Damaging Winds in Ohio, March 28, 2003

Name: Damaging Winds in Ohio, March 28, 2003
Start: 2003-03-28T20:20
End: 2003-03-28T21:12
Location: Ohio

March 28, 2003 · NWS CLE · 2 events in 2 counties and zones

2 thunderstorm wind, 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: 1
Property damage: $425,000
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 2

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 Cleveland, OH wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Mar 28, 3:18 PM EST, 5 hours 2 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Mar 28, 3:18 PM EST, 5 hours 2 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CLEVELAND OH
318PM EST FRI MAR 28 2003

AT UPR LVLS FULL LAT TROF SETS UP BY 24 HRS FM HUDSONS BAY TO TX.
THIS TROF GRDLY LIFTS OUT TO NE CROSSING LWR LKS AT 60 HRS. AT SFC
LOW OVR LMIC MOVS WELL NE OF THE AREA BY 12Z SAT.

MDLS APPEAR TO BE IN FAIRLY GOOD AGREEMENT ON MAJOR FEATURES FOR 1ST
24 HRS. PARAMETERS LINED UP PRETTY WELL  PLENTY OF PVA APPCHG GOOD
MSTR AND PLENTY OF UVV. GOING TO GET WET TNGT. SVR POTENTIAL DOESNT
REALLY LOOK THAT GREAT. WINDS LIKELY TO BE PRETTY STIFF LATE AFTN
THRU EVE. WILL BE CONSIDERING A WIND ADVSRY FOR TNGT, BUT WITH
TIMING MAY HV TO KEEP IT MAINLY WRN AREAS. MDLS ALL PULL MSTR OUT
PRETTY RPDLY TMW BUT STILL ENUF THERE TO GO WITH A LKLY TO CAT POP
OVER ERN SXNS SAT AM.  DRY SAT AFTN BUT SOME MDLS BRING ANOTHER SHOT
OF MSTR UP INTO THE AREA. THIS SEEMS TO BE ASSOCTD WITH THE EAST CST
SYS AND REALLY APPEARS TO BE CONSIDERABLY OVRDN. NGM SEEMS TO BE THE
MOST OVRDN. ADDNL PVA MOVG ACRS ON SUN WL PRBBLY NECESSITATE AT
LEAST SOME CHC POPS OVR ERN SXN FOR RW/SW.

GUID TMPS VARY A BIT WITH NGM A LTL WRMR THAN REST. WL PRBBLY LN
TWDS COOLER READINGS 1ST 3 PDS AND MDL OF THE RD FOR 4TH PD.  MDLS
DO AGREE THAT WONT BE MUCH TMP RISE DURG DAY SAT. HARD PART WILL BE
DETERMINING HOW LOW WE GET TNGT, THEN WORK FM THERE.

.CLE...
OH...NONE.
PA...NONE.

VRCEK

Hazardous weather outlook, Mar 28, 6:10 AM EST, 14 hours 10 minutes before

OHZ003-006>014-017>023-027>033-036>038-047-089-PAZ001>003-281315-

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CLEVELAND OH
610 AM EST FRI MAR 28 2003

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR MUCH OF NORTHERN OHIO
AND A PORTION OF NORTHWESTERN PENNSYLVANIA.

.DAY ONE...TODAY
THERE IS A SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS OVER NORTHERN OHIO
THIS EVENING AND TONIGHT AS A STRONG COLD FRONT MOVES THROUGH THE
REGION.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...

NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.

.SPOTTER CALL TO ACTION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE NEEDED LATE TODAY OR TONIGHT.

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Mar 28, 7:10 PM EST, 1 hour 10 minutes before

OHZ003-006>009-017>019-027-028-036-290215-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CLEVELAND OH
710 PM EST FRI MAR 28 2003

...GUSTY WINDS WILL MOVE ACROSS NORTHWEST OHIO THIS EVENING...

WINDS WILL GUST TO 40 MPH AT TIMES THIS EVENING WITH THE PASSAGE OF
A STRONG COLD FRONT. BRIEF HEAVY RAINS AND SOME LIGHTNING AND
THUNDER ARE ALSO LIKELY. WINDS WILL COME FROM THE SOUTH AND SHIFT TO
THE WEST WITH THE PASSAGE OF THE FRONT.

THE WINDS MAY BE STRONG ENOUGH TO KNOCK DOWN A FEW WEAK BRANCHES AND
TO BLOW AROUND LIGHT OBJECTS SUCH AS LAWN FURNITURE OR TRASH CANS.
WINDS WILL DIMINISH LATER TONIGHT AS MUCH COLDER AIR MOVES INTO THE
AREA.

KOSARIK

The radar

The Cleveland radar (KCLE), 113 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 01:21 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

2 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Thunderstorm Wind, Sandusky

When: March 28, 8:20 PM EST to 8:30 PM EST
Where: Sandusky County, Lindsey
Measured: 45 kt (52 mph) estimated gust
Injuries: 1 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $350,000
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 41.417, -83.217

Showers moved across Sandusky County during the evening hours. Although no lightning or thunder was reported, the showers were intense enough to cause significant damage in the county. Winds were estimated to be well in excess of 50 mph. Two semi trucks were blown over on the Ohio Turnpike just north of Lindsey. One of the truck drivers sustained injuries serious enough to require hospitalization. In Lindsey, the roof of a large building was blown off and several homes nearby were also damaged by the strong winds. Many trees were downed in and around Lindsey. A 40 by 60 foot barn located six miles west of Fremont was destroyed.

Thunderstorm Wind, Ottawa

When: March 28, 8:59 PM EST to 9:12 PM EST
Where: Ottawa County, Port Clinton
Measured: 45 kt (52 mph) estimated gust
Property damage: $75,000
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 41.517, -82.950

Showers moved across Ottawa County during the evening hours. Although no thunder or lightning was reported, the showers were intense enough to cause some damage in the county. Wind gusts were estimated to be in excess of 50 mph. A few trees and large limbs were downed in Port Clinton. A barn was leveled near Oak Harbor and a nearby house was also damaged by the strong winds.

What these are

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, March 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: 5346995, 5346996.