4 flood, 1 flash flood, as filed by the National Weather Service.
Every event with a place to put it; 5 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 Wilmington, OH wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Feb 22, 2:00 PM EST, 30 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WILMINGTON OH
200 PM EST SAT FEB 22 2003
AREAS OF RAIN WITH EMBEDDED THUNDERSTORMS MOVING TOWARD CENTRAL
OHIO. WILL UPDATE ZONES IN CENTRAL OH WITHOUT THUNDER. THE
WIDESPREAD DENSE FOG HAS DISSIPATED WITH THE RAIN SO WILL LET DENSE
FOG ADVISORY EXPIRE AT 2 PM.
.ILN...FLOOD WATCH ENTIRE FCST TODAY AND ALL BUT W CNTRL OH TONIGHT.
WINTER STORM WARNING W CNTRL OH LATE AFTN AND TONIGHT.
WINTER WEATHER ADVSY TONIGHT FOR MIAMI/WHITEWATER VALLEYS...
SW OH...SE IN...N CNTRL KY...AND CNTRL OH.
CENTERINZ050-058-059-066-073>075-080-KYZ089>100-OHZ026-034-035-042>046- 051>056-060>065-070>074-077>082-088-221230- HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WILMINGTON OH 530 AM EST SAT FEB 22 2003 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR EASTERN INDIANA...NORTHERN KENTUCKY AND THE SOUTHWEST QUARTER OF OHIO. .DAY ONE...TODAY LOW PRESSURE WITH COPIOUS MOISTURE WILL BRING THE THREAT OF FLOODING TO THE REGION TODAY. AS THE LOW MOVES TO PENNSYLVANIA TONIGHT...COLDER AIR WILL CHANGE THE RAIN TO SNOW. THE SNOW MAY BE HEAVY AT TIMES OVER PORTIONS OF WEST CENTRAL OHIO. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY ANOTHER LOW PRESSURE WILL TRACK SOUTH OF THE REGION SUNDAY NIGHT AND EARLY MONDAY...BRINGING THE LIKELIHOOD FOR ACCUMULATING SNOW. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED. CONIGLIO
The Cincinnati radar (KILN), 50 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 19:31 UTC.
4 flood, 1 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.
Thunderstorms producing heavy rains developed during the afternoon ahead of a strong cold front. The rains combined with snowmelt caused numerous high water problems across southern Ohio. Several creeks went out of their banks, and numerous roads were closed due to high water.
Thunderstorms producing heavy rains developed during the afternoon ahead of a strong cold front. The rains combined with snowmelt caused numerous high water problems across southern Ohio. Several creeks went out of their banks, and numerous roads were closed due to high water.
Thunderstorms producing heavy rains developed during the afternoon ahead of a strong cold front. The rains combined with snowmelt caused numerous high water problems across southern Ohio. Several creeks went out of their banks, and numerous roads were closed due to high water.
Roads were underwater in town.
Thunderstorms producing heavy rains developed during the afternoon ahead of a strong cold front. The rains combined with snowmelt caused numerous high water problems across southern Ohio. Several creeks went out of their banks, and numerous roads were closed due to high water.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Ohio in 2003Every state in 2003This day in weather historyWarnings in Ohio, February 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: 5342013, 5341928, 5342012, 5341927, 5342014.