2 tornado, as filed by the National Weather Service.
Every event with a place to put it. 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 Pueblo, CO wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Sep 5, 1:25 PM MST, 3 hours 22 minutes earlier.
SOUTH CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST COLORADO AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PUEBLO 225 PM MDT FRI SEP 5 2003 SHORT TERM DISCUSSION...(TONIGHT AND SATURDAY). MAIN CHALLENGE IS PRECIPITATION ON SATURDAY. CURRENTLY...CONVECTION IS CONTINUING OVER THE MOUNTAINS...WITH MOSTLY CLEAR SKIES ON THE PLAINS. CONVECTION IS RELATED TO A DISTURBANCE WHICH IS SLOWLY DRIFTING EASTWARD. FIRST LIGHTNING STRIKE OVER COLORADO WAS AT AROUND 11UTC THIS MORNING. WATER VAPOR IMAGE ALONG WITH MODELS SHOW A SHARP DIVIDING LINE BETWEEN APPARENT SUBSIDENCE/STRONG DRYING ALOFT AND THE UPPER DISTURBANCE. THIS BOUNDARY IS CURRENTLY NEAR I-25. DEW POINTS ON THE PLAINS ARE CURRENTLY IN THE UPPER 40S TO LOWER 50S. FOR TONIGHT AND SATURDAY...THE MAIN FACTOR FOR THE FORECAST IS THE MOVEMENT OF THE UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCE. THE ETA SOLUTION IS MUCH DIFFERENT THAN THE OTHER MODELS. ETA KEEPS A STRONG UPPER RIDGE ALONG I-25. ALONG AND EAST OF THIS RIDGE...MID LEVEL DRY AIR AND SUBSIDENCE KEEPS THE PLAINS AND EASTERN MOUNTAINS MOSTLY DRY. TO THE WEST OF THIS RIDGE...THERE IS ENOUGH INSTABILITY...LIFT AND MOISTURE FOR SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS. THE OTHER MODELS (GFS..UK..EC) SHOW THE TROUGH BEING MORE PROGRESSIVE WITH THE MOISTURE AND LIFT MAKING IT FURTHER EAST. THE ETA SEEMS TO HAVE A STRONGER SOUTHERN PORTION OF THIS SYSTEM WITH THE JET STREAK DIVING INTO SOUTHWEST NEW MEXICO. THE GFS AND OTHER MODELS KEEP MOST OF THE ENERGY IN THE NORTHERN PORTION OF THIS SYSTEM. GIVEN THE ETA APPEARS TO BE THE ODD MAN OUT...I WENT WITH THE GFS LIKE SOLUTION. SOUNDINGS THIS MORNING SHOWED PLENTY OF MID LEVEL MOISTURE TO OUR WEST. WITH THE CONTINUED COOLING ALOFT...I KEPT SOME PRECIPITATION GOING THROUGHOUT THE NIGHT OVER THE MOUNTAINS. THE SW AND CENTRAL MOUNTAINS SHOULD SEE A CONTINUATION OF SOME SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS. I THINK THERE WILL BE ENOUGH LIFT AND MOISTURE FOR SOME LIGHT SHOWERS OVER THE EASTERN MOUNTAINS. I LEFT SOME 20 POPS OVER THESE REGIONS TONIGHT. ON SATURDAY...I DID ONLY MINOR CHANGES TO THE FORECAST AS I AM NOT VERY CONFIDENT OF THE SPECIFICS OF THE FORECAST. I THINK THE MODELS MAY BE TURNING ON THE CONVECTIVE PARAMETERIZATION WHICH COMPLICATES THE SOLUTION. WITH THE WINDS ALOFT HAVING A WESTERLY COMPONENT...THE CONVECTION OVER THE MOUNTAINS WILL BE ABLE TO MOVE ONTO THE PLAINS. THERE WILL BE A MODEST AMOUNT OF MOISTURE ON THE PLAINS TO SUPPORT THE CONVECTION. PREVIOUS SHIFT HAD SCATTERED POPS ALONG THE I-25 CORRIDOR IN THE AFTERNOON AND THIS LOOKS GOOD. THE 20 POPS FOR THE EASTERN PLAINS IN THE AFTERNOON LOOK OK FOR NOW. PGW TEMPERATURES IN PREVIOUS FORECAST WERE GOOD AND I DID NOT MAKE ANY CHANGES. LONG TERM DISCUSSION...(SATURDAY NIGHT THROUGH NEXT FRIDAY). ...MAIN CHALLENGE IS DETERMINING STRENGTH OF SATURDAY NIGHT/SUNDAY SHORTWAVE... ...ALSO DIFFICULTIES WITH STRENGTH OF A POSSIBLE MID-WEEK SYSTEM... MODEL DISCREPANCIES MAKE FOR A CHALLENGING FORECAST THIS PACKAGE. GFS/OLD ECMWF/UKMET SEEM TO FAVOR A WETTER SOLUTION FOR SOUTHERN COLORADO SATURDAY NIGHT AND SUNDAY THAN DOES THE MESO-ETA. PER DISCUSSIONS AND COLLABORATION...WILL CALL THE MESO-ETA ODD MAN OUT AND LEAN TOWARD THE SOLUTIONS OF THE OTHER MODELS. WILL NOT ACCEPT THE GFS ENTIRELY GIVEN ITS WET BIAS OVER SOUTHERN COLORADO IN SUMMER CONVECTIVE SCENARIOS. HOWEVER...WILL PAINT QPF HIGHER THAN THE MESO-ETA WOULD PREDICT. CURRENT POPS IN FORECAST GRIDS LOOK JUST ABOUT WHERE THEY SHOULD BE GIVEN LEVEL OF UNCERTAINTY FOR THIS SYSTEM...SO NO CHANGES THERE...WITH MOSTLY SCATTERED POPS IN THE FORECAST FOR THE WEEKEND TIME FRAME. TEMPS LOOK ALSO TO REQUIRE VERY LITTLE IF ANY ADJUSTMENT...SO NO REAL CHANGES THERE EITHER. IN FACT...ASIDE FROM SOME MINOR ADJUSTMENTS, NO BIG CHANGES FOR THE WEEKEND FORECAST. BY MONDAY...SYSTEM SHOULD BE EXITING TO THE EAST...BUT WITH A SLOWER AND SLOWER MOVEMENT OF THE WEEKEND SYSTEM SHOWING UP IN EACH SUCCESSIVE RUN...CANNOT OUTRULE SOME LINGERING ISOLATED CONVECTION ACROSS THE SOUTHEAST MOUNTAINS AND PLAINS. I DID REMOVE THE POPS FROM THE SAN LUIS VALLEY...CENTRAL AND SOUTHWEST MOUNTAINS...HOWEVER. TUESDAY FORECAST STILL LOOKS FINE...BRINGING SOME LOW POPS INTO THE MOUNTAINS DURING THE AFTERNOON...AS NEXT WAVE APPROACHES. WEDNESDAY/THURSDAY FORECAST GETS TRICKY AGAIN. LATEST GFS RUNS HAVE OSCILLATED FROM PREVIOUS RUNS...DIGGING A FAIRLY SIGNIFICANT TROUGH SOUTH INTO COLORADO...AFFECTING WESTERN AREAS AS EARLY AS TUESDAY NIGHT. SOME TIMING/AMPLITUDE DISCREPANCIES AMONGST THE MODELS AS USUAL...BUT GENERAL CONSENSUS ON A DECENT TROUGH COMING THROUGH THE STATE. THE OLD ECMWF/NEW UKMET LOOK A LITTLE FASTER THAN THE GFS...BRINGING THE MAIN DYNAMICS ACROSS TUESDAY NIGHT/EARLY WEDNESDAY. THE GFS HAS THE MAIN DYNAMICS COMING ACROSS MORE LIKE LATE TUESDAY NIGHT/WEDNESDAY. THE GFS EVEN HAS THE SYSTEM CLOSING OFF AND LINGERING OVER COLORADO THURSDAY...AND POSSIBLY FRIDAY OVER THE EAST. NOT SURE ON THE TIMING. BUT WITH GENERAL MODEL CONSENSUS...WILL INTRODUCE BROAD BRUSH POPS FOR THE LATE TUESDAY NIGHT/WEDNESDAY/ THURSDAY TIME FRAME...UNTIL WE CAN FIGURE OUT WHAT IS GOING ON AND FINE TUNE. WILL LEAVE FRIDAY DRY FOR NOW UNTIL PICTURE IS CLEARER. LW .PUB...NONE.
COZ058>089-093>099-061300- HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PUEBLO CO 700 AM MDT FRI SEP 5 2003 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR SOUTH CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST COLORADO. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT. WITH RESIDUAL MOISTURE IN PLACE...SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED ALONG AND WEST OF THE CONTINENTAL DIVIDE...WITH THE BEST CHANCE OF PRECIPITATION ACROSS THE SAN JUAN AND LA GARITA MOUNTAINS WHERE MOISTURE IS SLIGHTLY MORE PLENTIFUL. SHOWERS MAY LINGER WELL PAST SUNSET AS AN UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCE MOVES TOWARD WESTERN COLORADO. THE MAIN THREATS FROM ANY STORMS THAT DEVELOP TODAY AND TONIGHT WILL BE LOCALLY HEAVY RAIN AND CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING. PERSONS IN AND NEAR THE MILLION BURN SCAR NEAR SOUTH FORK SHOULD REMAIN ALERT TO THE POSSIBILITY OF HEAVY RAINFALL...LOCALIZED HIGH WATER AND MUD FLOWS NEAR AND DOWNSTREAM FROM THE BURN SCAR FARTHER EAST...ONLY ISOLATED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED ACROSS THE EASTERN MOUNTAINS AND ADJACENT PLAINS WITH MOST THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY ENDING SHORTLY AFTER SUNSET THIS EVENING. THE MAIN THREATS FROM ANY STORMS THAT DEVELOP TODAY WILL BE BRIEF PERIODS OF HEAVY RAIN AND CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY. FOR SATURDAY THROUGH SUNDAY...SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS WILL SPREAD ACROSS ALL OF SOUTH CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST COLORADO...AS A SERIES OF SLOW MOVING UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCES MOVE ACROSS THE AREA. THE MAIN THREAT FROM THUNDERSTORMS THESE DAYS WILL BE LIGHTNING...AND LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL. ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE POSSIBLE OVER THE MOUNTAINS FOR MONDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... WEATHER SPOTTERS WILL NOT BE NEEDED TODAY AND TONIGHT. EP/KT
The Pueblo radar (KPUX), 62 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 23:48 UTC.
2 tornado. Local standard time, as filed.
A weak tornado over open country of extreme eastern Fremont county caused no known damage. It passed into extreme western Pueblo county.
A weak tornado over open country of extreme western Pueblo county caused no known damage. It was the tornado that originated in extreme eastern Fremont county.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Colorado in 2003Every state in 2003This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for Colorado, 2003Warnings in Colorado, September 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: 5337984, 5337985.