2 thunderstorm wind, 1 hail, 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 Melbourne, FL wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Mar 16, 2:45 PM EST, 1 hour 25 minutes earlier.
EAST CENTRAL FLORIDA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MELBOURNE FL 245 PM EST SUN MAR 16 2003 LOTS TO TALK ABOUT THIS PKG...AS IT IS BECMG MORE APPARENT THE BIG QUESTION IS NOT IF BUT WHEN THE TSTMS ARE GOING TO HIT CEN FL. CONTINUED LOW CLOUDS HAVE DONE A GOOD JOB HAMPERING HEATING IN THE NORTH AND TEMPS REMAIN AROUND 70 MCO NORTHWARD. FURTHER SOUTH THE SUN HAS BROKE OUT AND BOTH EC AND WC SEA BREEZES ARE MVG INLAND. NOT MUCH CONVECTION YET OVR CEN FL...BUT STRONG CONVECTION IS FIRING OVR SRN FL WERE INSTABILITY IS HIGHEST. THESE STORMS ARE FIRING ALONG THE SEA BREEZES TO THE SOUTH...BUT ALSO SEEM TO BE FORMING ALONG A LARGE SCALE TROF (SUDO WARM FRONT) BOUNDARY SEPARATING SRLY FLOW OVR SRN FL AND THE KEYS FROM ERLY FLOW BEHIND THE OLD WEAK FRONT TO THE NORTH. THIS BOUNDARY SHOULD CONTINUE TO MOVE NORTH PROVIDING ADDITIONAL FOCUS FOR STORMS IN ADDITION TO THE LINGERING SEA BREEZE BOUNDARIES OVERNIGHT. IN ADDITION LATEST WV IMAGERY CONTINUE TO SHOW AN IMPRESSIVE S/WV TRACKING EAST ACROSS THE CEN GOMEX W/ LOTS OF CONVECTION FIRING JUST AHEAD OF THE S/WV IN AN AREA OF STRONG UPR DIVERGENCE. THE GFS SEEMS TO HAVE THE BEST TIMING ON THIS FEATURE AND IT SHOWS PART OF IT MOVING ACROSS E CEN AS EARLY AS 6Z TONIGHT...WITH ANOTHER VORT LOBE FOR MON AS WELL. THIS IS SOME OF THE MOST IMPRESSIVE UPR DYNAMICS THIS FAR SOUTH THIS SEASON...AND MOS AGREES SHOWING LIKELY POPS MOST AREAS OVERNIGHT AND MON. ITS DIFFICULT TO SAY IF THE STORMS WILL COME IN SEVERAL ROUNDS OVERNIGHT AND MON...OR IF IT WILL BE ONE BIG EVENT THAT STABILIZES US OUT BY MON...BUT THINK HIGH (LIKELY) POPS ARE IN ORDER BOTH PERIODS...WITH ACTIVITY DIMINISHING WITH TIME MON. TUE-THU...BY MON NIGHT THE S/WV MVS BY W/ DRIER AIR MVG IN...HOWEVER MODELS NOW SHOW SOME MOISTURE RETURNING FM THE SOUTH BY TUE AFTN. DEBATED INTRODUCING SMALL SMALL POPS AT LEAST IN THE SOUTH TUE THRU THU FOR AFTN SEA BREEZE CONVECTION (ALTHOUGH NO EC BREEZE EXPECTED TUES)...BUT TEMPS WILL WARM SIGNIFICANTLY ALOFT AS AN H5 RIDGE BUILDS OVERHEAD IN RESPONSE TO A STRONG UPR TROF DIGGING AND CUTTING OFF OVR THE CEN PLAINS. WILL HOLD OFF ON POPS THESE DAYS FOR NOW...ALTHOUGH ISOLD CONVECTION IS NOT OUT OF THE QUESTION. MAY NEED TO INSERT SOME POPS THESE PERIODS IN A LATER FORECAST. THE BUILDING UPR RIDGE AND SSW FLOW WILL PROMOTE SOME HOT TEMPS TUE THRU THU AS WELL AND WOULD NOT DOUBT IS SOME AREAS SEE NEAR 90 DEGREE READINGS. BEYOND FRI...SLOW MOVING...POTENT CUT-OFF OVER THE LOWER/CEN PLAINS WILL LIFT OUT AND SACRIFICE ITSELF TO THE STRONG ATL RIDGE FRI. AS IT DOES IT WILL FORCE THE RIDGE A BIT EAST ALLOWING SOME H5 HEIGHT/TEMP FALLS AS A COLD FRONT SAGS SOUTH W/ INCREASING MOISTURE. ALSO...A JET CORE WILL MOVE TO THE ATL COAST W/ THE RRQ MVG ACROSS NRN FL FRI. CHANCE RWS/TRWS FRI AND SAT LOOKS GOOD...FOLLOWED BY SLIGHT COOLING SAT INTO SUN. MARINE...SOME CONTINUED SWELL...BUT WINDS WILL REMAIN RELATIVELY BENIGN NEXT FEW DAYS. MAIN THREATS WILL BE ASSOC W/ TSTM ACTIVITY. DAB TB 066/080 065/086 068 773 MCO TB 067/082 065/089 069 773 MLB TB 068/082 067/088 070 773 .MLB...NONE. PUBLIC/MARINE WX...GITTINGER AVIATION/FIRE WX...CRISTALDI
AMZ550-555-570-575-FLZ041-044>047-053-054-058-059-064-141-144-147- 162200- EAST CENTRAL FLORIDA HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MELBOURNE FL 1158 AM EST SUN MAR 16 2003 .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT... ...A FEW SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS POSSIBLE LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT... ISOLATED TO SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO DEVELOP ACROSS THE EAST CENTRAL FLORIDA PENINSULA LATE THIS AFTERNOON AS SEA BREEZE BOUNDARIES DEVELOP. STORMS WILL MOVE NORTHEAST AT 15 TO 20 MPH AND A FEW STORMS MAY BECOME STRONG AND PRODUCE LOCALLY GUSTY WINDS...SMALL HAIL...FREQUENT CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING AND HEAVY DOWNPOURS. THE DEEPEST MOISTURE AND GREATEST HEATING WILL OCCUR IN SOUTHERN SECTIONS...THEREFORE THE BEST CHANCE FOR AFTERNOON STORM WILL BE ACROSS AREAS AROUND LAKE OKEECHOBEE...ALONG THE TREASURE COAST...AND POSSIBLY AS FAR NORTH AS OSCEOLA AND SOUTHERN BREVARD COUNTIES. THE HIGHER INSTABILITY TO THE SOUTH WILL ALSO PRODUCE A VERY SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE STORMS IN THESE AREAS...WITH LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS BEING THE PRIMARY CONCERNS. SOME OF THESE STORMS WILL CROSS THE INTRACOASTAL WATERS AND BARRIER ISLANDS...AND SPREAD INTO COASTAL WATERS LATE TODAY AND THIS EVENING. THEREFORE MARINERS SHOULD REMAIN ALERT AND WATCH THE SKIES TO THE SOUTHWEST FOR APPROACHING STRONG STORMS. A STRONG UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCE IN THE GULF OF MEXICO WILL CONTINUE TO MOVE EAST OVERNIGHT. THE TIMING OF THIS DEVELOPING SYSTEM REMAINS UNCLEAR...HOWEVER SOME OF THE QUICKER MODEL SOLUTIONS SHOW THIS VIGOROUS STORM SYSTEM MOVING ACROSS CENTRAL FLORIDA AS EARLY AS LATE TONIGHT...WITH ANOTHER ROUND OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS POSSIBLY SPREADING ACROSS CENTRAL FLORIDA AROUND SUNRISE MONDAY MORNING. IF THE SYSTEM MOVES AT A SLOWER PACE...THE BULK OF THIS ACTIVITY WILL HOLD OFF UNTIL THE DAYTIME HOURS MONDAY. A GREATER THAN NORMAL THREAT FOR RIP CURRENTS WILL ALSO EXIST TODAY DUE TO A PERSISTENT NORTHEAST SWELL OF 4 TO 5 FEET. RIP CURRENTS TEND TO BE STRONGEST AND MOST COMMON NEAR PIERS AND JETTIES... ESPECIALLY DURING THE TIME OF OUTGOING TIDE. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH FRIDAY... A PERSISTENT MOIST AND UNSTABLE AIR MASS ALONG WITH UPPER LEVEL LOW PRESSURE AREAS MOVING ACROSS THE GULF COAST STATES AND FLORIDA WILL CONTINUE STORM CHANCES THROUGH MONDAY. A FEW STORMS MAY BECOME SEVERE MONDAY...WITH LARGE HAIL BEING THE MAIN THREAT. .SPOTTER CALL TO ACTION STATEMENT... WEATHER SPOTTERS ARE ASKED TO SELF ACTIVATE THIS EVENING IF A SEVERE WEATHER WARNING IS ISSUED. MJG
FLZ064-162100- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT FOR HAIL NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MELBOURNE FL 318 PM EST SUN MAR 16 2003 ...STRONG STORMS WITH A HISTORY OF PRODUCING HAIL HEADING TOWARD MARTIN COUNTY... AT 316 PM EST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A CLUSTER OF STORMS CAPABLE OF PRODUCING SMALL HAIL FROM 6 MILES SOUTH OF PORT MAYACA TO 16 MILES SOUTH OF JOHNATHAN DICKINSON STATE PARK ...MOVING NORTH AT 20 MPH. LOCATIONS IN THE PATH OF THE STORM WHICH MAY EXPERIENCE HAIL INCLUDE PORT MAYACA...HOBE SOUND...PORT SALERNO AND PORT SEWALL. IF THE STORMS MAINTAIN THEIR INTENSITY...WARNINGS WILL BE ISSUED SHORTLY. CRISTALDI
The Melbourne radar (KMLB), 109 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 21:10 UTC.
2 thunderstorm wind, 1 hail. Local standard time, as filed.
Thunderstorm winds blew down trees and power lines and broke windows in Stuart.
Thunderstorm winds blew down trees and power lines and broke windows in Port Saint Lucie.
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, March 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: 5349205, 5349206, 5349207.