10 flood, 6 hail, 1 thunderstorm wind, 1 flash flood, as filed by the National Weather Service.
Every event with a place to put it; 11 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 May 9, 2:25 AM EST, 1 hour 35 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WILMINGTON OH 325 AM EDT FRI MAY 9 2003 THUNDERSTORM COMPLEX PUSHING ACROSS NORTHERN INDIANA THIS MORNING SHOULD CONTINUE TO PUSH EAST INTO NORTHERN OHIO THIS MORNING AS NOSE OF 40 KT 925 MB JET SHIFTS EAST INTO NORTHWEST OHIO. BASED ON 300-850 MB THICKNESS...LOOKS LIKE SOME POTENTIAL FOR STORMS TO DROP A LITLLE MORE SOUTHEAST TOWARD CENTRAL OHIO TOWARD 12Z. WILL THEREFORE GO WITH LIKELY POPS FOR WAPOK AND CMH GROUPS WITH HIGH CHC JUST TO THE SOUTH OF THERE. WARMFRONT WILL LIFT NORTH ACROSS AREA THROUGH THIS AFTERNOON WITH GOOD WARMING ACROSS AREA. 1000-850 MB THICKNESSES SUPPORTING HIGHS IN THE LOW TO MID 80S TODAY. THIS SEEMS REASONABLE ACROSS THE SOUTH BUT WILL GO A LITTLE COOLER THAN THAT ACROSS THE NORTH WITH BETTER CHANCE OF PCPN THIS MORNING. GOOD INSTABILITY ACROSS AREA THIS AFTERNOON BUT WITH FRONT LIFTING NORTH...BEST FORCING HEADS NORTH TOO SO WILL GENERALY GO WITH LOW CHANCE POPS FOR THIS AFTERNOON AND INTO EARLY THIS EVENING. BETTER CHANCE THEN SPREADS BACK IN TONIGHT WITH GOOD LOW LEVEL JET RE-ESTABLISHING ITSELF FROM 06Z TO 12Z. BEST CHANCE AGAIN LOOKS TO BE ACROSS THE NORTH WHERE WILL GO WITH LIKELY POPS AND KEEP CHANCE IN THE SOUTH. WITH GOOD SLY FLOW...WILL BUMP UP LOWS A LITTLE FOR TONIGHT. LOOKS LIKE PCPN SHOULD LINGER INTO SATURDAY MORNING ACROSS THE NORTH WITH CHANCE CONTINUING ACROSS THE SOUTH IN WARM SECTOR. LOW LEVEL THICKNESSES GIVING HIGHS IN THE 85 TO 90 DEGREE RANGE FOR SATURDAY. WILL UNDERCUT THIS A LITTLE BUT SHOULD STILL SEE PRETTY WARM TEMPS FOR THIS TIME OF YEAR AS GOOD WAA PATTERN CONTINUES. FRONT THEN SWEEPS ACROSS AREA SATURDAY NIGHT AND WILL GO LIKELY POPS ENTIRE FA. LOOKS LIKE PCPN MAY LINGER INTO EARLY SUNDAY ACROSS THE EAST SO WILL MAINTAIN A LOW CHANCE POP THERE. IMPRESSIVE 925/850 WINDS IN CAA PATTERN BEHIND FRONT. THINK WINDY CONDITIONS A GOOD BET SUNDAY INTO MONDAY...ESPECIALLY ACROSS THE NORTH. .ILN...NONE.
INZ050-058-059-066-073>075-080-KYZ089>100-OHZ034-035-042>046-051>056- 060>065-070>074-077>082-088-091100- HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WILMINGTON OH 410 AM EDT FRI MAY 9 2003 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR EASTERN INDIANA...NORTHERN KENTUCKY AND THE SOUTHWEST QUARTER OF OHIO. .DAY ONE...THE STORM PREDICTION CENTER HAS PLACED THE AREA IN A SLIGHT RISK FOR SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS TODAY. WARM AND HUMID AIR ASSOCIATED WITH A WARM FRONT WILL PUSH NORTH OF THE OHIO RIVER THIS MORNING...THEN INTO THE SOUTHERN GREAT LAKES BY THE AFTERNOON HOURS. THE PRIMARY SEVERE WEATHER THREAT EARLY THIS MORNING NORTH OF THE OHIO RIVER WILL BE LARGE HAIL. DAYTIME HEATING...COUPLED WITH UPPER LEVEL ENERGY...WILL ALLOW THUNDERSTORMS TO REDEVELOP LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. THE PRIMARY SEVERE WEATHER THREAT LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING WILL BE LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY WARM...MOIST AIR...ALONG WITH A WEATHER DISTURBANCE...WILL GENERATE THUNDERSTORMS DURING THE MORNING AND EARLY AFTERNOON HOURS ACROSS THE REGION ON SATURDAY. SOME OF THESE THUNDERSTORMS MAY BE SEVERE. A STRONG COLD FRONT IS FORECAST TO MOVE THROUGH THE REGION SUNDAY MORNING. THERE WILL LIKELY BE A LINE OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS AHEAD OF THE FRONT...WHICH COULD CONTAIN SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS. WINDY CONDITIONS ARE FORECAST BEHIND THE FRONT ON SUNDAY...LASTING INTO MONDAY. THESE WINDS MAY BE STRONG ENOUGH TO WARRANT EITHER WIND ADVISORIES OR WARNINGS. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE REQUIRED.
INZ050-058-059-066-073>075-080-KYZ089>100-OHZ026-034-035-042>046- 051>056-060>065-070>074-077>082-088-091400- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WILMINGTON OH 346 AM EDT FRI MAY 9 2003 ...SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS POSSIBLE EARLY THIS MORNING AND THEN AGAIN THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING... THE STORM PREDICTION CENTER HAS PLACED THE AREA IN A SLIGHT RISK FOR SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS TODAY. WARM AND HUMID AIR ASSOCIATED WITH A WARM FRONT WILL PUSH NORTH OF THE OHIO RIVER THIS MORNING...THEN INTO THE SOUTHERN GREAT LAKES BY THE AFTERNOON HOURS. THE PRIMARY SEVERE WEATHER THREAT EARLY THIS MORNING NORTH OF THE OHIO RIVER WILL BE LARGE HAIL. DAYTIME HEATING...COUPLED WITH UPPER LEVEL ENERGY...WILL ALLOW THUNDERSTORMS TO REDEVELOP LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. THE PRIMARY SEVERE WEATHER THREAT LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING WILL BE LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS. SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE NEEDED ACROSS THE AREA TODAY. LISTEN TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO...OR YOUR LOCAL MEDIA OUTLETS FOR FURTHER UPDATES. WWUS81 KILN 090748 SPSILN INZ050-058-059-066-073>075-080-KYZ089>100-OHZ026-034-035-042>046- 051>056-060>065-070>074-077>082-088-091400- SEVERE WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WILMINGTON OH 346 AM EDT FRI MAY 9 2003 ...SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS POSSIBLE EARLY THIS MORNING AND THEN AGAIN THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING... THE STORM PREDICTION CENTER HAS PLACED THE AREA IN A SLIGHT RISK FOR SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS TODAY. WARM AND HUMID AIR ASSOCIATED WITH A WARM FRONT WILL PUSH NORTH OF THE OHIO RIVER THIS MORNING...THEN INTO THE SOUTHERN GREAT LAKES BY THE AFTERNOON HOURS. THE PRIMARY SEVERE WEATHER THREAT EARLY THIS MORNING NORTH OF THE OHIO RIVER WILL BE LARGE HAIL. DAYTIME HEATING...COUPLED WITH UPPER LEVEL ENERGY...WILL ALLOW THUNDERSTORMS TO REDEVELOP LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. THE PRIMARY SEVERE WEATHER THREAT LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING WILL BE LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS. SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE NEEDED ACROSS THE AREA TODAY. LISTEN TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO...OR YOUR LOCAL MEDIA OUTLETS FOR FURTHER UPDATES.
The Cincinnati radar (KILN), 100 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 09:02 UTC.
10 flood, 6 hail, 1 thunderstorm wind, 1 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.
Two trees and a power pole were knocked down near the intersection of Coldwater Road and US 127.
Heavy rains forced the Saint Marys River out of its banks near Mendon.
Areas of heavy rain developed along a slow moving warm front lifting across west central and central portions of Ohio during the morning. Rainfall amounts were between two to four inches, causing numerous flooded roads and a few streams to rise out of their banks.
Areas of heavy rain developed along a slow moving warm front lifting across west central and central portions of Ohio during the morning. Rainfall amounts were between two to four inches, causing numerous flooded roads and a few streams to rise out of their banks.
Areas of heavy rain developed along a slow moving warm front lifting across west central and central portions of Ohio during the morning. Rainfall amounts were between two to four inches, causing numerous flooded roads and a few streams to rise out of their banks.
Areas of heavy rain developed along a slow moving warm front lifting across west central and central portions of Ohio during the morning. Rainfall amounts were between two to four inches, causing numerous flooded roads and a few streams to rise out of their banks.
Areas of heavy rain developed along a slow moving warm front lifting across west central and central portions of Ohio during the morning. Rainfall amounts were between two to four inches, causing numerous flooded roads and a few streams to rise out of their banks.
Areas of heavy rain developed along a slow moving warm front lifting across west central and central portions of Ohio during the morning. Rainfall amounts were between two to four inches, causing numerous flooded roads and a few streams to rise out of their banks.
Areas of heavy rain developed along a slow moving warm front lifting across west central and central portions of Ohio during the morning. Rainfall amounts were between two to four inches, causing numerous flooded roads and a few streams to rise out of their banks.
Areas of heavy rain developed along a slow moving warm front lifting across west central and central portions of Ohio during the morning. Rainfall amounts were between two to four inches, causing numerous flooded roads and a few streams to rise out of their banks.
Areas of heavy rain developed along a slow moving warm front lifting across west central and central portions of Ohio during the morning. Rainfall amounts were between two to four inches, causing numerous flooded roads and a few streams to rise out of their banks.
Large limbs were downed along with the large hail.
Laurel Run came out of its bank across State Route 664
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, 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: 5362590, 5363153, 5361961, 5363150, 5363151, 5361959, 5361960, 5363092, 5363149, 5363152, 5363091, 5362591, 5362593, 5362592, 5362594, 5362595, 5361957, 5361958.