Several counties in west central and portions of central ohio experienced damage to trees and power lines due to synoptic wind. A cold front associated with low pressure over the Great Lakes region produced strong winds behind it, averaging 25 to 35 mph with higher gusts.
Every event with a place to put it; 4 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 episode as NWS ILN wrote it up.
Several counties in west central and portions of central ohio experienced damage to trees and power lines due to synoptic wind. A cold front associated with low pressure over the Great Lakes region produced strong winds behind it, averaging 25 to 35 mph with higher gusts.
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 Nov 12, 3:40 PM EST, 3 hours 5 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WILMINGTON OH 340 PM EST WED NOV 12 2003 .DISCUSSION... CONVECTION BEGINNING TO INITIATE ALONG FRONT OVER NE INDIANA...BUT UPDRAFTS HAVING A BIT OF A TUF TIME IN A QUITE DRY ENVIRONMENT. AT ANY RATE...ACTIVITY SHUD INCREASE IN COVERAGE AND INTENSITY AS WE HIT PEAK HEATING. RIGHT NOW PLAN ON CARRYING LIKELY POPS ALL ZONES VERY EARLY TONIGHT TAPERING QUICKLY. TORNADO WATCH IN EFFECT UNTIL 9 PM DUE TO HIGHLY SHEARED ATMOS. BEHIND FRONT EXPECT A RELATIVELY CALM-CLEAR PERIOD THIS EVENING...THEN A RAPID INCREASE IN WIND AND CLOUD. MODELS CONTINUE TO ADVERTISE VERTICAL THETA SURFACES FROM ABOVE 850 MB TO THE SFC...WITH WINDS ABOVE 50 KTS IN THIS LAYER. GRADIENT INCREASES STEADILY THIS EVENING AS THE MODELS INDICATE A 12-14 MB DROP IN THE LOW PRESSURE AS IT MOVES ACROSS THE LAKES. PLENTY OF GUSTS IN THE 40-50 KT RANGE UPSTREAM ACRS IOWA THIS AFTERNOON...AND WE SHOULD SEE GUSTS ALMOST THIS STRONG TONIGHT. WILL CONINTUE ADVISORY...GUSTS TO 50 MPH NORTH AND 45 SOUTH. DECENT FETCH FOR SOME LAKE SHSN OVER THE FAR NORTH THURSDAY...AND IN FACT THE ETA SUGGESTING A BAND WILL SET UP. FOR NOW PLAN ON CONTINUING LOW CHC POPS...AND WITH TEMPERATURES EXPECTED ABOVE FREEZING DONT ANTICIPATE ACCUMS. && .ILN WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... IN...WIND ADVISORY TONIGHT. KY...WIND ADVISORY TONIGHT. OH...WIND ADVISORY TONIGHT. && JOHNSTONE
INZ050-058-059-066-073>075-080-KYZ089>100-OHZ026-034-035-042>046- 051>056-060>065-070>074-077>082-088-122115- HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WILMINGTON OH 1150 AM EST WED NOV 12 2003 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR EASTERN INDIANA...NORTHERN KENTUCKY AND THE SOUTHWEST QUARTER OF OHIO. .DAY ONE...TODAY A DEVELOPING LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM THAT WILL MOVE ACROSS THE GREAT LAKES WILL CAUSE A STRENGTHENING COLD FRONT TO SWEEP ACROSS THE REGION LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND EARLY THIS EVENING. SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS MAY DEVELOP IMMEDIATELY AHEAD OF THE COLD FRONT. IN ADDITION...STRONG WINDS WILL OCCUR IN THE WAKE OF THE COLD FRONT. PLEASE REFER TO THE SEVERE WEATHER OUTLOOK AND WIND ADVISORY FOR FURTHER DETAILS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE REQUIRED THIS AFTERNOON.
INZ050-058-059-066-073>075-OHZ026-034-035-042>046-051>056-060>065- 070>074-077>082-088-130018- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WILMINGTON OH 615 PM EST WED NOV 12 2003 ALL OF WEST CENTRAL AND SOUTHWEST OHIO...ALONG WITH EAST CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST INDIANA...HAS BEEN CLEARED FROM TORNADO WATCH 944. THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES IN CENTRAL AND SOUTH CENTRAL OHIO REMAIN IN THE WATCH. UNION...FRANKLIN...LICKING...UNION...DELAWARE...FAIRFIELD... FAYETTE...MADISON...PICKAWAY...HOCKING...HIGHLAND...BROWN...ADAMS... PIKE...SCIOTO.
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
4 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Several power outages occurred countywide. Trees were reported down on Ohio 66, Fair and Kuther Roads (3 SW Sidney), Kirkwood-Miami River Road (4 SSW Sidney), and Miami-Shelby East Road. Power poles were reported either leaning or downed in the village of Anna.
An 80 square foot section of roof was damaged at the Dole Vegetable Plant in Locust Grove. Exhaust fans and two ammonia pipes were damaged. A "significant" loss of product was reported. Metal studs at a construction site were blown down causing a day's worth of work to be lost in downtown Springfield.
Trees and power lines were downed across the county. Seven hundred residences were without power for a brief period of time.
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, November 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: 5330620, 5330622, 5330621, 5330623.