Damaging Winds in Texas, August 8, 2003

Name: Damaging Winds in Texas, August 8, 2003
Start: 2003-08-08T15:23
End: 2003-08-08T20:15
Location: Texas

August 8, 2003 · NWS EWX · 10 events in 10 counties and zones

10 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: 0
Property damage: $970,000
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 10

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 Austin/San Antonio, TX wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Aug 8, 1:30 PM CST, 1 hour 53 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Aug 8, 1:30 PM CST, 1 hour 53 minutes before

SOUTH CENTRAL TEXAS FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AUSTIN/SAN ANTONIO TX
230 PM CDT FRI AUG 8 2003

NEXT 7 DAYS IS A GRADUAL TRANSITION.  THE UPPER HIGH NEAR THE
TEXAS/NEW MEXICO BORDER IS NUDGED WEST AND NORTH AS PROGRESSIVE
SYSTEMS RIDE OVER THE RIDGE AND BLEND WITH THE EASTERN U.S.
TROUGH.  THE RESULT IS A RETROGRADING TROUGH, PUTTING BETTER UPPER
DYNAMICS OVER CENTRAL TEXAS FOR THE REST OF THE WEEKEND.  AN UPPER
LOW PINCHES OFF FROM THE MEAN TROUGH AND IS PUSHED WEST THROUGH
SOUTH CENTRAL TEXAS BY THE BUILDING BERMUDA RIDGE. LOOKS LIKE A GOOD
TROPICAL TAP IN STORE FOR THE LATTER PART OF NEXT WEEK WITH TEMPS
RETURNING TO SEASONAL NORMALS.

ALL AVAILABLE MODELS IMPLY MCCS DEVELOPING ALONG THE SURFACE
BOUNDARY AND DROPPING SOUTH ACROSS THE EASTERN HALF OF CWA.
GRADUALLY THE SFC BOUNDARY WORKS INTO THE HILL COUNTRY MONDAY GIVING
ALL AREAS A CHANCE OF RW/TRW. THE FULL TROPICAL TAP PROGGED FOR
WEDNESDAY THROUGH FRIDAY WILL BRING AMPLE RAIN TO ALL AREAS.

ONE MORE HOT DAY THEN TEMPS GRADUALLY RETURN TO SEASONAL NORMALS.

RECORDS FOR SATURDAY
AUS    106  1962
ATT    106  1953
SAT    106  1953
DRT    107  1953

.EWX...NONE.

NUMBERS...
AUS 77 102 77 96 75      23233
DRT 78 105 79 99 78      02122
SAT 78 101 78 96 77      12233

06/02

Hazardous weather outlook, Aug 8, 4:49 AM CST, 10 hours 34 minutes before

TXZ171>173-183>194-202>209-217>225-228-091100-

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AUSTIN/SAN ANTONIO TX
549 AM CDT FRI AUG 8 2003

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR SOUTH CENTRAL TEXAS.

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT...
HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS NOT EXPECTED TODAY AND TONIGHT.
ISOLATED SUMMERTIME HEATING SHOWERS POSSIBLE THIS AFTERNOON
AND EVENING.

ANOTHER HOT EARLY AUGUST DAY IS EXPECTED TODAY.  THE HIGH EARLY
AUGUST SUN WILL ADD TO THE HEAT...ESPECIALLY IN THE LATE MORNING TO
THE AFTERNOON.

HIGHS TODAY ARE EXPECTED TO BE AROUND 100 TO 105 OVER THE EAST PART
OF SOUTH CENTRAL TEXAS AND AROUND 100 TO 106 OVER WEST PARTS OF
SOUTH CENTRAL TEXAS.  THIS IS AROUND 5 TO 10 DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL
FOR EARLY AUGUST.  HEAT INDEX READINGS WILL REACH BETWEEN 100 AND
114 IN THE HOT PART OF THE AFTERNOON.

COMPLICATIONS FROM HEAT EXPOSURE CAN BE AVOIDED OR MINIMIZED BY
USE OF HATS TO PROTECT FROM THE SUN...USE OF LIGHT COLORED AND
LIGHTWEIGHT CLOTHING...USE OF WATER OR OTHER NON-ALCOHOLIC
BEVERAGES...AVOIDING OUTSIDE WORK IN THE HOTTEST PART OF THE
DAY...AND AVOIDING POORLY VENTILATED AREAS.

OVERNIGHT LOWS ARE EXPECTED TO BE IN THE MID TO UPPER 70S
TONIGHT...PROVIDING SOME BREAK FROM THE HOT DAYS.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY.
NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.
WIDELY SCATTERED MAINLY AFTERNOON AND EVENING SHOWERS OR
THUNDERSTORMS MAY FORM IN THE PERIOD.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED.

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

10 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Thunderstorm Wind, Travis

When: August 8, 3:23 PM CST to 3:40 PM CST
Where: Travis County, Austin
Measured: 57 kt (66 mph) measured gust
Property damage: $100,000
Reported by: BROADCAST MEDIA
Coordinates: 30.283, -97.750

A late season cold front moved into South Central Texas from the north on August 8. Accompanying the front was a line of showers and thunderstorms. As the storms moved through the center of Austin, they produced a downburst that was measured by the School Weather Network at Bedicheck Middle School at 57 knots. The winds caused some damage to the roof of the school. Trees were also reported blown down by the winds in the south part of Austin and damage was also caused to the side walls of a grocery store.

Thunderstorm Wind, Fayette

When: August 8, 4:00 PM CST to 4:50 PM CST
Where: Fayette County, Warda
Measured: 60 kt (69 mph) estimated gust
Property damage: $150,000
Reported by: GENERAL PUBLIC
Coordinates: 30.050, -96.917

As the line of thunderstorms associated with the late season cold front moved southward into Fayette County, they produced severe winds that knocked down numerous trees, blew over signs along the road, and damaged roofs of homes and businesses across central Fayette County from north to south. Some parts of the county were without power until the following afternoon.

Thunderstorm Wind, Williamson

When: August 8, 4:08 PM CST to 4:15 PM CST
Where: Williamson County, Coupland
Measured: 60 kt (69 mph) estimated gust
Property damage: $100,000
Reported by: BROADCAST MEDIA
Coordinates: 29.650, -97.067

Severe thunderstorms produced winds that damaged windows and roofs in and around the Coupland area. The winds also blew over a trailer.

Thunderstorm Wind, Bexar

When: August 8, 4:10 PM CST to 4:30 PM CST
Where: Bexar County, San Antonio
Measured: 60 kt (69 mph) estimated gust
Property damage: $30,000
Reported by: NWS EMPLOYEE(OFF DUTY)
Coordinates: 29.683, -97.650

As the line of thunderstorms associated with the late season cold front moved southward into Bexar County, they produced additional severe winds that blew down power lines near the intersection of US281 and Loop1604 on the north side of San Antonio, as observed by an NWS employee on the way home. Extremely heavy rain and very intense, frequent lightning accompanied the storms.

Thunderstorm Wind, Bastrop

When: August 8, 4:15 PM CST to 4:50 PM CST
Where: Bastrop County, Utley
Measured: 60 kt (69 mph) estimated gust
Property damage: $100,000
Reported by: NWS EMPLOYEE(OFF DUTY)
Coordinates: 30.400, -98.700

As the line of thunderstorms associated with the late season cold front moved into Bastrop County, they produced severe winds that blew down scores of trees through the central part of the county. An NWS employee while traveling through Bastrop County also came across a car south of Bastrop that had been blown off the road by the winds.

Thunderstorm Wind, Lavaca

When: August 8, 4:50 PM CST to 5:30 PM CST
Where: Lavaca County, 7 mi NE of Moulton
Measured: 60 kt (69 mph) estimated gust
Property damage: $150,000
Reported by: BROADCAST MEDIA
Coordinates: 29.650, -97.467

As the line of thunderstorms associated with the late season cold front moved southward into Lavaca County, they produced severe winds just south of the Fayette County line. The wind knocked down many trees and power lines. Some homes were without power until 3am the following day.

Thunderstorm Wind, Gillespie

When: August 8, 5:15 PM CST to 5:30 PM CST
Where: Gillespie County, Willow City
Measured: 80 kt (92 mph) estimated gust
Property damage: $100,000
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 30.467, -97.383

As the line of thunderstorms associated with the late season cold front moved southward into Gillespie County, they produced severe winds that knocked over large trees and blew down power lines from Willow City southward to near Stonewall. Damage was also indicated to some roofs and homes, and one trailer east of Fredericksburg was overturned. Winds were estimated by residents of the area as approaching 100 mph.

Thunderstorm Wind, Caldwell

When: August 8, 5:15 PM CST to 5:25 PM CST
Where: Caldwell County, Luling
Measured: 60 kt (69 mph) estimated gust
Property damage: $100,000
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 29.900, -98.250

As the line of thunderstorms associated with the late season cold front moved southward into Caldwell County, they produced severe winds that damaged roofs and windows of buildings in Luling. Portions of one building were blown over onto a trailer by the strong winds.

Thunderstorm Wind, Gonzales

When: August 8, 5:40 PM CST to 6:00 PM CST
Where: Gonzales County, 10 mi N of Gonzales
Measured: 60 kt (69 mph) estimated gust
Property damage: $90,000
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 29.417, -98.500

As the line of thunderstorms associated with the late season cold front moved southward into Gonzales County, they produced severe winds that knocked over trees and blew down power lines just north of Gonzales. The severe winds also damaged a trailer in the area.

Thunderstorm Wind, Comal

When: August 8, 8:00 PM CST to 8:15 PM CST
Where: Comal County, Canyon Res
Measured: 60 kt (69 mph) estimated gust
Property damage: $50,000
Reported by: GENERAL PUBLIC
Coordinates: 30.183, -97.417

A severe thunderstorm produced a downburst that uprooted trees, twisted tops off trees and split and damaged other trees between Canyon Lake and Fischer.

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 Texas in 2003 Every state in 2003 This day in weather history Warnings in Texas, August 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: 5368706, 5368707, 5377793, 5377794, 5377795, 5377796, 5376794, 5377797, 5376795, 5376796.