An arctic cold front barreled through West Central Texas on the 23rd, dropping temperatures into the teens and 20s across all of the area. Strong overrunning began during the morning of the 24th, producing thunderstorms that dropped large amounts of sleet and even hail to one half inch in diameter.
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 episode as NWS SJT wrote it up.
An arctic cold front barreled through West Central Texas on the 23rd, dropping temperatures into the teens and 20s across all of the area. Strong overrunning began during the morning of the 24th, producing thunderstorms that dropped large amounts of sleet and even hail to one half inch in diameter. The Big Country saw 1 to 3 inches of sleet during the afternoon and early evening of the 24th, with the activity slipping to the southeast into the Heartland during the evening of the 24th. One-half to 1 inch of sleet was reported across the Heartland. With temperatures remaining below freezing until the morning of the 26th, the accumulated ice remained on area roadways, with numerous accidents reported. There were also some minor injuries reported in the Abilene area, due to people slipping and falling down on the ice.
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 San Angelo, TX wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Feb 24, 10:15 AM CST, 3 hours 45 minutes earlier.
WEST CENTRAL TEXAS FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN ANGELO TX 1015 AM CST MON FEB 24 2003 LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICIALS HAVE REPORTED INCREASING AMOUNTS OF FREEZING DRIZZLE AND FREEZING RAIN ACROSS WEST CENTRAL TEXAS. THUS...HAVE ISSUED A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FOR WEST CENTRAL TEXAS FOR THE REMAINDER OF TODAY AND THIS EVENING. ISENTROPIC LIFT AND MINOR SHORT WAVES ALOFT WILL LIKELY CONTINUE TO MOVE OVER WEST CENTRAL TEXAS TONIGHT. THEREFORE...WE MAY EXTEND THE ADVISORY THROUGH TONIGHT THIS AFTERNOON. PACKAGE UPDATE TO FOLLOW SHORTLY WITH INCREASED POPS AND DOWNWARD TEMPERATURE ADJUSTMENTS FOR THE REMAINDER OF TODAY. .SJT...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY ALL ZONES THROUGH THIS EVENING. 23/HUBER **** 319 AM CST MON FEB 24 2003 DISCUSSION **** .CURRENT...MUCH COLDER AIR CONTINUES TO SPILL SOUTHWARD ACROSS THE REGION WITH TEMPERATURES DROPPING THROUGH THE 20S IN THE BIG COUNTRY AND THROUGH THE 30S IN OUR SOUTHERN SIX COUNTIES. SATELLITE IMAGERY SHOWS PLUME OF PACIFIC MOISTURE AND CONSIDERABLE MID TO HIGH CLOUDS ASSOCIATED WITH SOUTHERN STREAM JET...MOVING ACROSS SOUTHWESTERN STATES INTO TX. AREA OF LOW CLOUDS OVER SOUTHEAST TX EXPANDING NORTHWESTWARD TOWARD OUR SOUTHEAST COUNTIES. .TODAY INTO TONIGHT...MAIN CONCERN IS WITH PRECIPITATION TYPE AND AMOUNT...ESPECIALLY OVER OUR SOUTHEAST COUNTIES. MID-LEVEL SHORTWAVE IMPULSE TO MOVE QUICKLY EAST OUT OF SOUTHWESTERN STATES INTO WEST-CENTRAL TX BY THIS EVENING...BEFORE CONTINUING INTO EASTERN TX TONIGHT. DECENT LIFT IS PROGGED WITH THIS FEATURE...AIDED BY LEFT EXIT REGION OF SOUTHERN STREAM JET. NOW APPEARS THAT ENOUGH MOISTURE WILL BE AVAILABLE TO SUPPORT MEASURABLE PRECIPITATION IN OUR SOUTHEAST COUNTIES (SOUTHERN HEARTLAND AND NORTHWEST HILL COUNTRY). EXPECT TEMPERATURES TO BE AT OR SLIGHTLY BELOW FREEZING IN OUR SOUTHEASTERN COUNTIES THIS EVENING. LOOKS LIKE FREEZING RAIN SHOULD DEVELOP BY LATE AFTERNOON OR EARLY EVENING IN OUR SOUTHEAST COUNTIES...WITH SOME SLEET POSSIBLY MIXED IN. PRECIPITATION AREA SHOULD MOVE OUT OF OUR COUNTIES EARLY TONIGHT. AVN MODEL SHOWS SIGNIFICANTLY HIGHER QPF (QUARTER TO HALF INCH) AND LOOKS OVERDONE...WHILE ETA IS LIGHTER WITH ONE TO TWO TENTHS OF AN INCH. CONCERN IS THAT IT DOESN/T TAKE MUCH FREEZING RAIN TO CAUSE HAZARDOUS TRAVEL CONDITIONS. WITH THE UNCERTAINTY ON STRENGTH OF THIS SYSTEM AND RELATIVELY SHORT WINDOW IN WHICH THE PRECIPITATION SHOULD OCCUR IN OUR SOUTHEAST COUNTIES...WILL NOT YET ISSUE AN ADVISORY. BUT WILL INCREASE POPS IN SOUTHEAST COUNTIES...AND WILL ALSO ISSUE AN SPS HIGHLIGHTING THE POTENTIAL FOR FREEZING RAIN MIXED WITH SOME SLEET. LATER FORECASTS MAY NEED TO UPGRADE TO A FREEZING RAIN OR WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY. STRONG SURFACE HIGH PRESSURE TO BUILD SOUTH ACROSS THE PLAINS WITH RIDGING DOWN INTO TX MORE THAN PREVIOUSLY THOUGHT...AND THIS TO RESULT IN A COLDER SCENARIO WITH MORE OF A NORTH-NORTHEAST (INSTEAD OF EAST) COMPONENT TO THE SURFACE WINDS TODAY AND TONIGHT. THIS SCENARIO IS LESS SUPPORTIVE OF SATURATION IN THE LOWEST LEVELS AND RESULTANT FREEZING DRIZZLE/DRIZZLE...DESPITE THE ISENTROPIC LIFT. WITH COLDER AND A LITTLE DRIER AIR OUTSIDE OF OUR SOUTHEAST COUNTIES...A LITTLE SLEET IS ALSO POSSIBLE. WILL MAINTAIN THE PRECIP TYPE WORDING IN THE ZONES BUT CARRY A LOW MEASURABLE POP. ETA HAS COME MORE IN LINE WITH AVN ON TEMPERATURES...BUT IS GENERALLY COLDER AT NIGHT AND WARMER IN THE DAY. WITH CONTINUED COLD ADVECTION EXPECT LITTLE TEMPERATURE RECOVERY TODAY. TONIGHT AND BEYOND WILL GENERALLY GO WITH TEMPERATURES SOMEWHERE BETWEEN ETA AND AVN. .TUESDAY NIGHT/WEDNESDAY...COLD TEMPERATURES AGAIN TUESDAY BEFORE SOUTHEAST TO SOUTH WINDS AND WARM ADVECTION SET UP TUESDAY NIGHT (STEADY OR SLOWLY RISING TEMPERATURES). GREATER LOW LEVEL SATURATION MAY ACTUALLY OCCUR BY THAT TIME WITH SOME LIGHT RAIN AND DRIZZLE POSSIBLE. OUR FAR NORTHERN COUNTIES MAY BE NEAR THE FREEZING MARK EARLY TUESDAY NIGHT. UPPER TROUGH TO MOVE OUT OF SOUTHWESTERN STATES/ INTERMOUNTAIN REGION INTO ROCKIES...WITH LEAD SHORTWAVE MOVING OUT INTO SOUTHERN PLAINS BY WEDNESDAY. DRYLINE PROGGED TO ADVANCE INTO WEST CENTRAL TX WEDNESDAY BEFORE COLD FRONT MOVES DOWN EARLY WEDNESDAY NIGHT. WILL RETAIN SLIGHT CHANCE POPS WEDNESDAY. EXTENDED FORECAST UNCHANGED AT THIS TIME. A SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT WILL BE ISSUED TO HIGHLIGHT THE WINTER WEATHER CONDITIONS. ABI 025/018/033/033 2223 SJT 028/022/037/037 2223 JCT 033/028/041/041 6623 .SJT...NONE. 19
TXZ049-054-064>066-071>073-076>078-098-099-113-114-127-128-139-140- 154-155-168>170-251045- HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN ANGELO TX 500 AM CST MON FEB 24 2003 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR WEST CENTRAL TEXAS. .DAY ONE... CHANCE OF FREEZING DRIZZLE THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT. AS TEMPERATURES REMAIN BELOW FREEZING ACROSS MOST OF WEST CENTRAL TODAY AND TONIGHT...INCREASING MOISTURE WILL SET THE STAGE FOR WINTERY PRECIPITATION MAINLY EAST OF A HASKELL...ABILENE...SAN ANGELO...SONORA LINE THIS AFTERNOON. FREEZING RAIN OR FREEZING DRIZZLE IS POSSIBLE ACROSS ALL OF WEST CENTRAL TEXAS TONIGHT. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN... TEMPERATURES WILL WARM UP TUESDAY AFTERNOON...HOWEVER WITH TEMPERATURES AT OR BELOW FREEZING TUESDAY MORNING...THERE IS A CONTINUED THREAT FOR FREEZING RAIN OR FREEZING DRIZZLE. BY TUESDAY AFTERNOON TEMPERATURES SHOULD RISE ABOVE FREEZING IN ALL BUT THE NORTHERN PORTIONS OF THE BIG COUNTRY. THE THREAT OF FREEZING PRECIPITATION ENDS TUESDAY EVENING AS TEMPERATURES RISE ABOVE FREEZING ACROSS ALL OF WEST CENTRAL TEXAS. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED. STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO AND OTHER LOCAL MEDIA FOR FURTHER DETAILS OR UPDATES.
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
11 winter storm. Local standard time, as filed.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Texas in 2003Every state in 2003This day in weather historyWarnings in Texas, February 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: 5342360, 5342352, 5342357, 5342355, 5342359, 5342361, 5342354, 5342353, 5342356, 5342351, 5342358.