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 Melbourne, FL wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Jul 21, 2:02 PM EST, 58 minutes earlier.
EAST CENTRAL FLORIDA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MELBOURNE FL 302 PM EDT MON JUL 21 2003 .DISCUSSION... THROUGH TONIGHT...STORMS PUSHING INTO INTERIOR SECTIONS AT MID AFTERNOON IN SYNOPTIC SW FLOW WITH LAKE BREEZE BOUNDARIES HELPING TO FOCUS ACTIVITY. A FEW CELLS ALSO FORMED CLOSER TO THE EAST COAST AND ARE PUSHING OUFLOWS INTO THE INTERIOR AT MID AFTERNOON. COVERAGE AND INTENSITY OF STORMS EXPECTED TO INCREASE HEADING TOWARD DINNER TIME WITH SEA BREEZE/OUTFLOW BOUNDARY COLLISIONS OCCURRING. ATMOSPHERE REMAINS UNSTABLE AND THE COOL/DRY CONDITIONS ALOFT SHOULD LEAD TO A FEW STRONG TO SEVERE STORMS LATE AFTERNOON THROUGH THE EARLY EVENING. SOUTHWEST FLOW WILL PUSH ACTIVITY BACK ACROSS THE EAST COAST THIS EVENING. TUESDAY THROUGH SATURDAY...GUIDANCE MODELS CONTINUE TO ILLUSTRATE THE SAME SYNOPTIC PICTURE WITH THE SURFACE RIDGE AXIS MOVING ACROSS CENTRAL FLORIDA AND INTO NORTH FLORIDA BY FRIDAY. EXPECT THE WIND FLOW TO BACK AROUND TO THE EAST AND SOUTHEAST AS THE RIDGE AXIS SLIDES NORTHWARD UP THE PENINSULA. POPS WILL DROP BACK TO MORE CLIMO VALUES OF 30/40 PERCENT AS STABLE ATLANTIC OCEAN AIR WORKS ITS WAY IN FROM THE EAST. EAST COAST SEA BREEZE FORMATION AND PENETRATION INLAND WILL BE THE PRIMARY TRIGGER FOR LATE MORNING/EARLY AFTERNOON CONVECTION ALONG THE COAST AND EAST/WEST COAST. A LOT DEPENDS ON THE TRACK AND DEVELOPMENT OF TD #6. SUNDAY AND MONDAY... CURRENT THINKING DOES NOT CHANGE FROM THE MID SHIFTS...SURFACE RIDGE AXIS OVER GEORGIA ON SATURDAY STARTS SHIFTING SOUTH AGAIN SUNDAY AND IS OVER CENTRAL FLORIDA MONDAY. EASTERLY WINDS VEER TO THE SOUTH BY MONDAY. AGAIN...FCST DEPENDENT ON THE TRACK AND DEVELOPMENT OF TD #6. .MARINE...WEATHER BUOYS RECORDING WINDS 10 KNOTS OR LESS AND 1 TO 2 FOOT SEAS. WITH THE RIDGE AXIS MOVING NORTHWARD OVER THE EAST CENTRAL FLORIDA COASTAL WATERS THE WINDS SHOULD STAY 15 KNOTS OR LESS AS THEY BACK AROUND TO THE SOUTH THEN EAST BY FRIDAY WHEN THE RIDGE AXIS IS WELL NORTH OF OUR COASTAL WATERS. .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... DAB BB 074/091 075/092 073 67443 MCO BB 074/091 075/092 074 67342 MLB BB 076/090 075/092 074 67443 VRB BB 075/090 075/092 074 67443 .MLB...NONE. GLITTO/WIMMER
AMZ550-555-570-575-FLZ041-044>047-053-054-058-059-064-141-144-147- 212100- EAST CENTRAL FLORIDA HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MELBOURNE FL 640 AM EDT MON JUL 21 2003 .DAY ONE...THROUGH TONIGHT... A SUFFICIENTLY MOIST AND UNSTABLE AIR MASS WILL PRODUCE NUMEROUS SHOWERS AND LIGHTNING STORMS OVER EAST CENTRAL FLORIDA THIS AFTERNOON ...WHICH WILL LINGER INTO THE EARLY EVENING ALONG THE COAST. THE EAST COAST SEA BREEZE WILL ALSO FORM OVER THE SPACE AND TREASURE COAST COUNTIES BY EARLY AFTERNOON AND REMAIN PINNED NEAR THE EAST COAST ALL DAY. A FEW STORMS DEVELOPING ALONG IT AS IT...WHILE COVERAGE AND INTENSITY INCREASES LATE IN THE DAY AS THE WEST COAST SEA BREEZE PUSHES EASTWARD THROUGH THE INTERIOR AND INTO THE COAST COUNTIES. INLAND. STORM COVERAGE AND INTENSITY WILL INCREASE BY LATE AFTERNOON AS THE WEST COAST BOUNDARY MOVES ACROSS THE PENINSULA AND INTERACTS WITH STORMS AND OUTFLOWS NEAR THE EAST COAST. THE RELATIVELY COOL AND DRY CONDITIONS ALOFT WILL MAKE CONDITIONS FAVORABLE FOR A FEW STRONG TO SEVERE STORMS WITH DAMAGING WIND GUSTS...HAIL UP TO THE SIZE OF A QUARTER...FREQUENT TO EXCESSIVE LIGHTNING...AND TORRENTIAL DOWNPOURS. MOVE INDOORS QUICKLY AT THE FIRST SIGN OF A STORM. STAY INSIDE UNTIL 30 MINUTES PAST THE LAST THUNDER IS HEARD TO AVOID THE LIGHTNING DANGER. ALSO...STORMS WILL MOVE A LITTLE MORE QUICKLY TO THE NORTHEAST TODAY AT 15 TO 20 MPH...BUT WILL BE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING VERY HEAVY DOWNPOURS AS THEY PASS. THIS MAY LEAD TO BRIEF PONDING OF WATER ON ROADS...INTERSECTIONS AND PARKING LOTS. MINOR POOR DRAINAGE FLOODING IS ALSO POSSIBLE...ESPECIALLY IN AREAS THAT HAVE RECEIVED RECENT HEAVY RAINS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY...SCATTERED STORMS ARE EXPECTED EACH DAY DURING THE AFTERNOON AND EVENING HOURS. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... WEATHER SPOTTERS ARE ASKED TO SELF ACTIVATE IF ANY WARNINGS ARE ISSUED FOR THEIR COUNTY. RELAY ANY REPORTS OF SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ...HAIL...HIGH WINDS...WIND DAMAGE OR FLOODING...TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OFFICE IN MELBOURNE. FOR A GRAPHICAL VERSION OF THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...GO TO WWW.WEATHER.GOV AND CLICK ON EAST CENTRAL FLORIDA. CRISTALDI
FLZ044>046-144-211945- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MELBOURNE FL 259 PM EDT MON JUL 21 2003 ...STRONG STORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING WINDS UP TO 50 MPH AND SMALL HAIL SOUTHERN LAKE COUNTY...WESTERN ORANGE COUNTY...WESTERN SEMINOLE COUNTY... AT 3 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED RAPIDLY DEVELOPING STORMS SOUTHWEST OF THE FLORIDA TURNPIKE NEAR MASCOTTE AND SOUTHWEST OF CLERMONT CAPABLE OF PRODUCING STRONG WINDS OF 50 MPH AND SMALL HAIL OVER MASCOTTE...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 15 TO 20 MPH. THESE STORMS WILL SPREAD ACROSS LAKE COUNTY AND THE METRO ORLANDO AREA AND SEMINOLE COUNTY BY 5PM. RESIDENTS SHOULD BE ALERT TO THE APPROACH OF THESE STORMS AND HEAD INDOORS AS THEY APPROACH. IF THE STORM STRENGTHENS FURTHER...A WARNING WILL BE ISSUED. HAGEMEYER
FLZ045-212045- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MELBOURNE FL 359 PM EDT MON JUL 21 2003 ...STRONG STORMS WITH EXCESSIVE LIGHTNING OVER ORANGE COUNTY... AT 356 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LIGHTNING DETECTION EQUIPMENT INDICATED A STORM WITH EXCESSIVE LIGHTNING OVER MAGIC KINGDOM...MOVING EAST AT 20 MPH. LOCATIONS IN THE PATH OF THE LIGHTNING STORM INCLUDE BAY HILL...PINE CASTLE...BELLE ISLE AND DOCTOR PHILLIPS AND BY 430 METRO ORLANDO. THIS STORM WILL ALSO PRODUCE GUSTY WINDS OF 40 TO 50 MPH AND SMALL HAIL AS WELL AS HEAVY DOWNPOURS DURING AFTERNOON RUSH HOUR. IF YOU ARE OUTDOORS...TAKE SHELTER IN A BUILDING OR ENCLOSED AUTOMOBILE. TREES AND OPEN SHELTERS FOUND ON A BEACH OR GOLF COURSE OFFER NO PROTECTION.
The Melbourne radar (KMLB), 79 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 20:01 UTC.
1 lightning. Local standard time, as filed.
A giraffe at Disney Animal Kingdom was struck and killed by lightning.
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, 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: 5334613.