropical Storm · Jul 15, 20:00 UTC

The high winds from former Hurricane Claudette, now Tropical Storm Claudette, struck in the evening of July 15 and continued through most of the night - mainly over the southern part of the county. Winds were unofficially estimated at between 60 and 70 mph with gusts near 80 mph. About 100 homes lost power for a period of several hours to two days. 5 to 6 trailers were blown over by the high winds along mile markers 81 and 91 of I-37 in southern Atascosa County. Minor damage was reported to 6 homes, most of it to the roofs. The greatest tragedy of the Hurricane occurred near 7 pm in the evening when a 13 year-old boy from Jourdanton was leaving his front yard to get in a vehicle. Just before he entered the vehicle, a large tree was blown over by the high winds and landed on top of him. In spite of rapid response by neighbors and EMS, the youth died.

Atascosa, Texas · Tropical Storm · Jul 16, 00:00 UTC

• Tropical Storm AnaNorth Atlantic · 2003Tropical Storm50 kt · 994 mb
• Unnamed tropical depressionNorth Atlantic · 2003Tropical Depression30 kt · 1008 mb
• Tropical Storm BillNorth Atlantic · 2003Tropical Storm50 kt · 997 mb
• Hurricane DannyNorth Atlantic · 2003Cat 165 kt · 1000 mb
• Unnamed tropical depressionNorth Atlantic · 2003Tropical Depression30 kt · 1010 mb
• Unnamed tropical depressionNorth Atlantic · 2003Tropical Depression30 kt · 1016 mb
• Hurricane ErikaNorth Atlantic · 2003 · 2 deaths · $12,000Cat 165 kt · 986 mb
• Unnamed tropical depressionNorth Atlantic · 2003Tropical Depression30 kt · 1007 mb
• Hurricane FabianNorth Atlantic · 2003Cat 4125 kt · 939 mb
• Tropical Storm GraceNorth Atlantic · 2003Tropical Storm35 kt · 1007 mb
• Tropical Storm HenriNorth Atlantic · 2003Tropical Storm50 kt · 997 mb
• Hurricane IsabelNorth Atlantic · 2003Cat 5145 kt · 915 mb
• Unnamed tropical depressionNorth Atlantic · 2003Tropical Depression30 kt · 1007 mb
• Hurricane JuanNorth Atlantic · 2003Cat 290 kt · 969 mb
• Hurricane KateNorth Atlantic · 2003Cat 3110 kt · 952 mb
• Tropical Storm LarryNorth Atlantic · 2003Tropical Storm55 kt · 993 mb
• Tropical Storm MindyNorth Atlantic · 2003Tropical Storm40 kt · 1002 mb
• Tropical Storm NicholasNorth Atlantic · 2003Tropical Storm60 kt · 990 mb
• Tropical Storm OdetteNorth Atlantic · 2003Tropical Storm55 kt · 993 mb
• Tropical Storm PeterNorth Atlantic · 2003Tropical Storm60 kt · 990 mb

A best track is the record a warning agency settles on after the storm, not what it said at the time: position, maximum sustained wind and central pressure every six hours, revised against every observation that came in later. Category is the Saffir-Simpson scale, which runs from Category 1 at 64 kt to Category 5 at 137 kt and reads wind only, so it says nothing about surge or rain. Accumulated cyclone energy adds up the square of the wind through the storm's life, so it counts strength and duration together.

Storm history from NOAA NCEI’s International Best Track Archive for Climate Stewardship (IBTrACS), which merges the official best track of every warning agency. Live storms, cones, watches and warnings from the National Hurricane Center and the Central Pacific Hurricane Center. Archived radar from NOAA’s Level II archive.

• Tropical cyclone report, National Hurricane Center
• Every advisory and discussion NHC issued while it was live
• Wikipedia article: Hurricane Claudette