1 flash flood, 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 Charleston, SC wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Aug 18, 8:31 PM EST, 15 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLESTON SC 931 PM EDT MON AUG 18 2003 TSTM ACTIVITY TRYING TO WEAKEN BUT STORMS ARE LINGERING MAINLY WHERE BNDRIES INTERSECTED. A FEW ADDITIONAL ISOLATED CELLS ARE POPPING UP ALSO. ALTHOUGH FRNTL BNDRY TO LINGER N OF THE AREA...SHORTWAVE ENERGY WILL BE LACKING ACCORDING TO MODEL GUID. WILL HOLD OFF ON UPDATE UNTIL THE ACTIVITY DISSIPATES AND MAKE FINAL DECISION ON WHETHER TO HOLD ONTO A 20 POP FOR THE OVERNIGHT HOURS. WILL PROBABLY REMOVE POPS AROUND MIDNIGHT OR SHORTLY THEREAFTER. EXPECT SOME FOG TO DEVELOP TONIGHT BUT NOT EXPECTED TO BE VERY DENSE SO DO NOT PLAN TO MENTION IN THE ZONE FCST. TEMP FCST LOOKS REASONABLE. MARINE...WINDS HAVE BECOME GENERALLY SRLY OVER THE WATERS EXCEPT SW IN THE HARBOR AND RIGHT ALONG MUCH OF THE SC COAST. SPEEDS GENERALLY AROUND 15 KT OR LESS. SEAS RUNNING AROUND 3 FT FRTHR OFFSHORE WITH 2 TO 3 WITHIN 20 NM. EXPECT WINDS TO BECOME MORE WSW OVERNIGHT. WILL MAKE ONLY A FEW MINOR ADJUSTMENTS TO LATEST FCST. .CHS... GA...NONE. SC...NONE.
AMZ330-350-352-354-374-GAZ087-088-099>101-114>119-137>141-SCZ040- 042>045-047>051-181645- HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLESTON SC 1038 AM EDT MON AUG 18 2003 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR SOUTHEAST SOUTH CAROLINA... SOUTHEAST GEORGIA AND THE ADJACENT COASTAL WATERS FROM SOUTH SANTEE RIVER SOUTH CAROLINA TO ALTAMAHA SOUND GEORGIA. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT. RIP CURRENTS...RIP CURRENT RISK IS MODERATE. WIND AND OR WAVE CONDITIONS SUPPORT STRONGER OR MORE FREQUENT RIP CURRENTS. ONLY EXPERIENCED SURF SWIMMERS SHOULD ENTER THE WATER. RIP CURRENT RISK INFORMATION WAS PROVIDED BY THE CHARLESTON COUNTY LIFEGUARDS. .RIVER FLOODING...RIVER FLOOD WARNINGS ARE IN EFFECT FOR THE EDISTO RIVER AT GIVHANS FERRY...THE SAVANNAH RIVER AT CLYO...THE LOWER SANTEE AT JAMESTOWN...AND THE OGEECHEE RIVER AT EDEN. PLEASE REFER TO THE LATEST RIVER FLOOD STATEMENT FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY. RIVER FLOODING...RIVER FLOODING WILL CONTINUE FOR THE AFOREMENTIONED RIVERS. PLEASE REFER TO THE LATEST RIVER FLOOD STATEMENT AND THE LATEST RIVER FORECAST FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SKYWARN SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT EXPECTED TODAY OR TONIGHT.
SCZ050-182045- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLESTON SC 403 PM EDT MON AUG 18 2003 ...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WILL IMPACT NORTHERN CHARLESTON COUNTY THROUGH 445 PM EDT... AT 403 PM EDT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A STRONG THUNDERSTORM CENTERED OVER GERMANTOWN OR ABOUT 8 MILES NORTH OF MCCLELLANVILLE MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 20 MPH. THIS WILL AFFECT AREAS IN AND AROUND WAMBAW CORNER...GERMANTOWN...SOUTH SANTEE AND MCCLELLANVILLE THROUGH 445 PM EDT. THIS STORM WILL PRODUCE FREQUENT CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING...WIND GUSTS TO 40 MPH AND SMALL HAIL. SCW
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLESTON SC
0438 PM EDT MON AUG 18 2003
TIME(EDT) .....CITY LOCATION.....STATE ...EVENT/REMARKS...
....COUNTY LOCATION....
0430 PM MCCLELLANVILLE SC 1.00 IN HAIL
08/18/03 CHARLESTON REPORTED BY SPOTTER.
0415 PM 7 N MCCLELLANVILLE SC 0.88 IN HAIL
08/18/03 CHARLESTON SPOTTER ALSO REPORTED
SMALL LIMBS DOWN.
JRSCZ045-050-182215- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLESTON SC 549 PM EDT MON AUG 18 2003 ...A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WILL IMPACT SOUTHERN BERKELEY COUNTY AND CHARLESTON COUNTY THROUGH 615 PM EDT... AT 549 PM EDT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A CLUSTER OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS CENTERED OVER PHILIP...OR ABOUT 10 MILES NORTHEAST OF CHARLESTON...MOVING EAST AT 15 MPH. THIS CLUSTER OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WILL AFFECT AREAS IN AND AROUND MOUNT PLEASANT...DANIEL ISLAND...SNOWDEN...SCANLONVILLE...PHILIP...HOBCAW POINT...DANIEL ISLAND...CAINHOY...WANDO...WHITEHALL TERRACE... CHANDLER AND DEWEES ISLAND THROUGH 615 PM EDT. HAIL UP TO ONE HALF INCH IN DIAMETER...EXCESSIVE CLOUD-TO-GROUND LIGHTNING AND GUSTY WINDS OF 35 TO 45 MPH CAN BE EXPECTED. SCW
SCZ049-190015- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLESTON SC 726 PM EDT MON AUG 18 2003 ...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WILL IMPACT SOUTHERN COLLETON COUNTY THROUGH 815 PM EDT... AT 726 PM EDT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A STRONG THUNDERSTORM CENTERED OVER FENWICK...OR ABOUT 13 MILES NORTHWEST OF EDISTO BEACH...MOVING SOUTH AT 15 MPH. THIS STRONG THUNDERSTORM WILL AFFECT AREAS IN AND AROUND FENWICK...BENNETTS POINT AND EDISTO BEACH THROUGH 815 PM EDT. HAIL UP TO ONE HALF INCH IN DIAMETER...EXCESSIVE CLOUD-TO-GROUND LIGHTNING AND GUSTY WINDS OF 35 TO 45 MPH CAN BE EXPECTED. SCW
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
1 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.
Heavy rainfall flooded streets leaving at least one car inundated by water.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Georgia in 2003Every state in 2003This day in weather historyWarnings in Georgia, 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: 5379567.