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 30, 1:52 PM EST, 53 minutes earlier.
EAST CENTRAL FLORIDA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MELBOURNE FL 252 PM EDT WED JUL 30 2003 DISCUSSION...THE WEST COAST SEA BREEZE BOUNDARY IS MUCH MORE ACTIVE THAN YESTERDAY...WITH OUTFLOW HELPING IT MAKE FASTER PROGRESS ACROSS THE PENINSULA. THE EAST COAST SEA BREEZE HAS DEVELOPED AND IS PUSHING SLOWLY INLAND...A BIT SLOWER NORTH OF THE CAPE. 15Z CAPE SOUNDING IS NOT AS UNSTABLE AS YESTERDAY BUT LAPSE RATES REMAIN STEEP ENOUGH FOR SOME STORMS TO PRODUCE COIN SIZED HAIL AND DAMAGING DOWNBURST WINDS. GRAPHICAL HWO NICELY DEPICTS AREA OF CONCERN. PRIMARY BOUNDARY COLLISION SHOULD OCCUR INLAND FROM THE COAST BUT EAST OF ORLANDO EARLY THIS EVENING. ACTIVITY SHOULD NOT LINGER AS LATE AS LAST NIGHT SINCE ATMOSPHERE IS ALREADY GETTING WORKED OVER. WILL WORD FOR SCATTERED EVENING COVERAGE WITH SLIGHTLY HIGHER NOS ALONG THE COAST. THU...RIDGE AXIS REMAINS ACROSS SRN SECTIONS AND LAKE OKEECHOBEE WITH VERY LIGHT PRES GRADIENT AND MOISTURE IN THE VICINITY OF 2 INCHES PWAT. SHOULD SEE A LIGHT OFFSHORE WIND IN THE MORNING WITH THE EAST COAST SEA BREEZE DEVELOPING BY MID DAY AND MOVING INLAND INITIALLY OVER THE TREASURE AND SPACE COASTS. STEERING FLOW ALOFT STILL PROGD FROM THE WEST NEAR 10 KNOTS ACROSS NRN SECTIONS AND ABOUT 5 KNOTS OF WESTERLY FLOW ACROSS THE SOUTH. THIS WILL ALLOW SLOW MOVING STORMS AND LOCALLY HEAVY RAIN PRODUCERS WITH A GENERAL DRIFT BACK TWD THE EAST COAST DURING THE EVENING. TEMPS ALOFT DO NOT FAVOR SEVERE WEATHER...BUT COULD STILL SEE A FEW STRONG LATE AFTN AND EVENING STORMS WITH ENHANCEMENT DUE TO BOUNDARY COLLISIONS. FRI...SFC RIDGE AXIS POSITION REMAINS ESSENTIALLY UNCHANGED WITH MAYBE A SLIGHT NORTHWARD DRIFT TO CENTRAL FL. AN UPPER TROUGH MOVING OVER THE SOUTHEAST STATES ACTS TO SLIGHTLY WEAKEN RIDGE WITH LITTLE CHANGE IN THERMODYNAMIC CONDITIONS ALOFT WINDS ALOFT ARE VERY LIGHT. WITH ABSENCE OF STEERING WILL REDUCE POPS SLIGHTLY TO 40 PERCENT ...HOWEVER THOSE AREAS THAT SEE RAIN COULD GET LOCALLY HEAVY AMOUNTS DUE TO SLOW STORM MOTION. WEEKEND...CLOSED LOW ALOFT OVER THE GREAT LAKES TO REMAIN NEARLY STATIONARY THROUGH THE PERIOD WITH SURFACE RIDGE CORRESPONDINGLY SUPPRESSED SOUTH OVER FL PENINSULA. WEAK WIND REGIME THROUGH A DEEP LAYER FAVORS SCATTERED COVERAGE EACH DAY. MAYBE A HIGHER INLAND VS COASTAL RAIN CHANCE BUT WILL LEAVE UNIFORM COVERAGE ATTM AS LATE MORNING SHOWERS COULD STILL AFFECT COASTAL SECTIONS. EXTENDED...AXIS OF BERMUDA HIGH PRESSURE RIDGE MAINTAINS POSITION OVER FL PENINSULA WEST INTO THE GULF OF MEX. COVERAGE OF PRECIPITATION WILL VARY LITTLE EACH DAY WITH LOCAL INFLUENCE TIED TO POSITION OF AXIS ACROSS THE FORECAST AREA. SCATTERED AFTERNOON PCPN WITH CLIMO RANGE OF TEMPS WILL BE USED. .MARINE...EXPECT EVENING STORMS TO ONCE AGAIN MOVE TOWARD THE INTRACOASTAL AND NEARSHORE WATERS DURING THE EVENING HOURS MAINLY OVER THE NORTH PORTION THU AND FRI. WEEKEND...WINDS REMAIN LIGHT WITH RIDGE AXIS NEARBY...WINDS WILL BE MORE INFLUENCED WITH DAILY SEA BREEZE CIRCULATION FOR NEARSHORE WATERS WITH LOCALLY HIGHER WINDS AND SEAS NEAR THUNDERSTORMS. TKS FOR COORD MIA .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... DAB TT 071/091 073/090 074 45343 MCO TT 073/092 073/092 074 35343 MLB TT 072/091 073/090 074 45343 VRB TT 071/091 073/090 074 45343 44 .MLB WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...NONE. SHORT TERM...KELLY LONG TERM....PENDERGRAST
AMZ550-555-570-575-FLZ041-044>047-053-054-058-059-064-141-144-147- 302000- EAST CENTRAL FLORIDA HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MELBOURNE FL 11 AM EDT WED JUL 30 2003 .DAY ONE...TODAY: THE EAST COAST SEA BREEZE WILL DEVELOP THIS AFTERNOON AND PUSH SLOWLY INLAND. THE MORNING WEATHER BALLOON LAUNCHES FROM CAPE CANAVERAL AND TAMPA BAY INDICATED THE ATMOSPHERE IS NOT QUITE AS UNSTABLE AS YESTERDAY...WITH SLIGHTLY WARMER TEMPERATURES ALOFT. HOWEVER...A LOCAL EXPERIMENTAL MODEL OF THE STATE OF FLORIDA SHOWS INCREASING INSTABILITY OVER THE EAST SIDE OF THE PENINSULA THIS AFTERNOON...JUST INLAND FROM THE COAST. THIS AREA...STRETCHING FROM VOLUSIA COUNTY SOUTH TO LAKE OKEECHOBEE...WILL BE MOST FAVORED FOR SEEING THE HIGHEST COVERAGE AND INTENSITY OF STORMS. THE WEST COAST SEA BREEZE WILL PUSH INTO THE INTERIOR SECTIONS OF CENTRAL FLORIDA BY MID AFTERNOON AND PROVIDE FOCUS FOR STORM DEVELOPMENT. COVERAGE AND INTENSITY OF STORMS WILL INCREASE LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING AS STORMS APPROACH THE COAST AND COLLIDE WITH THE EAST COAST SEA BREEZE. STORMS WILL LINGER INTO THIS EVENING NEAR THE COAST AND OVER THE ADJACENT ATLANTIC COASTAL WATERS. A FEW STORMS WILL BE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING COIN SIZED HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS. ADDITIONALLY...STORMS TODAY WILL BE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING TORRENTIAL DOWNPOURS AND FREQUENT TO EXCESSIVE CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING. MOST LIGHTNING FATALITIES AND INJURIES OCCUR IN OPEN FIELDS OR UNDER TREES. IF OUTDOORS...AVOID BEING THE TALLEST OBJECT AND SEEK SHELTER IN A STURDY BUILDING OR CAR. TELEPHONE LINES AND METAL PIPES CONDUCT ELECTRICITY SO AVOID USING THE TELEPHONE OR TAKING A SHOWER DURING A STORM. COMPUTERS...TELEVISION SETS AND OTHER HOME APPLIANCES ARE SUSCEPTIBLE TO POWER SURGES AND MAY BE DAMAGED BY NEARBY LIGHTNING STRIKES. YOU CAN BE INJURED OR KILLED IF LIGHTNING STRIKES NEARBY. ALSO...MOTORISTS SHOULD SLOW DOWN IN HEAVY RAIN TO REDUCE THE RISK OF HYDROPLANING. BOATERS SHOULD BE ALERT FOR STORMS MOVING OFFSHORE FROM THE MAINLAND LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND EARLY THIS EVENING. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY: SCATTERED AFTERNOON STORMS WILL DEVELOP AGAIN THURSDAY AND MOVE BACK TOWARD THE EAST COAST...ESPECIALLY NORTH. THE SURFACE RIDGE WILL DRIFT NORTH FRIDAY THROUGH SATURDAY...ALLOWING THE SEA BREEZE COLLISION TO OCCUR FARTHER INLAND. THE RIDGE AXIS WILL DRIFT BACK SOUTH SUNDAY AND ALLOW STORMS TO APPROACH THE EAST COAST ACROSS NORTHERN SECTIONS THROUGH EARLY NEXT WEEK. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SKYWARN SPOTTERS ARE ASKED TO SELF ACTIVATE THIS AFTERNOON IF STRONG STORMS DEVELOP...AND RELAY ANY SIGNIFICANT WEATHER REPORTS TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN MELBOURNE. FOR A GRAPHICAL VERSION OF THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...GO TO WWW.WEATHER.GOV AND CLICK ON EAST CENTRAL FLORIDA. KELLY
FLZ045-144-301930- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MELBOURNE FL 240 PM EDT WED JUL 30 2003 ...STRONG STORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING WIND GUSTS UP TO 50 MPH OVER SOUTHERN LAKE COUNTY MOVING INTO SOUTHWEST ORANGE COUNTY... AT 234 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A STORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING STRONG WIND GUSTS 6 MILES WEST OF ANIMAL KINGDOM...MOVING EAST AT 15 MPH. LOCATIONS IN THE PATH OF THE STORM WHICH MAY EXPERIENCE STRONG WINDS INCLUDE MAGIC KINGDOM...ANIMAL KINGDOM AND PLEASURE ISLAND. FREQUENT TO EXCESSIVE LIGHTNING WILL ALSO BE POSSIBLE. SEEK SHELTER IN AN ENCLOSED BUILDING OR CAR AWAY FROM TREES. IF THE STORM STRENGTHENS FURTHER...A WARNING WILL BE ISSUED. 28
FLZ045-046-302015- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MELBOURNE FL 331 PM EDT WED JUL 30 2003 ...STRONG STORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING WINDS UP TO 50 MPH AND SMALL HAIL CENTRAL ORANGE COUNTY...SOUTHERN SEMINOLE COUNTY... AT 324 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A STORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING STRONG WINDS AND SMALL HAIL OVER THE METRO ORLANDO...MOVING EAST AT 25 MPH. LOCATIONS IN THE PATH OF THE STORM WHICH MAY EXPERIENCE STRONG WINDS AND SMALL HAIL INCLUDE FERN PARK...UNION PARK AND ALTAMONTE SPRINGS. IF THE STORM STRENGTHENS FURTHER...A WARNING WILL BE ISSUED.
The Melbourne radar (KMLB), 88 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 19:44 UTC.
1 lightning. Local standard time, as filed.
Lightning started a fire in an apartment complex that heavily damaged 8 units.
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: 5334615.