1 flash flood, as filed by the National Weather Service.
Every event with a place to put it; 1 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.
Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.
The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.
NWS Mobile, AL wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Jul 19, 11:30 AM CST, 5 hours 50 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MOBILE AL 1230 PM CDT SAT JUL 19 2003 .SHORT TERM...WILL BE BRIEF GIVEN ONGOING WEATHER SITUATION. ESSENTIALLY MID- AND UPPER NLY FLOW PERSISTS THRU 2 DAYS GIVEN MEAN UPPER LWAVE TROF POSITION. PERIODIC PIECES OF MOMENTUM INITIATING DEEP CONVECTIVE COMPLEXES THAT LATER ADVECT SWD IN DEEP LYR WIND FLOW INTO OUR AREA AND THEN OFFSHORE. HAS RESULTED IN INCREASED EVENING TSTM COVERAGES AND TSTMS FIRING A LITTLE EARLIER THAN USUAL OVER INLAND COUNTIES PAST 2 DAYS. SMALL HAIL THREAT AND DAMAGING WIND THREAT POSSIBLE INTO THE LATE EVENING GIVEN LOCAL MICROBURST ANALYSIS. THE SYNOPTIC PATTERN LOOKS VERY COLD SEASON LIKE AS SERIES OF SWAVES MOVE ACROSS NRN PERIPHERY OF WRN US RIDGE...EMERGE ON LEE SIDE OF ROCKIES AND FALL INTO MEAN LWAVE TROF POSTN OVER ERN THIRD US. THE NET EFFECT FOR US IS THAT SFC RIDGE CURRENTLY OVER N CNTRL GLFMEX BREAKS DOWN AND IS REPLACED BY BROAD AREA OF SYNOP LOW PRES INLAND. THIS INCREASES SFC PRES GRAD FORCE OVER COASTAL WATERS THAT YIELDS PERIOD OF INCREASED SEA HGTS AND NEAR 15 KT WINDS AS STRONG COLD FRONT DEVELOPS AND MOVES INTO DEEP S BY MID WEEK. .EXTENDED...CURRENTLY...THE 19.00 MRF FORECASTS FROPA OVER THE ENTIRE AREA SOMETIME AROUND WED AFTERNOON AND EVENING (INCLUDING COASTAL WATERS). GIVEN MEAN LWAVE TROF AND WITH SUCH A SUCCESSION OF SWAVES MOVG VIRTUALLY DUE S FROM MID LATITUDES A NEG TILT LWAVE TROF EVOLUTIONARY TYPE OF EVENT IS NOT OUT OF THE QUESTION. 19.00 MRF MAY BE TOO VIGOROUS WITH SWD EXTENT OF MOVMENT OF COLD FRONT INTO DEEP SOUTH. FOR THIS REASON...WILL TREAD LIGHTLY INTO REMOVING ALL POPS BY FRI (DAY 6) AND SAT (DAY 7)...BUT AM TRENDING THAT WAY GIVEN VIGOR OF SYSTEM. HAVE LOWERED POPS 10-20 ACROSS THE BOARD AND WILL WATCH IT ANOTHER RUN. HOWEVER...IT DOES LOOK LIKE WE ARE IN FOR A DRIER PATTERN WITH NOTICEABLE DECREASING IN AFTERN SFC RH VALUES. .MARINE AND FIRE...NO FIRE CONCERNS. AGREE WITH PREVIOUS SHIFT. WILL MAINTAIN A LGT TO MOD SWLYWLY FLOW THROUGH THE FORECAST PACKAGE. GFS STILL ADVERTISING MODERATE WINDS 15 TO 20 KTS EARLY NEXT WEEK AS IT DEVELOPS A TIGHTER COASTAL GRADIENT....THOUGH WILL STAY CLOSE TO WITH CURRENT FORECAST...10 TO 15 KNOTS...DUE TO LOW CONFIDENCE IN THE GFS NEAR THE SFC THROUGH TIME. WILL REFLECT FRONT MOVG INTO COASTL WATERS LATE WED-EARLY THU. 23 MEDLIN 05 GARMON .PRELIMINARY TEMPS / POPS... MOBILE 74 88 75 / 50 50 30 PENSACOLA 75 91 76 / 50 40 30 DESTIN 77 88 77 / 40 40 20 EVERGREEN 70 91 71 / 50 50 30 WAYNESBORO 73 91 73 / 50 60 40 CAMDEN 72 93 73 / 50 50 30 .MOB... AL...NONE. FL...NONE. MS...NONE.
ALZ051>064-FLZ001>006-MSZ067-075-076-078-079-191700- HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MOBILE AL 630 AM CDT SAT JUL 19 2003 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR SOUTHWEST ALABAMA...INTERIOR SOUTHEAST MISSISSIPPI AND THE WESTERN FLORIDA PANHANDLE. .DAY ONE...(TODAY AND TONIGHT) SCATTERED TO NUMEROUS THUNDERSTORMS CAN BE EXPECTED ACROSS THE REGION TODAY. SOME OF THE STRONGER THUNDERSTORMS COULD PRODUCE WIND GUSTS TO AROUND 50 MPH OR SMALL TO MEDIUM SIZE HAIL. FREQUENT CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING WILL BE LIKELY WITH MOST THUNDERSTORMS THROUGH THIS EVENING. A SLIGHT RISK FOR SEVERE THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT IS ALSO IN EFFECT FOR EXTREME NORTHERN OR INLAND SECTIONS OF SOUTHEAST MISSISSIPPI AND SOUTHWEST ALABAMA. DAMAGING WINDS AND MEDIUM TO LARGE HAIL WILL BE THE MAIN THREAT WITH THESE STORMS OVER THE COASTAL WATERS...ISOLATED WATERSPOUTS WILL BE POSSIBLE. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...(SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY) SCATTERED ...MAINLY AFTERNOON AND EVENING THUNDERSTORMS CAN BE EXPECTED EACH DAY. OTHERWISE...NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED. .SPOTTER CALL TO ACTION STATEMENT... EMERGENCY MANAGER AND STORM SPOTTER ACTIVATION SHOULD NOT BE REQUIRED FOR SEVERE WEATHER PURPOSES TODAY.
ALZ051>064-FLZ001>006-MSZ067-075-076-078-079-192030- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MOBILE AL 208 PM CDT SAT JUL 19 2003 ...SEVERAL STRONG THUNDERSTORMS ARE BEING DETECTED ACROSS SOUTHEAST MISSISSIPPI...SOUTH ALABAMA...AND THE WESTERN FLORIDA PANHANDLE THIS AFTERNOON... NWS DOPPLER WEATHER RADAR CONTINUES TO SHOW THE DEVELOPMENT OF NUMEROUS THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS THE REGION THIS AFTERNOON. SEVERAL STORMS ARE STRONG...LIKELY PRODUCING WIND GUSTS NEAR 45 MPH...SMALL HAIL...AND FREQUENT DEADLY LIGHTNING STRIKES. THE THUNDERSTORMS ARE MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 20 MPH. THE STRONGEST STORMS NOTED ON RADAR ARE ACROSS CENTRAL GEORGE COUNTY MISSISSIPPI...NORTHWEST MOBILE COUNTY ALABAMA...NORTHERN CLARKE COUNTY ALABAMA...NORTHERN COVINGTON COUNTY ALABAMA...AND ACROSS NORTHWEST ESCAMBIA COUNTY FLORIDA. ALTHOUGH BELOW SEVERE LIMITS...THESE STORMS COULD DOWN SMALL TREE LIMBS OR BRANCHES AND BLOW AROUND UNSECURED SMALL OBJECTS. FREQUENT CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING STRIKES ARE LIKELY...AND PERIODS OF HEAVY RAIN COULD RESULT IN BRIEF PONDING OF WATER AROUND LOW LYING...FLOOD PRONE AREAS. SCATTERED TO NUMEROUS THUNDERSTORMS WILL REMAIN POSSIBLE ACROSS THE REGION THROUGH LATE AFTERNOON. PERSONS IN OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES SHOULD KEEP AN EYE OUT FOR THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT IN THEIR AREA. SHOULD STORMS THREATEN...MOVE INDOORS QUICKLY. KEEP AWAY FROM ELECTRICAL APPLIANCES AND WINDOWS.
ALZ063-064-FLZ002>006-192130- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MOBILE AL 325 PM CDT SAT JUL 19 2003 ...THUNDERSTORM ADVISORY FOR SOUTHWEST ALABAMA AND NORTHWEST FLORIDA UNTIL 430 PM CDT... NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS FROM NEAR BAKER FLORIDA TO GRAND BAY ALABAMA...MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 20 MPH. THE LINE OF STORMS WILL AFFECT AREAS IN AND AROUND...CANTONMENT... BAKER...SILVERHILL...ROBERTSDALE THROUGH 345 PM CDT. BY 415 PM CDT THE STORMS WILL AFFECT THE BEACH COMMUNITIES FROM DAUPHIN ISLAND TO PENSACOLA AND WEST TO DESTIN. THE PRIMARY THREATS FROM THESE STORMS ARE STRONG WIND GUSTS TO NEAR 40 MPH...SMALL HAIL...DANGEROUS LIGHTNING...AND HEAVY RAIN. A FEW OF THESE STORMS COULD PRODUCE RAINFALL AMOUNTS OF ONE TO TWO INCHES IN A SHORT PERIOD OF TIME...RESULTING IN BRIEF PONDING OF WATER AROUND LOW LYING AREAS. REMEMBER...DO NOT DRIVE YOUR VEHICLE INTO WATER COVERED ROADWAYS. THE DEPTH MAY BE TOO GREAT TO ALLOW A SAFE CROSSING. ALTHOUGH BELOW SEVERE LIMITS...THESE STORMS COULD DOWN SMALL TREE LIMBS OR BRANCHES AND BLOW AROUND UNSECURED SMALL OBJECTS. FREQUENT CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING STRIKES ARE LIKELY...AND PERIODS OF HEAVY RAIN COULD RESULT IN BRIEF PONDING OF WATER AROUND LOW LYING...FLOOD PRONE AREAS.
ALZ051-192330- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MOBILE AL 545 PM CDT SAT JUL 19 2003 ...A THUNDERSTORM ADVISORY IS IN EFFECT FOR CHOCTAW COUNTY UNTIL 630 PM CDT... NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A THUNDERSTORM NEAR NEEDHAM...DRIFTING SOUTH AT 5 MPH. THE THUNDERSTORM WILL AFFECT AREAS IN AND AROUND... NEEDHAM...WATER VALLEY AND PARAGON THROUGH 615 PM CDT. THE PRIMARY THREATS FROM THIS STORM ARE STRONG WIND GUSTS TO NEAR 40 MPH...SMALL HAIL...DANGEROUS LIGHTNING...AND HEAVY RAIN. THIS STORM COULD PRODUCE RAINFALL AMOUNTS OF ONE TO TWO INCHES IN A SHORT PERIOD OF TIME...RESULTING IN BRIEF PONDING OF WATER AROUND LOW LYING AREAS. REMEMBER...DO NOT DRIVE YOUR VEHICLE INTO WATER COVERED ROADWAYS. THE DEPTH MAY BE TOO GREAT TO ALLOW A SAFE CROSSING. ALTHOUGH BELOW SEVERE LIMITS...THIS STORM COULD DOWN SMALL TREE LIMBS OR BRANCHES AND BLOW AROUND UNSECURED SMALL OBJECTS. FREQUENT CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING STRIKES ARE LIKELY.
The Mobile radar (KMOB), 149 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 23:21 UTC.
1 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.
Heavy rains from slow moving thunderstorms caused street flooding in and around Needham. Several secondary roads around Needham were impassable because of high water and were closed for about an hour. Four inches of rainfall was estimated in an hours time near Needham.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Alabama in 2003Every state in 2003This day in weather historyWarnings in Alabama, July 2003
NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5372600.