1 tornado, 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 Chicago, IL wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at May 30, 5:45 PM CST, 2 hours 28 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHICAGO IL 645 PM CDT FRI MAY 30 2003 AVIATION DISCUSSION FOR 00Z TAFS MAJOR LOW DEEPENING OVER S WISCONSIN TO MOVE JUST N OF OUR TERMINALS. SUPERCELL SQUALL LINE FORMING NW IL TO MOVE ESE 30 KTS INTO CHI TERMINALS 01-03Z. AFTER THAT WIND GO STRONG W THEN NW BEHIND FRONT AND RUN DOWN LAKE BY MORNING. VFR CIGS NW TO DROP TO MVFR AS WE GET INTO COLDER AIR LATER TONIGHT. AF PUBLIC DISCUSSION FOR 330 PM ZONES/GRIDS MAIN FOCUS THIS EVENING IS ON POTL FOR TSTM DVLPMT. AREA REMAINS IN A SLGT RISK FOR SVR AND GIVEN STG DYNAMICS WITH INTENSIFYING SYS IN UPR MIDWEST...PARAMETERS POINT TOWARD TSTM DVLPMT FROM CNTRL WI-ERN IS WITHIN NXT FEW HRS. THESE STORMS WILL THEN MOVE QUICKLY SOUTHEAST THROUGH THE FA AND EXIT THE AREA ARND 10 PM CDT. WILL NOT REITERATE DISCUSSIONS ON CONVECTIVE POTL OR SVR RISK. SEE LATEST HWOLOT...SWOMCD AND SWODY1 PRODUCTS FOR SPECIFICS. VIS SATLT IMAGERY SHOWS LN OF CU/TCU TRYING TO ORGANIZE FROM NRN WI-ERN IA ATTM. THIS IS TAKING A LTL WHILE TO GET GOING...BUT SHOULD FIRE INTO A SQLN LATER THIS AFTN AND THEN MOVE THRU AREA. THEREFORE...HAVE GONE WITH LIKELY POPS FOR PERIOD FROM 00Z-06Z. FCST THEN DRY UNTIL NXT SYS DIGS IN FROM NW ABOUT MIDWEEK. ONLY FLY IN OINTMENT IN NR TERM IS POTL FOR SOME WRAP ARND SPRINKLE/LGT SHWRS SAT MRND IN RGN OF STG COLD ADVECTION ASSD WITH DEEPENING LO PRES WHICH WILL BE MOVG THRU OHIO BY TOMORROW MRNG. ALTHO SYS IS DEEPENING AND DIGGING...IT IS ALSO REMAING QUITE PROGRESSIVE...SO EXPECT SKIES TO GRDLY CLR SAT AFTN. SFC HI PRES SETTLES OVR FA SAT NGT-ERLY SUN MRNG SO SETUP IS GOOD FOR A COOL NGT BEFORE DAY-TO-DAY MODERATION IN TEMPS BEGINS SUN-WED. .CHI...GALE WARNING LM LATER TONIGHT THRU SAT MORNING. MERZLOCK
ILZ003>006-008-010>014-019-020>023-032-033-039-INZ001-002-010-011-019
-311100-
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHICAGO IL
400 PM CDT FRI MAY 30 2003
THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTH CENTRAL AND NORTHEAST
ILLINOIS...NORTHWEST INDIANA...AND THE ADJACENT WATERS OF LAKE
MICHIGAN.
.DAY ONE... THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT
A TORNADO WATCH IS IN EFFECT NORTHERN AND CENTRAL ILLINOIS THIS
FRIDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING FROM 345 PM UNTIL 900 PM CDT. THE WATCH
AREA IS ROUGHLY WEST OF A LINE FROM SPRING GROVE IN NORTHEAST
MCHENRY COUNTY TO PONTIAC IN LIVINGSTON COUNTY. THE WATCH INCLUDES
ROCKFORD...BELVIDERE...HARVARD...OREGON...AMBOY...DEKALB...OTTAWA
AND PONTIAC. THE WATCH DOES NOT INCLUDE CHICAGO OR MOST OF ITS
SUBURBAN AREA OR ANY PART OF NORTHWEST INDIANA.
AN INTENSIFYING LOW PRESSURE AREA NOW OVER NORTHWEST WISCONSIN WILL
SEND A STRONG COLD FRONT ACROSS NORTHERN ILLINOIS AND NORTHWEST
INDIANA DURING THE EVENING HOURS. THIS IS A VERY SIMILAR SITUATION
TO THAT WHICH OCCURRED WEDNESDAY.
ALTHOUGH THE TEMPERATURES ARE RATHER COOL AND CONDITIONS ARE STABLE
AT THE MOMENT...SATELLITE IMAGERY INDICATES THAT CLOUDS HAVE ERODED
OVER NORTHWEST ILLINOIS WHERE TEMPERATURES HAVE RISEN INTO THE 70S
WITH DEW POINTS IN THE UPPER 50S AND LOWER 60S. AS A RESULT...THE
ATMOSPHERE AHEAD OF THE COLD FRONT IS DESTABILIZING AND
THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO DEVELOP LATER THIS AFTERNOON.
A GALE WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR THE OPEN AND NEARSHORE WATERS OF
SOUTHERN LAKE MICHIGAN. GALES WILL DEVELOP OVERNIGHT...ALONG WITH
HAZARDOUS WAVES OF 7 TO 12 FEET.
.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN... SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY
A GALE WARNING WILL BE IN EFFECT INTO SATURDAY AFTERNOON FOR THE
NEARSHORE AND OPEN WATERS. EVEN OVER LAND WINDS OF 20 TO 30 MPH
WITH SOME GUSTS NEAR 40 MPH ARE POSSIBLE.
AFTER A SPELL OF CLEAR SKIES THE LATTER PART OF THE WEEKEND...THE
NEXT THREAT OF THUNDERSTORMS WILL BEGIN MONDAY AFTERNOON.
.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...
SPOTTERS WILL BE NEEDED THROUGH AT LEAST 9PM IN THE WATCH AREA.
&&
NWS CHICAGO WEBPAGE
HTTP://WWW.CRH.NOAA.GOV/LOT (LOWER CASE)
OR HTTP://WEATHER.NOAA.GOV/CHICAGO (LOWER CASE)
SOMREKPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHICAGO IL
850 PM CDT FRI MAY 30 2003
TIME(CDT) .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE ...EVENT/REMARKS...
....COUNTY LOCATION....
0835 PM FRANKFORT IL TORNADO
05/30/03 WILL MANHATTAN RD. REPORTED
BY FIRE AND RESCUE.PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHICAGO IL
851 PM CDT FRI MAY 30 2003
TIME(CDT) .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE ...EVENT/REMARKS...
....COUNTY LOCATION....
0843 PM WILMINGTON IL TORNADO
05/30/03 WILL WARNER BRIDGE RD.
REPORTED BY LAW
ENFORCEMENT OFFICIAL.PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHICAGO IL
857 PM CDT FRI MAY 30 2003
TIME(CDT) .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE ...EVENT/REMARKS...
....COUNTY LOCATION....
0810 PM STREATOR IL FLOOD
05/30/03 LASALLE RT. 23. HOSPITAL
SURROUNDED BY WATER.
3-4 INCHES WATER OM RD.
. REPORTED BY HAM RADIO
OPERATOR.PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHICAGO IL
900 PM CDT FRI MAY 30 2003
TIME(CDT) .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE ...EVENT/REMARKS...
....COUNTY LOCATION....
0735 PM SHERIDAN IL 60 MPH TSTM GUST
05/30/03 LASALLE LAKE HOLIDAY. REPORTED
BY HAM RADIO OPERATOR.PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHICAGO IL
906 PM CDT FRI MAY 30 2003
TIME(CDT) .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE ...EVENT/REMARKS...
....COUNTY LOCATION....
0843 PM UNKNOWN IL TORNADO
05/30/03 WILL WILLMINGTON & OLD
CHICAGO RD. REPORTED BY
EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT.
0845 PM UNKNOWN IL TORNADO
05/30/03 WILL RT. 53 AND BLACKTOP RD.
REPORTED BY EMERGENCY
MANAGEMENT.
0845 PM JOLIET IL TORNADO
05/30/03 WILL ESSINGTON RD. REPORTED
BY EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT.PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT...CORRECTION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHICAGO IL
913 PM CDT FRI MAY 30 2003
TIME(CDT) .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE ...EVENT/REMARKS...
....COUNTY LOCATION....
0845 PM JOLIET IL TORNADO
05/30/03 WILL ESSINGTON RD. ROOF
BLOWN OFF APARTMENT
COMPLEX. REPORTED BY
EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT.The Chicago radar (KLOT), 50 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 02:14 UTC.
1 tornado. Local standard time, as filed.
A weak tornado touched down near Highway 41 and 150th street. No damage was reported.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Indiana in 2003Every state in 2003This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for Indiana, 2003Warnings in Indiana, May 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: 5357839.