Thunderstorm Wind, Lawrence
- When
- May 17, 9:20 AM CST
- Where
- Lawrence County, Courtland
- Measured
- 50 kt (58 mph) estimated sustained
- Reported by
- EMERGENCY MANAGER
- Coordinates
- 34.667, -87.300
large tree and three power poles blown down.
Tornadoes and Flash Flood in Alabama, May 17, 2003
4 thunderstorm wind, 2 tornado, 1 flash flood, 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
- $700,000
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 7
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 Huntsville, AL wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at May 17, 8:28 AM CST, 52 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, May 17, 8:28 AM CST, 52 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HUNTSVILLE AL 928 AM CDT SAT MAY 17 2003 UPDATED ZONES TO MENTION TORNADO WATCH FOR ALL OF NRN AL UNTIL 3 PM. RADAR SHOWS IMPRESSIVE LINE OF STORMS FROM TN ALL THE WAY DOWN TO LA. THERE IS SOME GOOD WIND SHEAR IN NRN AL BUT ALSO CONCERN ABOUT HEAVY RAIN. BOTTOM LINE EXPECT A BUSY DAY AND TONIGHT AS VERY SLOW MOVING 5H CLOSED LOW CONTINUES TO AFFECT NRN AL. .HUN...TORNADO WATCH FOR ALL OF NRN ALABAMA UNTIL 3 PM. FLOOD WATCH FOR ALL OF NRN ALABAMA UNTIL 4 AM SUNDAY MORNING. SHUMWAY
Hazardous weather outlook, May 17, 6:16 AM CST, 3 hours 4 minutes before
ALZ001>010-016-171815- HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...UPDATED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HUNTSVILLE AL 716 AM CDT SAT MAY 17 2003 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTH ALABAMA. .DAY ONE...(TODAY AND TONIGHT)... A FLOOD WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR ALL OF NORTH ALABAMA THROUGH 4 AM SUNDAY MORNING. A SLOW MOVING UPPER LEVEL STORM SYSTEM...COMBINED WITH AMPLE MOISTURE AND INSTABILITY...WILL SET THE STAGE FOR SEVERAL ROUNDS OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS THE REGION TODAY AND TONIGHT. A FEW STORMS MAY BE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING DIME SIZE HAIL OR WIND GUSTS TO 60 MPH...BUT THE PRIMARY CONCERN WILL BE LOCALLY HEAVY RAIN AND POTENTIAL FLOOD PROBLEMS. ONE LINE OF STORMS WILL BRING A THREAT OF HAZARDOUS WEATHER TO PRIMARILY NORTHWEST ALABAMA THROUGH 10 AM...BUT ADDITIONAL STORMS ARE LIKELY THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...(SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY)... THE THREAT OF WIDESPREAD HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS LOW. THE SLOW MOVING UPPER LEVEL SYSTEM WILL KEEP THE CHANCE OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUING THROUGH MID WEEK. A FRONT WILL BRING DRIER AND COOLER CONDITIONS TO THE REGION BY THURSDAY. .SPOTTER CALL TO ACTION STATEMENT... ACTIVATION OF STORM SPOTTERS AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT PERSONNEL MAY BE NEEDED TODAY OR TONIGHT. CBD
In the hours before
Special weather statement, May 17, 5:47 AM CST, 3 hours 33 minutes before
ALZ001-002-171230- SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ALERT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HUNTSVILLE AL 647 AM CDT SAT MAY 17 2003 ...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ALERT FOR CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING... HEAVY RAIN AND GUSTY WINDS... AT 650 AM...A LINE OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WAS APPROACHING TISHOMINGO COUNTY IN NORTHEAST MISSISSIPPI. MOVEMENT WAS EAST AT AROUND 35 MPH. AREAS AROUND WATERLOO...RIVERTON AND WRIGHT WILL SEE HEAVY RAIN AND WIND GUSTS TO 40 MPH BY AROUND 730 AM. CBD
Special weather statement, May 17, 6:41 AM CST, 2 hours 39 minutes before
ALZ001-002-171329- SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ALERT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HUNTSVILLE AL 741 AM CDT SAT MAY 17 2003 ...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ALERT FOR CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING... HEAVY RAIN AND GUSTY WINDS... A LINE OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WILL MOVE ACROSS LAUDERDALE AND COLBERT COUNTIES AT AROUND 45 MPH. THROUGH 830 AM EXPECT LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL...FREQUENT LIGHTNING...AND WINDS GUESTING TO NEAR 40 MPH WITH THIS LINE OF STORMS. LOCATIONS IN THE PATH OF THESE STORMS INCLUDE WATERLOO...CHEROKEE...AND RIVERTON. RAINFALL AMOUNTS OF UP TO 2 INCHES ARE POSSIBLE IN WESTERN COLBERT AND LAUDERDALE COUNTIES. KTW
Special weather statement, May 17, 7:40 AM CST, 1 hour 40 minutes before
ALZ001>004-171430- SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ALERT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HUNTSVILLE AL 840 AM CDT SAT MAY 17 2003 ...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ALERT FOR CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING... HEAVY RAIN AND GUSTY WINDS... A LINE OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WILL MOVE NORTHEAST ACROSS LAUDERDALE AND COLBERT COUNTIES AT 45 MPH. THROUGH 930 AM EXPECT LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL...FREQUENT LIGHTNING...AND WINDS GUSTING TO NEAR 40 MPH WITH THIS LINE OF STORMS. LOCATIONS IN THE PATH OF THESE STORMS INCLUDE WATERLOO...CHEROKEE...RUSSELLVILLE...FLORENCE...AND LEXINGTON. RAINFALL AMOUNTS OF UP TO 2 INCHES ARE POSSIBLE IN STRONGER STORMS. KTW
Special weather statement, May 17, 8:38 AM CST, 42 minutes before
ALZ001>004-171530- SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ALERT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HUNTSVILLE AL 938 AM CDT SAT MAY 17 2003 ...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ALERT FOR CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING... HEAVY RAIN AND GUSTY WINDS... A LINE OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUE TO MOVE NORTHEAST ACROSS LAUDERDALE AND COLBERT COUNTIES AT 45 MPH. THROUGH 1030 AM EXPECT LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL...FREQUENT LIGHTNING...AND WINDS GUSTING TO NEAR 40 MPH WITH THIS LINE OF STORMS. LOCATIONS IN THE PATH OF THESE STORMS INCLUDE FLORENCE...LITTLEVILLE...TOWN CREEK...RUSSELLVILLE... PHIL CAMPBELL...AND LEXINGTON. RAINFALL AMOUNTS OF UP TO 2 INCHES ARE POSSIBLE. KTW
The radar
The Northeast Alabama radar (KHTX), 115 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 15:19 UTC.
Event by event
4 thunderstorm wind, 2 tornado, 1 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.
Thunderstorm Wind, Lawrence
- When
- May 17, 9:30 AM CST
- Where
- Lawrence County, Caddo
- Measured
- 60 kt (69 mph) estimated sustained
- Reported by
- EMERGENCY MANAGER
- Coordinates
- 34.567, -87.133
numerous trees and power lines down.
Tornado, Lauderdale
- When
- May 17, 9:45 AM CST to 9:50 AM CST
- Where
- Lauderdale County, 3 mi E of Rogersville
- Rating
- F1
- Path length
- 2 mi
- Path width
- 500 yd
- Property damage
- $250,000
- Reported by
- EMERGENCY MANAGER
- Coordinates
- 34.833, -87.233
18 homes and around a hundred trees uprooted and snapped.
Tornado, Limestone
- When
- May 17, 9:55 AM CST to 10:05 AM CST
- Where
- Limestone County, 5 mi SW of Cairo
- Rating
- F1
- Path length
- 7 mi
- Path width
- 500 yd
- Property damage
- $450,000
- Reported by
- EMERGENCY MANAGER
- Coordinates
- 34.817, -87.200
85 homes with minor roof and structural damage and nearly two hundred trees uprooted and snapped.
Flash Flood, Colbert
- When
- May 17, 9:55 AM CST to 11:00 AM CST
- Where
- Colbert County, Spring Vly
- Reported by
- EMERGENCY MANAGER
- Coordinates
- 34.700, -87.805 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
county road washed out with two feet of water covering road.
Thunderstorm Wind, Morgan
- When
- May 17, 10:24 AM CST
- Where
- Morgan County, Decatur
- Measured
- 50 kt (58 mph) estimated sustained
- Reported by
- EMERGENCY MANAGER
- Coordinates
- 34.617, -86.983
a few trees down.
Thunderstorm Wind, Limestone
- When
- May 17, 10:36 AM CST to 10:40 AM CST
- Where
- Limestone County, Ardmore
- Measured
- 60 kt (69 mph) estimated sustained
- Reported by
- EMERGENCY MANAGER
- Coordinates
- 35.000, -86.850
numerous trees and power lines down.
What these are
- Thunderstorm Wind
- Winds from a thunderstorm of 50 knots (58 mph) or more, or lower winds that caused damage or casualties. Measured gusts are marked MG, estimated EG.
- Tornado
- A violently rotating column of air in contact with the ground and extending from a thunderstorm, filed with its path, width and Fujita or Enhanced Fujita rating from the damage survey.
- Flash Flood
- Flooding that begins within six hours of the rain that causes it, or of a dam or levee failure or ice jam release, often with deadly speed.
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
- 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
- Damaging Wind in Tennessee, May 17, 2003
More
Every storm in Alabama in 2003Every state in 2003This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for Alabama, 2003Warnings 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: 5363878, 5363879, 5363880, 5363881, 5363882, 5363883, 5364516.