7 thunderstorm wind, 1 hail, as filed by the National Weather Service.
Every event with a place to put it. 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 Nashville, TN wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at May 17, 9:00 AM CST, 1 hour 20 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NASHVILLE TN 1000 AM CDT SAT MAY 17 2003 A SURFACE LOW LOCATED OVER EASTERN ARKANSAS IS MOVING EAST SOUTHEAST WITH THE UPPER LOW SITUATED JUST TO THE WEST OVER CENTRAL ARKANSAS. A WARM FRONT CURLS NORTHEAST FROM THE LOW OVER TENNESSEE AND KENTUCKY. A COLD FRONT EXTENDS SOUTHWESTWARD FROM THE LOW THROUGH SOUTHEAST TEXAS. MODELS PUSH H5 LOW OVER ARKANSAS SOUTHEASTWARD, WITH AVN BREAKING OFF A LARGE CHUNK AND PUSHING IT NORTHEASTWARD AND THEN KILLING IT OFF. THE AVN IN THE PROCESS PUSHES EXTENSIVE PRECIP NORTHEASTWARD WITH 1.5-2.25 INCHES PER 6 HRS OF MODEL PRECIP OVER WESTERN TENNESSEE AND KENTUCKY. IN ANY EVENT RAIN TOTALS FOR THE MIDSTATE WILL INCREASE OVER THE NEXT 12 HRS. FLASH FLOOD GUIDANCE IS RELATIVELY LOW FOR THE NORTHEAST COUNTIES. IF SIGNIFICANT PRECIP MOVES INTO THAT AREA...WILL HAVE TO CONSIDER A FLOOD WATCH. AREA REMAINS GENERALLY UNSTABLE...ALTHOUGH THE BEST INSTABILITY AND SHEAR IS TO THE SOUTH OVER AL/MS. MENTION OF STRONG STORMS IN ZONES WITH POSSIBLE SEVERE IN THE SOUTHERN GROUPS LOOKS GOOD. NO CHANGES FOR NOW. .BNA...NONE. JLM
TNZ005>011-022>034-056>066-075>080-093>097-181030- HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...CORRECTED DAY NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NASHVILLE TN 530 AM CDT SAT MAY 17 2003 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR MIDDLE TENNESSEE. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE LIKELY. THERE IS A SLIGHT RISK FOR SEVERE WEATHER THROUGH TONIGHT...MAINLY OVER THE SOUTHERN COUNTIES OF MIDDLE TENNESSEE. DAMAGING WINDS AND LARGE HAIL WILL BE THE MAIN THREAT. SOME THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTAIN VERY HEAVY DOWNPOURS. LOCALIZED HEAVY DOWNPOURS WITHIN A SHORT PERIOD OF TIME COULD CAUSE PONDING ON ROADS AS WELL AS VERY POOR VISIBILITY. MOTORISTS SHOULD SLOW DOWN AND BE ESPECIALLY CAUTIOUS WHEN ENCOUNTERING HEAVY THUNDERSTORMS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY THERE WILL CONTINUE TO BE A GOOD CHANCE FOR SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS THROUGH SUNDAY. SOME STORMS COULD BE STRONG WITH GUSTY WINDS AND HEAVY DOWNPOURS. FOR MONDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY...THERE WILL BE A CHANCE FOR SHOWERS OR THUNDERSTORMS EACH DAY...WIDESPREAD HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS NOT EXPECTED. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... ACTIVATION OF SPOTTERS AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT PERSONNEL MAY BE NEEDED TODAY THROUGH SUNDAY. 13
The Northeast Alabama radar (KHTX), 52 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 16:20 UTC.
7 thunderstorm wind, 1 hail. Local standard time, as filed.
Law enforcement reported a tree was blown down on Highway 237 and Patrick Rd.
Law enforcement reported a tree fell on a house on Polecat Rd.
Sheriff's office reported tree limbs were blown down.
Law enforcement reported trees were blown down in several locations in Manchester.
Law enforcement reported trees were blown down at intersection of Hartsville Road and Fords Rd.
911 center reported a tree was blown down and blocking a road.
Law enforcement reported trees were blown down on McMinnville Highway near Sparta. A tree limb came through the roof of a mobile home on Crawford Circle and another tree limb damaged a house on Forest Circle.
Spotter reported nickel size hail.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Tennessee in 2003Every state in 2003This day in weather historyWarnings in Tennessee, 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: 5358337, 5358336, 5358407, 5358338, 5358405, 5358408, 5358406, 5358409.