Hail and Damaging Winds in Ohio, July 4, 2003

Name: Hail and Damaging Winds in Ohio, July 4, 2003
Start: 2003-07-04T16:48
End: 2003-07-04T17:40
Location: Ohio

July 4, 2003 · NWS IWX · 6 events in 2 counties and zones

4 thunderstorm wind, 2 hail, as filed by the National Weather Service.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it. Tap one for its entry below.

Tornadoes
Tropical storms and surge
Floods
Wind
Hail
Winter weather
Heat and drought
Cold
Fire, smoke and dust
Marine and coastal
Other

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 6

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.

What forecasters said that day

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 Northern Indiana wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Jul 4, 3:30 PM EST, 1 hour 18 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jul 4, 3:30 PM EST, 1 hour 18 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORTHERN INDIANA
330 PM EST FRI JUL 4 2003

SHORT TERM DISCUSSION...
PRIMARY FORECAST CONCERN IS SEVERE STORM DEVELOPMENT THIS EVENING.

TSRA HAVE DEVELOPED RAPIDLY IN THE PAST HOUR.  ACTIVITY IS FOCUSED
ALONG TROUGH OF LOW PRESSURE EXTENDING FROM WESTERN LOWER MICHIGAN
TO CENTRAL ILLINOIS.  GIVEN EXTREMELY UNSTABLE AIRMASS...SURFACE
BASED LI VALUES TO MINUS 13 IN MOISTURE CONVERGENCE AXIS...PLUS
MID LEVEL DISTURBANCE WORKING ACROSS...EXPECT CONTINUED DEVELOPMENT
AND SEVERE STORMS LATE AFTERNOON AND EVENING.  SUPPORT SOMEWHAT
WEAKER OVER LOWER MICHIGAN...AND WILL GO WITH SCATTERED WORDING
THERE...WITH LIKELY POPS ELSEWHERE.  PRIMARY SEVERE WEATHER HAZARD
WILL BE WIND AND WILL WORD AS SUCH IN ZONES...BUT SOME HAIL ALSO
POSSIBLE.  LITTLE CHANGE IN AIRMASS THE NEXT COUPLE OF DAYS.  GFS
CONTINUED TO HAVE FEEDBACK PROBLEMS AND THUS QPF BULLSEYE VALUES
DISCOUNTED.  IN GENERAL...MODELS INDICATE A SERIES OF WEAK MID LEVEL
DISTURBANCES IN FLAT FLOW.  WITH AMPLE MOISTURE AND INSTABILITY EACH
DAY...POPS WARRANTED.

AS FOR TEMPERATURES...BLENDED COOLER MAV AND WARMER MET AND FWC
HIGHS NEXT COUPLE OF DAYS.  PREFER WARMER FWC LOWS...GIVEN CURRENT
DEWPOINTS AND LITTLE AIRMASS CHANGE.

EXTENDED DISCUSSION...
LATEST MRF AND ECMWF RUNS BOTH EXHIBITED POOR RUN TO RUN
CONTINUITY...BUT DID INDICATE RIDGING AT SURFACE AND ALOFT BUILDING
IN FOR THURSDAY AND FRIDAY.  LATEST AVN RUN TO 120 HOURS ALSO
SUPPORTS DRY FORECAST...SO WILL KEEP THOSE PERIODS DRY.

AVIATION DISCUSSION FOR 18Z...
MCS HAD ADVANCED INTO NW OHIO WITH WINDS GENERALLY E TO SE IN THE
RAIN COOLED AREA. OUTFLOW BOUNDARY PUT DOWN BY THE MCS WAS SOUTH OF
SBN AND FWA. THIS BOUNDARY SHOULD BECOME A FOCUS FOR ADDITIONAL
THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY THIS AFTERNOON AS EXTREMELY UNSTABLE
ATMOSPHERIC CONDITIONS DEVELOP...SO HAVE ENTERED THUNDER IN TAFS
GENERALLY 20Z TO 03Z TO CORRESPOND TO BEST CHANCE FOR THUNDER.

.IWX...
IN...NONE.
MI...NONE.
OH...NONE.

BARJENBRUCH

Hazardous weather outlook, Jul 4, 4:35 PM EST, 13 minutes before

INZ003>009-012>018-020-022>027-032>034-MIZ077>081-OHZ001-002-004-005-
015-016-024-025-051000-

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...UPDATED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORTHERN INDIANA
435 PM EST FRI JUL 4 2003

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTHERN INDIANA...NORTHWEST
OHIO AND SOUTHWEST LOWER MICHIGAN.

.DAY ONE...LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT

SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE INTO THE EVENING HOURS...PRIMARY
SOUTH OF THE INDIANA...MICHIGAN STATE LINE.  ANOTHER ROUND OF
THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE POSSIBLE LATE TONIGHT OVER SOUTHERN LOWER
MICHIGAN...NORTHERN INDIANA AND NORTHWEST OHIO...WITH SEVERE STORMS
AGAIN POSSIBLE.  ANY SEVERE WEATHER WILL MOST LIKELY BE IN THE FORM
OF DAMAGING WINDS AND LARGE HAIL.

THE STORMS WILL BE TRIGGERED BY A SERIES OF MID LEVEL DISTURBANCES
AND A TROUGH OF LOW PRESSURE...IN COMBINATION WITH A VERY UNSTABLE
AIRMASS.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY

THERE WILL BE A CHANCE FOR THUNDERSTORMS SATURDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY.
SOME OF THE STORMS MAY BE SEVERE.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION HAS ALREADY TAKEN PLACE THIS AFTERNOON AND MAY
AGAIN BE REQUIRED LATER TONIGHT.

STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO FOR FURTHER DETAILS OR UPDATES OR
CHECK OUR WEB SITE AT WWW.CRH.NOAA.GOV/IWX

BARJENBRUCH

In the hours before

Local storm report, Jul 4, 4:17 PM EST, 31 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORTHERN INDIANA
0417 PM EST FRI JUL 04 2003

TIME(EST)  .....CITY LOCATION.....STATE   ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

0414 PM    5 N FORT WAYNE            IN   1.00 IN HAIL
07/04/03   ALLEN                          1/2 MILE NORTH OF
                                          INTERSECTION OF ROUTE 3 AND
                                          I-69

HITCHCOCK

Local storm report, Jul 4, 4:22 PM EST, 26 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORTHERN INDIANA
0422 PM EST FRI JUL 04 2003

TIME(EST)  .....CITY LOCATION.....STATE   ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

0419 PM    7 N FORT WAYNE            IN   1.00 IN HAIL
07/04/03   ALLEN                          NEAR INTERSECTION OF I-469
                                          AND I-69

HITCHCOCK

Local storm report, Jul 4, 4:28 PM EST, 20 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORTHERN INDIANA
0428 PM EST FRI JUL 04 2003

TIME(EST)  .....CITY LOCATION.....STATE   ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

0428 PM    2 N NORTH WEBSTER         IN   1.00 IN HAIL
07/04/03   KOSCIUSKO                      AT NWS OFFICE

HITCHCOCK

Local storm report, Jul 4, 4:31 PM EST, 17 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORTHERN INDIANA
0431 PM EST FRI JUL 04 2003

TIME(EST)  .....CITY LOCATION.....STATE   ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

0429 PM    2 N NORTH WEBSTER         IN   1.50 IN HAIL
07/04/03   KOSCIUSKO                      AT NWS OFFICE

HITCHCOCK

Local storm report, Jul 4, 4:35 PM EST, 13 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORTHERN INDIANA
0435 PM EST FRI JUL 04 2003

TIME(EST)  .....CITY LOCATION.....STATE   ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

0428 PM    7 SE FORT WAYNE           IN   1.00 IN HAIL
07/04/03   ALLEN

HITCHCOCK

Local storm report, Jul 4, 4:41 PM EST, 7 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORTHERN INDIANA
0441 PM EST FRI JUL 04 2003

TIME(EST)  .....CITY LOCATION.....STATE   ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

0439 PM    3 N KEWANNA               IN   WIND DAMAGE
07/04/03   FULTON                         TREES DOWN IN WESTERN PART
                                          OF COUNTY

HITCHCOCK

The radar

The Northern Indiana radar (KIWX), 85 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 21:50 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

4 thunderstorm wind, 2 hail. Local standard time, as filed.

Hail, Paulding

When: July 4, 4:48 PM EST
Where: Paulding County, 2 mi W of Payne
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 41.083, -84.750

Hail, Paulding

When: July 4, 4:58 PM EST
Where: Paulding County, 2 mi N of Paulding
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 41.167, -84.567

Thunderstorm Wind, Van Wert

When: July 4, 5:30 PM EST
Where: Van Wert County, Wren
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph) estimated gust
Reported by: EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates: 40.800, -84.767

Emergency management reported large trees down in Wren.

Thunderstorm Wind, Van Wert

When: July 4, 5:35 PM EST
Where: Van Wert County, 1 mi S of Ohio City
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph) estimated gust
Reported by: EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates: 40.750, -84.617

Emergency management reported large trees down south of Ohio City.

Thunderstorm Wind, Van Wert

When: July 4, 5:37 PM EST
Where: Van Wert County, Ohio City
Measured: 52 kt (60 mph) estimated gust
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 40.767, -84.617

A trained spotter estimated a wind gust to 60 mph in Ohio City.

Thunderstorm Wind, Van Wert

When: July 4, 5:40 PM EST
Where: Van Wert County, Middle Pt
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph) estimated gust
Reported by: EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates: 40.850, -84.433

Emergency management reported large trees down in Middle Point.

What these are

Hail: Hail three-quarters of an inch or larger, or smaller hail that caused damage, filed with the largest stone measured.
Thunderstorm Wind: Winds from a thunderstorm of 50 knots (58 mph) or more, or lower winds that caused damage or casualties. Measured gusts are marked MG, estimated EG.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Ohio in 2003 Every state in 2003 This day in weather history Warnings in Ohio, July 2003

Sources

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: 5373477, 5373478, 5373479, 5373480, 5373481, 5373482.