5 hail, 4 thunderstorm wind, 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 Memphis, TN wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at May 1, 9:20 AM CST, 3 hours 10 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEMPHIS TN 1020 AM CDT THU MAY 1 2003 14Z SFC MAP PLACES A COLD FRONT EXTENDING FROM N MO THRU SE KS AND C OK. A LARGE MCC DEVELOPED OVER SO MO LAST NITE AND IS ENTERING NE ARK AND MO BOOTHEEL. THIS COMPLEX DEVELOPED IN A THE RIGHT ENTRANCE REGION OF AN UPPER LEVEL JET ALONG WITH GOOD UPPER LEVEL DIVERGENCE. ENVIRONMENT AHEAD OF THE LINE IS UNSTABLE WITH LIS OF AROUND -5...CAPES OF ABOUT 2000J/KG AND MID LEVEL LAPSE RATES OF AROUND 7.25. 850-500MB WIND FIELDS DO SUPPORT DAMAGING WINDS AND LARGE HAIL. SO SVR POTENTIAL DOES EXIST AS THE LINE CONTINUES TO THE SE. WILL UPDATE FCST TO INCREASE POPS ACROSS THE REGION AND DETAIL SVR WX THREAT. MAX TEMPS LOOK REASONABLE...MAY SCALE BACK TEMPS ACROSS NE ARK WHERE CONVECTION HAS OCCURRED. .MEG...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH FOR NE ARK AND MO BOOTHEEL UNTIL 20Z. VALLE
ARZ008-009-017-018-026>028-035-036-048-049-058-MOZ113-115-MSZ001>017- 020>024-TNZ001>004-019>021-048>055-088>092-021000- HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEMPHIS TN 1005 AM CDT THU MAY 1 2003 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTHEAST ARKANSAS...NORTH MISSISSIPPI...WEST TENNESSEE AND THE MISSOURI BOOTHEEL. .DAY ONE...TODAY A COLD FRONT WILL APPROACH THE MID SOUTH FROM THE NORTHWEST TODAY AND MOVE INTO THE AREA TONIGHT. IN THE WARM MOIST UNSTABLE AIR AHEAD OF THE FRONT THUNDERSTORMS WILL SPREAD ACROSS THE MID SOUTH THIS MORNING THROUGH TONIGHT. SOME STORMS WILL BE SEVERE THIS MORNING ACROSS NORTHEAST ARKANSAS AND THE MISSOURI BOOTHEEL. THESE STORMS WILL PRODUCE DAMAGING WINDS AND LARGE HAIL. THE THREAT FOR SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WILL SPREAD ACROSS WEST TENNESSEE AND NORTH MISSISSIPPI THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN... THERE IS A CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS SATURDAY NIGHT THROUGH TUESDAY WITH THE GREATEST CHANCE COMING ON SUNDAY AS A WARM FRONT LIFTS NORTH THROUGH THE AREA AND AGAIN ON TUESDAY AS A COLD FRONT SWEEPS THROUGH THE REGION. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL BE REQUIRED THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT. STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO AND OTHER LOCAL MEDIA FOR FURTHER DETAILS OR UPDATES. FOR ADDITIONAL WEATHER INFORMATION...CHECK OUR WEB SITE AT HTTP://WWW.SRH.NOAA.GOV/MEG.
ARZ009-018-011600- SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEMPHIS TN 1039 AM CDT THU MAY 1 2003 THIS SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY IS FOR...CLAY AND GREENE COUNTIES. A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WAS LOCATED NEAR PEACH ORCHARD AT 1039 AM CDT...MOVING EAST AT 40 MPH. THIS STORM WILL PRODUCE DAMAGING WIND AND POSSIBLY DESTRUCTIVE HAIL AS IT MOVES THROUGH. PEOPLE IN CLAY AND GREENE COUNTIES...INCLUDING THE CITIES OF CORNING...MARMADUKE AND RECTOR...SHOULD MONITOR THIS STORM CLOSELY.
MOZ113-011615- SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEMPHIS TN 1046 AM CDT THU MAY 1 2003 THIS SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY IS FOR...DUNKLIN COUNTY. A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WAS LOCATED OVER CLAY COUNTY ARKANSAS...16 MILES SOUTHWEST OF GLENNONVILLE AT 1046 AM CDT...THE STORM WAS MOVING EAST AT 40 MPH. THIS STORM WILL MOVE OVER THE NORTH PART OF DUNKLIN COUNTY BEFORE 1115 AM AND MAY STILL BE SEVERE AT THAT TIME. PEOPLE IN DUNKLIN COUNTY...INCLUDING THE CITIES OF CAMPBELL AND MALDEN...SHOULD MONITOR THIS STORM CLOSELY.
ARZ009-018-MOZ113-011615- SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEMPHIS TN 1107 AM CDT THU MAY 1 2003 THIS SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY IS FOR...CLAY...DUNKLIN AND GREENE COUNTIES. THE THUNDERSTORM THUNDERSTORM THAT EARLIER PRODUCED SEVERE WEATHER OVER GREENE COUNTY ARKANSAS WAS LOCATED OVER THE TOWN OF ST. FRANCIS AT 1107 AM CDT...MOVING EAST AT 45 MPH. THIS STORM MAY REINTENSIFY AND COULD BECOME SEVERE AGAIN RAPIDLY. THE STORM PRODUCED DAMAGING WIND THAT OVERTURNED A MOBILE HOME WHILE OVER SOUTHEAST GREENE COUNTY. PEOPLE IN CLAY...DUNKLIN AND GREENE COUNTIES...INCLUDING THE CITIES OF CAMPBELL...KENNETT...MALDEN...MARMADUKE...PARAGOULD...PIGGOTT... RECTOR AND SENATH...SHOULD MONITOR THIS STORM CLOSELY.
ARZ026-027-011630- SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEMPHIS TN 1118 AM CDT THU MAY 1 2003 THIS SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY IS FOR...CRAIGHEAD AND POINSETT COUNTIES. AN INTENSIFYING THUNDERSTORM WAS LOCATED 5 MILES NORTH OF WEINER AT 1118 AM CDT...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 30 MPH. HEAVY RAIN...DEADLY LIGHTNING...AND STRONG WIND GUSTS WILL BE POSSIBLE AS THE STORM MOVES OVER. THIS STORM IS STILL GROWING AND COULD BECOME SEVERE RAPIDLY. PEOPLE IN CRAIGHEAD AND POINSETT COUNTIES...INCLUDING THE CITIES OF BAY...BONO...BROOKLAND...CARAWAY...JONESBORO...LAKE CITY...MONETTE AND TRUMANN...SHOULD MONITOR THIS STORM CLOSELY.
ARZ026-027-011645- SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEMPHIS TN 1134 AM CDT THU MAY 1 2003 THIS SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY IS FOR...CRAIGHEAD AND POINSETT COUNTIES. A GROWING THUNDERSTORM WAS LOCATED NEAR GREENFIELD AT 1134 AM CDT...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 25 MPH. HALF INCH HAIL IS POSSIBLE WITH THIS STORM ALONG WITH HEAVY RAIN AND DEADLY LIGHTNING. THIS STORM IS INTENSIFYING AND COULD BECOME SEVERE RAPIDLY. PEOPLE IN CRAIGHEAD AND POINSETT COUNTIES...INCLUDING THE CITIES OF BAY AND JONESBORO...SHOULD MONITOR THIS STORM CLOSELY.
MOZ115-011730- SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEMPHIS TN 1210 PM CDT THU MAY 1 2003 THIS SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY IS FOR...PEMISCOT COUNTY. THE THUNDERSTORM THAT EARLIER PROMPTED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING HAS MOVED EAST OF PEMISCOT COUNTY. SHOWERS WILL CONTINUE UNTIL AFTER 1230 PM.
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
5 hail, 4 thunderstorm wind, 1 lightning. Local standard time, as filed.
A lady was injured by a lightning strike while walking to her car.
Some trees were knocked down.
A tree fell across a mobile home. Other trees were knocked down.
Some trees and power lines were blown down.
A police car was damaged in the town of Van Vleet.
A few trees were blown down.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Mississippi in 2003Every state in 2003This day in weather historyWarnings in Mississippi, 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: 5356843, 5356834, 5356835, 5356836, 5356842, 5356837, 5356838, 5356839, 5356840, 5356841.