1 lightning, 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 Miami, FL wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Aug 27, 3:49 PM EST, 1 hour 11 minutes earlier.
SOUTH FLORIDA AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MIAMI FLORIDA
449 PM EDT WED AUG 27 2003
.DISCUSSION...
&&
.MARINE...
&&
.FIRE WEATHER...
&&
.PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS...
PBI BT 077/089 077/090 078 47222
TBBBB 091/078 091/078 091/078 091/078 091 53534242424
FLL BT 078/089 078/090 079 47222
TBBBB 091/079 091/079 091/079 091/079 091 53534242424
MIA BT 078/089 079/090 079 47222
TBBBB 091/079 091/079 091/079 091/079 091 53534242424
APF TT 075/090 075/090 075 47253
TTTTT 091/075 091/075 091/075 091/075 091 53535353535
&&
.MFL WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
NONE.
&&
NAME/FORECASTER IDFLZ063-066>075-272000- HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...UPDATED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MIAMI FL 1045 AM EDT WED AUG 27 2003 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR SOUTH FLORIDA. .DAY ONE...TODAY ...MODERATE RISK OF LIGHTNING TODAY MAINLY INTERIOR AND WEST... ...MODERATE RISK OF RIP CURRENTS EAST COAST BEACHES... THUNDERSTORMS WILL AGAIN DEVELOP ACROSS SOUTH FLORIDA TODAY. WIDELY SCATTERED SHOWERS AND POSSIBLE THUNDERSTORMS WILL MOVE FROM THE ATLANTIC ONSHORE THIS MORNING...WITH THUNDERSTORMS EXPECTED TO INCREASE INLAND THIS AFTERNOON. THE WESTERN SUBURBS OF THE EAST COAST METROPOLITAN AREAS MAY SEE SOME OF THIS THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY BUT BULK OF THE ACTIVITY WILL BE MOST NUMEROUS IN THE INTERIOR AND WEST PORTIONS OF SOUTH FLORIDA. THE MAIN THREATS DUE TO THE THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE LIGHTNING STRIKES...STRONG GUSTY WINDS AS HIGH AS 40 MPH...AND LOCALLY HEAVY RAIN. WITH WINDS EAST 10 TO 15 KNOTS...THERE WILL BE A MODERATE RISK OF RIP CURRENTS DEVELOPING AT THE EAST COAST BEACHES OF PALM BEACH...BROWARD...AND MIAMI-DADE COUNTIES MAINLY THIS AFTERNOON. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION AND DETAILED GRAPHICS CAN BE FOUND ON THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WEB SITE AT MIAMIWEATHER.INFO. FOR INFORMATION IN SPANISH, VISIT OUR WEB SITE AT ELTIEMPOENMIAMI.INFO. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY KEEP INFORMED THROUGH THE LATEST TROPICAL WEATHER OUTLOOK FOR UPDATES ON THE TROPICAL WAVE EXPECTED IN THE AREA OVER THE WEEKEND...OTHERWISE NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED.
The Miami radar (KAMX), 115 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 21:59 UTC.
1 lightning. Local standard time, as filed.
Lightning struck the roof of a house causing a fire that completely destroyed the residence.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Florida in 2003Every state in 2003This day in weather historyWarnings in Florida, August 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: 5368511.