Funnel Cloud, Sumter
- When
- May 17, 5:35 PM CST
- Where
- Sumter County, Cuba
- Reported by
- LAW ENFORCEMENT
- Coordinates
- 32.591, -88.199 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
A funnel cloud was reported in Cuba.
Funnel Cloud in Alabama, May 17, 2003
1 funnel cloud, as filed by the National Weather Service.
Where it happened
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.
- Tornadoes
- Tropical storms and surge
- Floods
- Wind
- Hail
- Winter weather
- Heat and drought
- Cold
- Fire, smoke and dust
- Marine and coastal
- Other
The toll
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- None recorded
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 1
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.
What forecasters said that day
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 Birmingham, AL wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at May 17, 1:45 PM CST, 3 hours 50 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, May 17, 1:45 PM CST, 3 hours 50 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM, AL 245 PM CDT SAT MAY 17 2003 SQUALL LINE THAT WAS PUSHING FROM MS INTO AL DURING THE DAY PRODUCED HEAVY RAIN IN WESTERN AL. PRIMARY THREAT THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING WILL BE INSTABILITY IN THE WARM SECTOR AHEAD OF THE GUST FRONT CAUSING LARGE HAIL AND TORNADOES. A TORNADO WATCH WILL CONTINUE UNTIL 10PM. A FLASH FLOOD WATCH WILL CONTINUE THROUGH TONIGHT. MIDDAY SOUNDING HAS H5 TEMPERATURE 2 DEGREES COOLER. SLOW MOVING CUT OFF UPPER LOW OVER EASTERN AR STILL FORECAST TO MOVE SOUTHWARD INTO MS AND EVENTUALLY SE LA AND INTO THE GULF BY MONDAY MORNING. FLOW AROUND THE LOW WILL CONTINUE TO BRING GULF MOISTURE INTO THE STATE. EVEN THROUGH THE LOW FILLS WITH TIME... STILL ENOUGH ASSOCIATED INSTABILITY TO PRODUCE ANOTHER ROUND OF THUNDERSTORMS SUNDAY AFTERNOON ALTHOUGH HELICITY...CAPE... AND LI NOT AS IMPRESSIVE AS TODAY. SPC HAS SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE WEATHER OUTLOOKED FOR THE AREA. WILL HAVE TO CONTINUE TO WATCH FOR SEVERE WEATHER AND FLOODING RAIN. BEYOND THE WEEKEND... MOISTURE AND AFTERNOON SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE INTO NEXT WEEK. A FRONT MOVES INTO THE STATE AND STALLS OUT WED NIGHT INTO THU MORNING. MAY SEE SOME DRIER AIR BY THE END OF NEXT WEEK. PRELIMINARY NUMBERS FOR COORDINATION PURPOSES ONLY. BHM 070/083 068/085 066 45343 MGM 071/085 070/085 068 45333 .BHM...FLASH FLOOD WATCH THIS EVENING AND TONIGHT ALZ011>015-017>028-030>036 KEG 87
Hazardous weather outlook, May 17, 12:00 PM CST, 5 hours 35 minutes before
ALZ011>015-017>050-172000- HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL 100 PM CDT SAT MAY 17 2003 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR THE COUNTIES SERVED BY THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OFFICE IN BIRMINGHAM. .DAY ONE (THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT)... THERE IS A SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS THE ENTIRE FORECAST AREA THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT. AN UPPER LEVEL LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM WILL SLOWLY MOVE EASTWARD TOWARD THE AREA. WITH WARM AND UNSTABLE AIR IN PLACE...STRONG TO SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE POSSIBLE OVER THE AREA THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT. THE PRIMARY HAZARDS FROM THE STORMS WILL BE DAMAGING WINDS AND LARGE HAIL...ALTHOUGH AN ISOLATED TORNADO IS POSSIBLE. HEAVY RAINFALL WILL BE LIKELY ACROSS THE AREA...MAINLY THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT...WHICH MAY LEAD TO FLASH FLOODING. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN (SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY)... SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS AND HEAVY RAINFALL ARE POSSIBLE ON SUNDAY AS THE UPPER LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM MOVES ACROSS THE AREA. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... STORM SPOTTERS AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT PERSONNEL HAVE BEEN ACTIVATED FOR THIS AFTERNOON...AND WILL LIKELY BE REQUIRED FOR TONIGHT.
In the hours before
Local storm report, May 17, 1:07 PM CST, 4 hours 28 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
207 PM CDT SAT MAY 17 2003
TIME(CDT) .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE ...EVENT/REMARKS...
....COUNTY LOCATION....
0155 PM FOSTERS AL FUNNEL CLOUD
05/17/03 TUSCALOOSA REPORTED BY TUSCALOOSA
COUNTY EMA.
0200 PM 6 N FOSTERS AL 0.75 IN HAIL
05/17/03 TUSCALOOSA REPORTED BY TUSCALOOSA
COUNTY EMA.
0202 PM 6 N FOSTERS AL 1.00 IN HAIL
05/17/03 TUSCALOOSA REPORTED BY TUSCALOOSA
COUNTY EMA.Local storm report, May 17, 1:19 PM CST, 4 hours 16 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
219 PM CDT SAT MAY 17 2003
TIME(CDT) .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE ...EVENT/REMARKS...
....COUNTY LOCATION....
0216 PM TUSCALOOSA AL 1.25 IN HAIL
05/17/03 TUSCALOOSA REPORTED AT AIRPORT BY
TUSCALOOSA COUNTY EMA.Local storm report, May 17, 1:26 PM CST, 4 hours 9 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
226 PM CDT SAT MAY 17 2003
TIME(CDT) .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE ...EVENT/REMARKS...
....COUNTY LOCATION....
0222 PM NORTHPORT AL 1.75 IN HAIL
05/17/03 TUSCALOOSA REPORTED BY TUSCALOOSA
COUNTY EMA.Local storm report, May 17, 2:03 PM CST, 3 hours 32 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
303 PM CDT SAT MAY 17 2003
TIME(CDT) .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE ...EVENT/REMARKS...
....COUNTY LOCATION....
0222 PM FOSTERS AL WIND DAMAGE
05/17/03 TUSCALOOSA NUMEROUS TREES DOWN.
REPORTED BY TUSCALOOSA
COUNTY EMA.
0234 PM TUSCALOOSA AL 0.75 IN HAIL
05/17/03 TUSCALOOSA PENNY SIZE HAIL ON
INTERSTATE 20/59 AND
MCFARLAND AVE. REPORTED
BY THE MEDIA.
0236 PM HOLT AL 1.00 IN HAIL
05/17/03 TUSCALOOSA QUARTER SIZE HAIL.
REPORTED BY THE MEDIA.
0240 PM NORTHPORT AL WIND DAMAGE
05/17/03 TUSCALOOSA NUMEROUS TREES AND
POWERLINES DOWN. REPORTED
BY THE PUBLIC AND RELAYED
BY THE MEDIA.Local storm report, May 17, 3:30 PM CST, 2 hours 5 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
430 PM CDT SAT MAY 17 2003
TIME(CDT) .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE ...EVENT/REMARKS...
....COUNTY LOCATION....
0335 PM BROOKWOOD AL 1.00 IN HAIL
05/17/03 TUSCALOOSA REPORTED BY STORM
SPOTTERS.Local storm report, May 17, 3:54 PM CST, 1 hour 41 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
454 PM CDT SAT MAY 17 2003
TIME(CDT) .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE ...EVENT/REMARKS...
....COUNTY LOCATION....
0445 PM TARRANT CITY AL 0.75 IN HAIL
05/17/03 JEFFERSON PUBLIC REPORT.The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
1 funnel cloud. Local standard time, as filed.
What these are
- Funnel Cloud
- A rotating column of cloud extending from a thunderstorm that did not reach the ground.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
The same day elsewhere
- High Surf in American Samoa, May 17 to 26, 2003
- Tornadoes and Flash Flood in Alabama, May 17, 2003
- Flash Flooding and Flooding in Georgia, May 17 to 18, 2003
- Damaging Wind in Tennessee, May 17, 2003
- Flash Flood and Damaging Winds in Louisiana, May 17, 2003
- Tornadoes in Indiana, May 17, 2003
- Damaging Wind in Tennessee, May 17, 2003
- Damaging Wind in Alabama, May 17, 2003
- Hail and Damaging Wind in Alabama, May 17, 2003
- Damaging Wind in Alabama, May 17, 2003
- Damaging Wind in Tennessee, May 17, 2003
- Damaging Wind in Tennessee, May 17, 2003
More
Every storm in Alabama in 2003Every state in 2003This day in weather historyWarnings in Alabama, May 2003
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. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5360548.