Tornadoes and Hail in Texas, June 3, 2003

Name: Tornadoes and Hail in Texas, June 3, 2003
Start: 2003-06-03T14:30
End: 2003-06-03T15:45
Location: Texas

June 3, 2003 · NWS EWX · 5 events in 3 counties and zones

3 tornado, 1 hail, 1 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: $173,000
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 5

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 Jun 3, 11:54 AM CST, 2 hours 36 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jun 3, 11:54 AM CST, 2 hours 36 minutes before

SOUTH CENTRAL TEXAS FORECAST DISCUSSION...UPDATED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AUSTIN/SAN ANTONIO TX
1254 PM CDT TUE JUN 3 2003

CAP IS NOW BREAKING SO WILL BUMP FIRST PERIOD POPS SLIGHTLY TO 30
PERCENT CHANCE FOR MOST AREAS. EXCEPTION WILL BE FOR SOUTHWEST WHERE
LACK OF CUMULUS ACTIVITY SUGGESTS ISOLATED POPS TO WORK BEST THERE.
CUMULUS FIELD IS HELPING TO IDENTIFY A BROAD SURFACE BOUNDARY
STRETCHING FROM JCT TO HALLETSVILLE WITH A SECONDARY BOUNDARY FROM
LAKE BUCHANAN TO BASTROP. WITH MAXIMUM CUMULUS AND CONVECTION
OCCURRING OVER THE HILL COUNTRY WILL RAISE THIS AREA INTO 40 PERCENT
FOR THE REST OF TODAY. MINOR SHORTWAVE MENTIONED IN THE LATE MORNING
UPDATE WILL BE COMPLEMENTED BY A STRONGER SHORTWAVE TONIGHT AS
FORECAST BY MODELS. THUS WILL KEEP POPS IN THE CHANCE CATEGORY FOR
TONIGHT NORTH AND RAISE THEM TO CHANCE FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE
FORECAST AREA. TEMPS ARE ON TRACK STILL, BUT WITH DEWPOINTS HOLDING
IN THE MID 70S SOUTHWEST, WILL ADD MENTION OF HEAT INDICES THERE.
WITH THE HIGH CAPE ENVIRONMENT FOR ALL AREAS WILL ADD SEVERE FOR
FIRST TWO PERIODS AREA-WIDE.

.EWX...NONE
18/8

Hazardous weather outlook, Jun 3, 4:35 AM CST, 9 hours 55 minutes before

TXZ171>173-183>194-202>209-217>225-041100-

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AUSTIN/SAN ANTONIO TX
535 AM CDT TUE JUN 3 2003

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR SOUTH CENTRAL TEXAS.

.DAY ONE...TODAY

AN OUTFLOW BOUNDARY FROM OVERNIGHT THUNDERSTORMS IN WEST CENTRAL
TEXAS WILL MOVE INTO THE AREA THIS AFTERNOON AND PROVIDE THE FOCUS
FOR SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS. SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS
WILL BECOME MORE NUMEROUS LATE TONIGHT AND EARLY WEDNESDAY AS AN
UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCE CROSSES THE AREA.

THERE IS A SLIGHT RISK FOR SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS FROM MID AFTERNOON
THROUGH EARLY EVENING...AND AGAIN LATE TONIGHT TOWARD DAYBREAK
WEDNESDAY. THE MAIN THREAT TIMES ARE FROM 2 TO 7 PM TODAY AND 2 TO 9
AM WEDNESDAY. THE PRIMARY THREATS ARE LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS.
LOCALIZED FLASH FLOODING MAY ALSO OCCUR WITH THE STORMS EARLY
WEDNESDAY. ALTHOUGH SEVERE STORMS ARE POSSIBLE OVER THE ENTIRE
AREA...THE PRINCIPAL RISK IS ALONG AND NORTH OF INTERSTATE
10...INCLUDING THE AUSTIN AND SAN ANTONIO METRO AREAS.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...

A SERIES OF UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCES AND MOIST GULF AIR WILL
MAINTAIN A DAILY CHANCE OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS SOUTH
CENTRAL TEXAS WEDNESDAY THROUGH SATURDAY. SOME OF THESE STORMS COULD
BECOME SEVERE OR PRODUCE HEAVY RAIN. BE ESPECIALLY ON THE LOOKOUT
FOR SEVERE STORMS FROM MID AFTERNOON THROUGH EARLY EVENING.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE REQUIRED THIS AFTERNOON. SPOTTERS ABLE TO
MONITOR CREEKS AND RIVERS MAY BE REQUIRED LATE TONIGHT.

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Jun 3, 12:02 PM CST, 2 hours 28 minutes before

TXZ171>173-183>194-202>209-217>225-031930-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AUSTIN/SAN ANTONIO TX
1255 PM CDT TUE JUNE 3 2003

...SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS FORMING OVER THE TEXAS HILL COUNTRY
AND PARTS OF CENTRAL TEXAS...

WITH DAYTIME HEATING AND AN UNSTABLE ENVIRONMENT...SCATTERED
SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUE FORMING OVER THE TEXAS HILL
COUNTRY AND PARTS OF CENTRAL TEXAS EARLY THIS AFTERNOON.

SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO CONTINUING
FORMING ACROSS PARTS OF CENTRAL AND ALSO SOUTH CENTRAL TEXAS THIS
AFTERNOON.  SOME OF THUNDERSTORMS MAY BE SEVERE OR APPROACH SEVERE
CHARACTERISTICS THIS AFTERNOON.  AS AREAS WARM UP...GUSTY
WINDS ARE POSSIBLE WHEN THUNDERSTORMS PASS BY.  LOCALLY HEAVY
RAINS AND OCCASIONAL LIGHTNING MAY ALSO AFFECT THE AREA THIS
AFTERNOON.

The radar

The Austin/San Antonio radar (KEWX), 92 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 20:29 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

3 tornado, 1 hail, 1 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Hail, Medina

When: June 3, 2:30 PM CST to 2:56 PM CST
Where: Medina County, Castroville
Measured: 0.88 in hail
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 29.350, -98.883

Tornado, Wilson

When: June 3, 3:15 PM CST to 3:17 PM CST
Where: Wilson County, Saspamco
Rating: F1
Path length: 0.3 mi
Path width: 30 yd
Property damage: $3,000
Reported by: NWS STORM SURVEY
Coordinates: 29.233, -98.300

The small and short-lived tornado struck shortly after 4 pm...damaging the roof of a home. Residents reported strong winds followed by heavy rain and then hail. Following the hail, conditions became very quiet and calm just prior to the tornado. The storm then struck several large trees as it moved toward the southeast. The first tree struck had a diameter of 1 foot. It was broken and laid down toward the north. The second tree, with a diameter of 1.5 feet, was broken off near the ground and laid down toward the southeast. The third tree, located to the southeast of the other two and with a diameter of 1 foot, was twisted out of the ground and laid down toward the south. The width of the tornado track was 20 yards and the length of the path was estimated at .25 miles. The tornado was rated as an F1. It is possible that the tornado might have formed in Bexar County before moving into extreme northwest Wilson County, but that could not be clearly established.

Thunderstorm Wind, Atascosa

When: June 3, 3:25 PM CST to 3:45 PM CST
Where: Atascosa County, Countywide
Measured: 60 kt (69 mph) estimated gust
Property damage: $100,000
Reported by: NWS STORM SURVEY
Coordinates: 28.917, -98.500

Spotty damage was seen across northern Atascosa County during an NWS survey. The most significant damage was across the western part of the county. In Pleasanton, only minor damage to tree branches was noted, but in Jourdanton, severe thunderstorm winds took parts of a roof off a restaurant at the intersection of SH16 and FM97. The Atascosa County Sheriff's Department had received reports of strong wind damage along Ogden Road west of Jourdanton. One rancher reported over 90 trees knocked over by the wind. Damage to large tree limbs was indicated along FM97 west of Jourdanton and along FM1333 north of Charlotte. All this damage appeared to have been caused by severe thunderstorm winds.

Tornado, Atascosa

When: June 3, 3:26 PM CST to 3:27 PM CST
Where: Atascosa County, 8 mi W of Poteet
Rating: F0
Path length: 0.1 mi
Path width: 30 yd
Property damage: $40,000
Reported by: GENERAL PUBLIC
Coordinates: 29.033, -98.717

The public reported that a short-lived and small tornado touched down west of Poteet shortly after the strong winds had begun. The tornado knocked over several trees, then lifted up and dissipated.

Tornado, Atascosa

When: June 3, 3:35 PM CST to 3:37 PM CST
Where: Atascosa County, 6 mi W of Jourdanton
Rating: F0
Path length: 0.2 mi
Path width: 50 yd
Property damage: $30,000
Reported by: NWS STORM SURVEY
Coordinates: 28.917, -98.633

A small tornado struck just west of Jourdanton, knocking over trees and power lines. It was observed by a deputy sheriff as it moved nearly a quarter mile before dissipating. No other damage was indicated.

What these are

Hail: Hail three-quarters of an inch or larger, or smaller hail that caused damage, filed with the largest stone measured.
Tornado: A violently rotating column of air in contact with the ground and extending from a thunderstorm, filed with its path, width and Fujita or Enhanced Fujita rating from the damage survey.
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 The tornado archive for Texas, 2003 Warnings in Texas, June 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: 5359459, 5360895, 5360896, 5361358, 5361359.