Storms of 2003
Every storm the National Weather Service filed in 2003, month by month, kind by kind and state by state. From 1996 the record holds 48 kinds of event with each office’s narrative; before that, tornadoes, hail and thunderstorm wind only, and before 1955 tornadoes alone.
2003 on the map
The 600 most significant episodes of 2003, colored by kind of event.
- Tornadoes
- Tropical storms and surge
- Floods
- Wind
- Hail
- Winter weather
- Heat and drought
- Cold
- Fire, smoke and dust
- Marine and coastal
- Other
The year
- Events
- 52,955
- Deaths
- 443
- Injuries
- 2,931
- Damage
- $11 billion
- Episodes
- 18,876
Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.
By month
By kind of event
Deaths, injuries and damage are counted under the kind that heads each episode.
| Kind of event | Events | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 13,915 | 10 | 174 | $712 million |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 11,996 | 5 | 129 | $122 million |
| Flash Flood | 3,936 | 88 | 216 | $2.0 billion |
| Winter Storm | 3,569 | 16 | 50 | $64 million |
| Heavy Snow | 2,851 | 1 | 5 | $48 million |
| High Wind | 2,305 | 14 | 37 | $74 million |
| Flood | 2,259 | 17 | 13 | $490 million |
| Winter Weather | 1,623 | 4 | 12 | $451,000 |
| Tornado | 1,535 | 63 | 1,152 | $1.9 billion |
| Marine Thunderstorm Wind | 1,446 | 2 | 2 | $3.2 million |
| Drought | 974 | 0 | 0 | $1.2 billion |
| Heavy Rain | 934 | 3 | 3 | $72 million |
| Strong Wind | 757 | 7 | 25 | $6.5 million |
| Lightning | 741 | 36 | 173 | $11 million |
| Cold/Wind Chill | 390 | 14 | 14 | $910,000 |
| Frost/Freeze | 356 | 0 | 0 | $11 million |
| Funnel Cloud | 349 | 0 | 0 | |
| Heat | 315 | 36 | 174 | $2,000 |
| Wildfire | 312 | 26 | 267 | $2.4 billion |
| Extreme Cold/Wind Chill | 309 | 6 | 0 | $17 million |
| Dense Fog | 305 | 5 | 43 | $1.7 million |
| Tropical Storm | 280 | 10 | 234 | $880 million |
| Ice Storm | 279 | 6 | 31 | $278 million |
| Waterspout | 238 | 0 | 0 | |
| Blizzard | 223 | 0 | 4 | $93 million |
| High Surf | 213 | 12 | 8 | $4.2 million |
| Storm Surge/Tide | 207 | 1 | 11 | $64 million |
| Hurricane (Typhoon) | 76 | 6 | 2 | $1.0 billion |
| Debris Flow | 58 | 1 | 6 | $2.2 million |
| Rip Current | 46 | 41 | 47 | |
| Marine Hail | 41 | 0 | 0 | |
| Dust Storm | 40 | 2 | 92 | $714,000 |
| Sleet | 28 | 0 | 0 | |
| Volcanic Ash | 24 | 0 | 0 | |
| Dust Devil | 14 | 1 | 0 | $130,000 |
| Avalanche | 11 | 10 | 7 | $15,000 |
The deadliest
- Flash Flooding and Debris Flow in California, December 25, 2003
- Wildfire in California, October 25 to 31, 2003
- Tornadoes and Flash Flooding in Tennessee, May 4 to 5, 2003
- Flash Flood in Kansas, August 30 to 31, 2003
- Rip Current in Florida, June 8, 2003
- Tornado in Missouri, May 4, 2003
- Flash Flood in New York, June 13 to 14, 2003
- Flash Flooding and Hail in North Carolina, June 16, 2003
- Wildfire in California, October 25 to 31, 2003
- Flash Flooding and Flood in Ohio, July 21 to 24, 2003
- Flash Flood in American Samoa, May 19, 2003
- Tornado in Georgia, March 20, 2003
- Tornado in Missouri, May 4, 2003
- Tornadoes and Flash Flooding in Tennessee, May 4 to 7, 2003
- Cold in Pennsylvania, January 14 to 29, 2003
- Heat in Pennsylvania, July 4 to 9, 2003
- Flash Flood in Maryland, November 19, 2003
- Tropical Storm in Virginia, September 18 to 19, 2003
- Tornado in Missouri, May 4, 2003
- Flash Flooding in Puerto Rico, April 17, 2003
- Tornado in Kansas, May 4, 2003
- Tornado in Kansas, May 4, 2003
- Flash Flooding and Hail in Georgia, July 10, 2003
- Flash Flood in California, August 26, 2003
- High Wind in Pennsylvania, November 13, 2003
The costliest
- Wildfire in California, October 25 to 31, 2003
- Flash Flood in Alabama, May 7 to 8, 2003
- Wildfire in California, October 25 to 31, 2003
- Drought in Iowa, August 1 to 31, 2003
- Tropical Storm in Maryland, September 18 to 19, 2003
- Hurricane in Virginia, September 18 to 19, 2003
- Hurricane in North Carolina, September 17 to 19, 2003
- Tornadoes and Hail in Oklahoma, May 8, 2003
- Drought in Iowa, August 1 to 31, 2003
- Wildfire in California, November 1 to 5, 2003
- Tornadoes and Flash Flooding in Mississippi, April 6 to 7, 2003
- Drought in Texas, December 1 to 31, 2003
- Flash Flooding and Flood in Ohio, July 21 to 24, 2003
- Ice Storm in Michigan, April 3 to 5, 2003
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Ohio, April 20, 2003
- Tornadoes and Hail in Missouri, May 4, 2003
- Tropical Storm in District of Columbia, September 18 to 19, 2003
- Tornadoes and Flash Flooding in Tennessee, May 4 to 5, 2003
- Blizzard and Winter Storm in Colorado, March 17 to 19, 2003
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Illinois, July 20 to 21, 2003
- Tornado in Florida, August 7, 2003
- Wildfire in California, October 26 to 31, 2003
- Flash Flooding in Ohio, July 27, 2003
- Wildfire in Arizona, June 17 to 30, 2003
- Wildfire in Arizona, July 1 to 15, 2003
By state
Events filed in each state in 2003.
- Alabama1,143
- Alaska334
- American Samoa13
- Arizona261
- Arkansas1,262
- California823
- Colorado1,384
- Connecticut129
- Delaware181
- District of Columbia31
- Florida920
- Georgia1,846
- Guam31
- Hawaii308
- Idaho312
- Illinois1,765
- Indiana1,422
- Iowa1,646
- Kansas2,547
- Kentucky1,488
- Louisiana525
- Maine446
- Maryland793
- Massachusetts256
- Michigan1,022
- Minnesota1,050
- Mississippi1,197
- Missouri2,530
- Montana887
- Nebraska1,381
- Nevada164
- New Hampshire180
- New Jersey920
- New Mexico445
- New York1,101
- North Carolina1,939
- North Dakota583
- Ohio1,739
- Oklahoma1,975
- Oregon410
- Pennsylvania1,591
- Puerto Rico245
- Rhode Island48
- South Carolina789
- South Dakota1,207
- Tennessee1,737
- Texas3,224
- U.S. Virgin Islands23
- Utah419
- Vermont276
- Virginia2,027
- Washington270
- West Virginia866
- Wisconsin759
- Wyoming360
Coastal and lake waters
More from this year
Tornadoes in 2003The 2003 hurricane seasonEvery warning issued in 2003This day in weather history
Sources
NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24.