33 thunderstorm wind, 3 hail, 1 lightning, as filed by the National Weather Service.
Every event with a place to put it; 1 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 Tulsa, OK wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Aug 1, 2:20 PM CST, 1 hour 10 minutes earlier.
EASTERN OKLAHOMA/NORTHWEST ARKANSAS FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OKLAHOMA 320 PM CDT FRI AUG 1 2003 CURRENT AMPLIFIED PATTERN TO CONTINUE WITH A LITTLE LESS EFFECT FROM UPPER RIDGE OVER THE WEEKEND...BUT REESTABLISHING ITSELF FOR NEXT WEEK. SHORT TERM... UNUSUALLY AUGUST AIR MASS AT LEAST IN REGARDS TO DEEP LAYER SHEAR. SURFACE BOUNDARY SAGGING SOUTH GETTING NEAR OK/KS STATE LINE. AIR MASS VERY UNSTABLE WITH CAP FAIRLY WEAK. SHEARING MAY RETARD TENDENCY TO FORM INTO A LINE UNTIL LATER TONIGHT...ALSO SHEARING FORECAST TO VEER SLIGHTLY PUTTING IT MORE ACROSS BOUNDARIES. EXPECT MERGING OF CELLS AND BETTER CHANCES OF A LINE FORMING TONIGHT AS LOW LEVEL JET CHANGES STORM MODE. THINK THAT SEVERE THREAT WILL GO WELL INTO THE NIGHT. FOR SATURDAY...MAY HAVE ELEVATED CONVECTION ON-GOING AT DAYBREAK. ONE MAIN DIFFERENCE COMPARED TO TODAY IS THAT BOUNDARIES SHOULD BE IN CWA WITH INITIAL SURFACE-BASED DEEP CONVECTION FIRING DURING THE MIDDLE OF THE AFTERNOON. EXTENDED FORECAST... MODELS VARY ON HOW MUCH INFLUENCE UPPER HIGH WILL HAVE ON AREA. WILL TREND TOWARD A SOLUTION WHERE UPPER HIGH HAS BECOME REESTABLISHED BY EARLY NEXT WEEK OVER AREA WITH HEIGHTS GETTING HIGHER THAN CURRENT LEVELS BY MIDWEEK. WITH THE INFLUENCE OF THE HIGH...WILL BE SQUELCHING PRECIP CHANCES AFTER THE WEEKEND...AND ALLOWING SLIGHTLY COOLER SURFACE AIR MASS FROM THE WEEKEND TO MODIFY IN THE COMING WEEK...AND HAVING SURFACE BOUNDARIES TO BECOME DIFFUSE AND LIFT NORTHWARD. THEREFORE...AM TRENDING AWAY FROM GFS SOLUTION THAT KEEPS SURFACE LOW AND BOUNDARY IN REGION INTO NEXT WEEK. TUL 72 93 70 94 / 50 30 20 10 FSM 73 93 71 94 / 40 40 20 10 MLC 75 96 73 95 / 40 40 20 20 BVO 69 91 67 93 / 60 20 20 10 FYV 67 88 66 88 / 50 30 20 10 BYV 66 88 66 86 / 70 30 20 10 MKO 73 94 70 94 / 50 30 20 10 MIO 68 89 67 91 / 60 20 20 10 F10 74 95 70 94 / 40 40 20 10 HHW 76 97 75 95 / 20 50 40 20 FORECAST ID= 29 .TSA... AR...NONE. OK...NONE. MATHEWS
ARZ001-002-010-011-019-020-029-OKZ049-053>076-021100- HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK 253 PM CDT FRI AUG 01 2003 THIS OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTHWEST AND WEST CENTRAL ARKANSAS AS WELL AS MUCH OF EASTERN OKLAHOMA. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT SEVERE WEATHER OUTLOOK ...A CHANCE FOR SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT ACROSS NORTHEAST OKLAHOMA AND NORTHWEST ARKANSAS... STRONG THUNDERSTORMS HAVE DEVELOPED THIS AFTERNOON ACROSS CENTRAL KANSAS ALONG A WEAK FRONTAL BOUNDARY. THESE THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE TO MOVE TO THE SOUTHEAST AND ARE EXPECTED TO MOVE INTO NORTHEASTERN OKLAHOMA BY LATE AFTERNOON OR EARLY EVENING. THESE STORMS COULD BECOME SEVERE AS THE AIRMASS ACROSS NORTHEAST OKLAHOMA AND NORTHWEST ARKANSAS CONTINUES TO DESTABILIZE DUE TO AFTERNOON HEATING. LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING THUNDERSTORMS WINDS WILL BE POSSIBLE WITH THESE STORMS. THE CHANCES OF THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE TONIGHT AS AN UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCE COMBINES WITH AN INCREASING LOW LEVEL JET TO PRODUCE A THUNDERSTORM COMPLEX THAT WILL AFFECT NORTHEAST OKLAHOMA AND NORTHWEST ARKANSAS. INSTABILITIES WILL BE SUCH THAT LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS WILL AGAIN BE POSSIBLE. WARNING PROBABILITIES FOR SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS AND TORNADOES CAN BE FOUND IN THE OUTLOOK SECTION AT: WWW.SRH.NOAA.GOV/TULSA. GIVEN PROBABILITIES REPRESENT THE POTENTIAL FOR A WARNING TO BE ISSUED AT YOUR LOCATION. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY. THE CHANCE FOR SEVERE WEATHER WILL CONTINUE SATURDAY AS THE COLD FRONT PUSHES SOUTH INTO THE AREA. STRONG TO SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS MAY BE ONGOING SATURDAY MORNING ACROSS PORTIONS OF FAR NORTHEAST OKLAHOMA AND NORTHWEST ARKANSAS. AS THE ATMOSPHERE BECOMES INCREASINGLY UNSTABLE ALONG AND AHEAD OF THE FRONT SATURDAY AFTERNOON...ADDITIONAL THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT WILL BE POSSIBLE. ANY STORMS THAT DEVELOP WILL HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO PRODUCE LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING DOWNBURST WINDS. .SPOTTER / EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT ACTION STATEMENT...SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE REQUIRED LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT ACROSS PORTIONS NORTHEAST OKLAHOMA AND NORTHWEST ARKANSAS. ADDITIONAL WEATHER INFORMATION CAN BE FOUND AT... WWW.SRH.NOAA.GOV/TULSA
OKZ054>058-020100- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK 216 PM CDT FRI AUG 1 2003 THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH #825 UNTIL 800 PM CDT FRIDAY EVENING FOR THE FOLLOWING AREAS: IN OKLAHOMA THIS WATCH INCLUDES 5 COUNTIES... IN NORTHEAST OKLAHOMA: CRAIG NOWATA OSAGE OTTAWA WASHINGTON THIS INCLUDES THE CITIES OF BARTLESVILLE...MIAMI...NOWATA...PAWHUSKA AND VINITA.
OKZ073-012145-
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK
350 PM CDT FRI AUG 1 2003
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN TULSA HAS ISSUED A SIGNIFICANT
WEATHER ADVISORY EFFECTIVE UNTIL 445 PM CDT FOR THE FOLLOWING COUNTY:
IN SOUTHEAST OKLAHOMA
PITTSBURG
AT 350 PM CDT...DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A STRONG THUNDERSTORM 4 MILES
SOUTHWEST OF SCIPIO...MOVING EAST AT 20 MPH. SOME LOCATIONS THAT WILL
BE AFFECTED BY THIS STORM INCLUDE...MCALESTER...HARTSHORNE...
HAILEYVILLE...DOW...HAYWOOD...BACHE...ALDERSON...KREBS...ARPELAR...
SCIPIO...BLOCKER...CROWDER...INDIANOLA AND CANADIAN.
THIS STORM WILL BE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING SMALL HAIL AND WIND GUSTS TO
40 MPH. RESIDENTS IN THESE AREAS SHOULD REMAIN ALERT IN CASE THE
ADVISORY IS UPGRADED TO A WARNING.The Tulsa radar (KINX), 48 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 21:28 UTC.
33 thunderstorm wind, 3 hail, 1 lightning. Local standard time, as filed.
Thunderstorm winds estimated at 70 miles an hour tipped over a mobile home just east of Barnsdall. No injuries were reported.
A 59 mile an hour wind gust was recorded by an Oklahoma mesonet site.
Thunderstorm winds estimated at 70 miles an hour damaged a barn including ripping it sheet metal roof off. There were also power outages in the area due to a blown tranformer.
Quarter size hail fell near the intersection of Pine Street and Highway 169 or 7 miles east northeast of downtown Tulsa.
Thunderstorm winds estimated at 70 miles an hour blew down roughly 20 good size trees and numerous tree limbs. Power lines and power poles were also blown down leaving much of the city without power.
Thunderstorm winds estimated at 70 miles an hour blew down large trees. Some of the tree limbs fell on houses causing roof damage. A storm siren was also damage by the wind.
Thunderstorm winds estimated at 70 miles an hour blew down power lines causing power outages and ripped shingles from the roofs of several homes.
Thunderstorm winds were estimated at 80 miles an hour by an off duty national weather service employee. Several homes in the neighborhood had shingles blow off their roof and power was also interrupted by the storm.
An Oklahoma mesonet site recorded a 69 mile an hour wind gust.
Thunderstorm winds estimated at 70 miles an hour blew down numerous large trees, tree limbs and power lines mainly across the southern part of the city of Tulsa. Some cars were damaged by the debris and up to 38,000 customers lost power.
Thunderstorm winds estimated at 70 miles an hour blew down trees and ripped part of a sheet metal roof off a storage building at a lumber company. A sign was also blown off it hinges at another business.
Thunderstorm winds estimated at 70 miles an hour blew down a tree.
A 63 mile an hour winds gust was measured by a spotter near the intersection of 121st street and Peoria Avenue.
Thunderstorm winds estimated at 60 miles an hour blew down large tree limbs.
Thunderstorm winds estimated at 70 miles an hour blew down several trees and power lines.
Thunderstorm winds estimated at 70 miles an hour blew a tree down onto a mobile home almost completely destroying it. A man inside the mobile home was cut by debris flying off the headboard of his bed during the impact.
A thunderstorm wind of 58 miles an hour was recorded at an Oklahoma mesonet site.
Thunderstorm winds estimated at 60 miles an hour blew down large tree limbs.
Thunderstorm winds estimated at 70 miles an hour blew down a tree.
Thunderstorm winds estimated at 70 miles an hour blew a tree down.
Thunderstorm winds estimated by a spotter at 60 miles an hour blew down power lines.
A man was struck by lightning while standing in a parking lot near Eufaula Cove on Lake Eufaula. The man was attending a festival at the time. He was taken to a hospital where he was pronounced dead.
Thunderstorm winds estimated at 80 miles an hour tipped a tractor-trailer over while it was crossing the Arkansas River bridge on Interstate 40. Another tractor-trailer ran into it.
Thunderstorm winds estimated at 80 miles an hour blew down numerous large trees.
Thunderstorm winds estimated at 70 miles an hour damaged the roofs of a funeral home and a small shopping mall.
Thunderstorm winds estimated at 80 miles an hour blew trees down and damage the roofs of several homes.
Thunderstorm winds estimated at 70 miles an hour caused some damage in and near Roland. A trailer at a RV dealership was blown over in town and a church west of town lost a porch roof. The roof fell on a van.
Thunderstorm winds estimated at 70 miles an hour blew down trees.
A 73 miles an hour wind gust was recorded by an Oklahoma mesonet site.
As the offices recorded each death: direct deaths were caused by the weather itself, indirect ones by something it set in motion.
| Event | Date | Age | Sex | Where | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind, Tulsa | 2003-08-01 | 29 | Male | Outside/Open Areas | Direct |
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Oklahoma in 2003Every state in 2003This day in weather historyWarnings in Oklahoma, August 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: 5333954, 5377144, 5377216, 5377145, 5377146, 5377147, 5377148, 5377149, 5377218, 5377217, 5377222, 5377219, 5333662, 5377150, 5377220, 5377224, 5377221, 5333953, 5377223, 5377225, 5377227, 5377226, 5377228, 5377229, 5333655, 5333661, 5377230, 5333572, 5333573, 5333574, 5333660, 5333654, 5333575, 5333658, 5333659, 5333657, 5333656.