Texas, 2003

Tropical Storm in Texas, July 15, 2003

July 15, 2003 · NWS EWX · 1 event in 1 county or zone

1 tropical storm, as filed by the National Weather Service.

Where it happened

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.

  • Tornadoes
  • Tropical storms and surge
  • Floods
  • Wind
  • Hail
  • Winter weather
  • Heat and drought
  • Cold
  • Fire, smoke and dust
  • Marine and coastal
  • Other

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The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
$100,000
Crop damage
$300,000
Events
1

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 Jul 15, 10:55 AM CST, 2 hours 5 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jul 15, 10:55 AM CST, 2 hours 5 minutes before
FXUS64 KEWX 151221 RRA
AFDSAT

SOUTH CENTRAL TEXAS FORECAST DISCUSSION...UPDATED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AUSTIN/SAN ANTONIO TX
1155 AM CDT TUE JUL 15 2003

ADDED WIND ADVISORY TO AREAS ALONG AND EAST OF THE ESCARPMENT ON THE
UPDATE. EVALUATING RAINFALL AND WIND POTENTIAL ATTM AND WILL LIKELY
ISSUE A FLASH FLOOD WATCH FOR THE ENTIRE AREA TONIGHT.

PRELIMS...
AUS TT 089/073 088/075 090 087773
DRT BT 094/074 081/075 089 083898
SAT TT 088/073 084/075 089 088985

.EWX...HIGH WIND WARNING THIS AFTERNOON FOR DEWITT...KARNES AND
LAVACA COUNTIES.
FLASH FLOOD WATCH FOR LAVACA...DEWITT...KARNES...FAYETTE...
GONZALES...WILSON AND ATASCOSA COUNTIES FOR THIS AFTERNOON
WIND ADVISORY FOR REMAINDER OF SOUTH CENTRAL TEXAS EAST OF ESCARPMENT
FOR THIS AFTERNOON.

02/19

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

1 tropical storm. Local standard time, as filed.

Tropical Storm, Lavaca

When
July 15, 1:00 PM CST to 4:00 PM CST
Where
Lavaca forecast zone
Property damage
$100,000
Crop damage
$300,000
Reported by
EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates
29.384, -96.930 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

The winds of former Hurricane Claudette, now Tropical Storm Claudette, struck southern Lavaca County through much of the afternoon, blowing over dozens of trees and knocking down hundreds of tree limbs. It caused minor roof damage to homes and buildings in southern Lavaca County. Winds were unofficially estimated at 60 to 70 mph with gusts to near 90 mph.

What these are

Tropical Storm
A tropical cyclone with sustained winds of 34 to 63 knots (39 to 73 mph).

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Texas in 2003Every state in 2003This day in weather historyWarnings in Texas, July 2003The 2003 hurricane season

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: 5376478.