Tornadoes · United States · Texas

2003 tornadoes in Texas

155 tornadoes touched down in Texas in 2003, 23 percent above the average of the record for the state. None of them killed anybody.

2002 2004 The whole country in 2003

The rating scale

Tracks are drawn in the color of the rating. The Fujita scale rates the damage rather than measuring the wind: the speeds are what that damage is taken to imply.

F040 to 72 mph
Light damage. Surface peeled off some roofs, gutters and siding damaged, branches broken, shallow-rooted trees pushed over.
F173 to 112 mph
Moderate damage. Roofs badly stripped, mobile homes overturned or badly damaged, exterior doors lost, windows broken.
F2113 to 157 mph
Considerable damage. Roofs torn off well-built houses, frame homes shifted on their foundations, mobile homes destroyed, large trees snapped or uprooted, cars lifted off the ground.
F3158 to 206 mph
Severe damage. Whole stories of well-built houses destroyed, large buildings badly damaged, trains overturned, trees debarked, heavy cars lifted and thrown.
F4207 to 260 mph
Devastating damage. Well-built houses leveled, structures with weak foundations moved some distance, cars thrown and large missiles generated.
F5261 to 318 mph
Incredible damage. Strong frame houses swept off their foundations, car-sized missiles thrown more than 100 meters, steel-reinforced concrete badly damaged, high-rise buildings deformed.
Unrated
The survey recorded a tornado but could not put a number on it, most often because it crossed open country and damaged nothing a rating can be read from.

Every tornado in Texas in 2003

March 17 1 tornado

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Deaths	Injuries	Damage
March 17	5:45 PM CST	F0	Palo Pinto	0.1	20			$1,000

March 18 1 tornado

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Deaths	Injuries	Damage
March 18	11:45 AM CST	F0	Montgomery	0.5	20			$2,000

March 25 2 tornadoes

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Deaths	Injuries	Damage
March 25	4:30 PM CST	F0	Bell	0.3	20			$80,000
March 25	6:35 PM CST	F0	Kendall	0.7	30

April 4 2 tornadoes

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Deaths	Injuries	Damage
April 4	3:14 PM CST	F0	San Augustine	3.9	25
April 4	3:29 PM CST	F1	Sabine to LA	16.7	75

April 5 7 tornadoes

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Damage
April 5	3:00 PM CST	F0	Fisher	0.1	20
April 5	3:05 PM CST	F0	Stonewall	3.0	75
April 5	3:41 PM CST	F0	Haskell	1.0	50
April 5	4:45 PM CST	F0	Throckmorton	0.1	20
April 5	6:20 PM CST	F1	Palo Pinto	0.3	100	$250,000
April 5	8:05 PM CST	F0	Tarrant	0.5	100	$20,000
April 5	8:19 PM CST	F0	Tarrant	0.7	100	$2,000

April 6 4 tornadoes

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Injuries	Damage
April 6	12:45 PM CDT	F2	Rusk	4.9	220	6	$2.3 million
April 6	1:30 PM CDT	F3	Cherokee	38.2	440		$9.0 million
April 6	3:41 PM CDT	F2	Angelina	27.5	440		$2.5 million
April 6	3:50 PM CDT	F0	Nacogdoches	0.2	25		$30,000

April 15 5 tornadoes

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Damage
April 15	5:05 PM CDT	F0	Wheeler	5.0	200
April 15	7:00 PM CDT	F0	Childress	0.5	40
April 15	7:20 PM CDT	F1	Childress	0.5	50	$150,000
April 15	7:23 PM CDT	F2	Harmon to OK	9.0	350	$100,000
April 15	8:52 PM CDT	F1	Knox	2.0	100	$10,000

April 23 7 tornadoes

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Damage
April 23	12:16 PM CDT	F1	Donley	0.1	25	$150,000
April 23	12:16 PM CDT	F0	Briscoe	0.1	40
April 23	12:22 PM CDT	F0	Hall	0.2	40
April 23	12:44 PM CDT	F0	King	1.0	50
April 23	2:15 PM CDT	F0	Hardeman	1.5	50
April 23	2:24 PM CDT	F0	Knox	0.5	50
April 23	3:57 PM CDT	F0	Shackelford	0.1	20

April 29 2 tornadoes

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Deaths	Injuries	Damage
April 29	8:04 PM CDT	F0	Nolan	0.8	20
April 29	8:15 PM CDT	F0	Coke	0.5	20

April 30 1 tornado

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Deaths	Injuries	Damage
April 30	1:09 AM CDT	F1	Hidalgo	0.3	100		11	$1.5 million

May 3 6 tornadoes

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Damage
May 3	5:57 PM CDT	F0	Stonewall	0.5	40
May 3	6:37 PM CDT	F0	Stonewall	0.1	40
May 3	7:11 PM CDT	F0	Haskell	0.5	10	$1,000
May 3	7:20 PM CDT	F0	Haskell	1.0	200
May 3	8:10 PM CDT	F2	Haskell	4.0	440	$10,000
May 3	8:12 PM CDT	F0	Haskell	1.0	30

May 6 1 tornado

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Deaths	Injuries	Damage
May 6	11:45 PM CDT	F2	Wood	54.4	880		5	$390,000

May 7 4 tornadoes

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)
May 7	2:10 AM CDT	F0	Marion to LA	13.0	25
May 7	7:50 PM CDT	F1	Callahan	3.0	500
May 7	8:00 PM CDT	F0	Eastland	0.3	50
May 7	10:18 PM CDT	F0	Wilbarger	0.2	20

May 15 24 tornadoes

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Damage
May 15	5:36 PM CDT	F1	Dallam	10.0	1,320	$30,000
May 15	5:41 PM CDT	F0	Dallam	1.0	500	$10,000
May 15	7:38 PM CDT	F0	Sherman	1.0	50
May 15	7:58 PM CDT	F0	Moore	6.0	200
May 15	8:15 PM CDT	F0	Sherman	0.1	50
May 15	8:15 PM CDT	F0	Sherman	0.1	20
May 15	8:30 PM CDT	F0	Gray	0.1	40
May 15	8:31 PM CDT	F0	Sherman	0.3	50
May 15	8:37 PM CDT	F0	Donley	0.5	50
May 15	8:42 PM CDT	F0	Jones	0.3	20	$1,000
May 15	8:59 PM CDT	F1	Shackelford	2.0	150	$10,000
May 15	8:59 PM CDT	F0	Donley	0.1	20
May 15	9:23 PM CDT	F0	Hutchinson	2.0	30
May 15	9:25 PM CDT	F2	Shackelford	1.5	800	$50,000
May 15	9:25 PM CDT	F2	Shackelford	1.5	450	$3,000
May 15	9:43 PM CDT	F1	Wheeler	18.0	100	$150,000
May 15	9:44 PM CDT	F0	Carson	0.1	20
May 15	10:00 PM CDT	F0	Eastland	12.0	300	$100,000
May 15	10:10 PM CDT	F0	Shackelford	1.0	50
May 15	10:12 PM CDT	F1	Shackelford	1.0	150
May 15	10:30 PM CDT	F0	Wheeler	0.5	50
May 15	10:53 PM CDT	F2	Wheeler to OK	15.5	1,760	$270,000
May 15	11:13 PM CDT	F0	Eastland	0.1	50
May 15	11:21 PM CDT	F0	Wheeler	0.1	50

May 16 1 tornado

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Deaths	Injuries	Damage
May 16	9:47 PM CDT	F0	Madison	0.5	20			$10,000

May 24 7 tornadoes

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Damage
May 24	6:49 PM CDT	F0	Roberts	0.2	25
May 24	7:18 PM CDT	F0	Gray	0.2	50
May 24	7:30 PM CDT	F0	Bailey	0.1	30
May 24	8:18 PM CDT	F1	Delta	3.0	100	$70,000
May 24	8:23 PM CDT	F0	Bailey	0.1	30
May 24	8:48 PM CDT	F0	Lamb	0.5	40
May 24	9:07 PM CDT	F0	Hockley	0.5	40

June 2 2 tornadoes

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Deaths	Injuries	Damage
June 2	3:01 PM CDT	F0	Llano	0.3	30
June 2	4:29 PM CDT	F0	Liberty	0.3	20

June 3 12 tornadoes

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Damage
June 3	4:15 PM CDT	F1	Wilson	0.3	30	$3,000
June 3	4:26 PM CDT	F0	Atascosa	0.1	30	$40,000
June 3	4:35 PM CDT	F0	Atascosa	0.2	50	$30,000
June 3	6:00 PM CDT	F0	Fort Bend	1.0	20	$10,000
June 3	7:18 PM CDT	F0	Parmer	0.5	30
June 3	7:24 PM CDT	F0	Parmer	0.1	30
June 3	7:25 PM CDT	F0	Parmer	0.1	30
June 3	7:25 PM CDT	F1	Parmer	0.3	40
June 3	7:31 PM CDT	F0	Parmer	0.1	30
June 3	7:37 PM CDT	F0	Deaf Smith	0.2	50
June 3	8:08 PM CDT	F0	Deaf Smith	0.1	25
June 3	11:00 PM CDT	F0	McCulloch	0.2	30	$10,000

June 4 2 tornadoes

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Deaths	Injuries	Damage
June 4	11:00 PM CDT	F0	Cochran	0.1	30
June 4	11:55 PM CDT	F0	Yoakum	0.1	30

June 5 4 tornadoes

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Damage
June 5	1:45 PM CDT	F0	San Jacinto	0.2	20	$10,000
June 5	4:02 PM CDT	F0	Duval	0.5	50
June 5	4:15 PM CDT	F0	Brewster	0.2	50
June 5	5:30 PM CDT	F0	Hansford	4.0	440	$600,000

June 11 2 tornadoes

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Deaths	Injuries	Damage
June 11	6:15 PM CDT	F0	Haskell	0.1	20
June 11	8:00 PM CDT	F0	Tom Green	0.1	20

June 12 3 tornadoes

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)
June 12	1:56 PM CDT	F0	Polk	0.2	20
June 12	1:56 PM CDT	F0	Polk	0.2	20
June 12	5:57 PM CDT	F0	Young	0.1	50

June 13 1 tornado

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Deaths	Injuries	Damage
June 13	4:00 PM CDT	F0	Brazos	5.0	20			$1,000

June 14 2 tornadoes

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Deaths	Injuries	Damage
June 14	9:36 AM CDT	F0	Matagorda	0.2	20
June 14	9:36 AM CDT	F0	Matagorda	0.2	20

June 16 1 tornado

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Deaths	Injuries	Damage
June 16	5:33 PM CDT	F0	Washington	0.2	20

June 17 1 tornado

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Deaths	Injuries	Damage
June 17	1:09 PM CDT	F0	Galveston	1.0	20

July 1 1 tornado

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Deaths	Injuries	Damage
July 1	2:50 PM CDT	F0	Collin	0.1	30

July 5 1 tornado

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Deaths	Injuries	Damage
July 5	3:15 AM CDT	F0	Nueces	0.5	50

July 7 1 tornado

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Deaths	Injuries	Damage
July 7	2:50 PM CDT	F0	Wharton	0.1	20			$20,000

July 15 2 tornadoes

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Deaths	Injuries	Damage
July 15	11:45 AM CDT	F0	Calhoun	0.5	50
July 15	3:30 PM CDT	F1	Matagorda	0.3	40			$150,000

July 28 1 tornado

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Deaths	Injuries	Damage
July 28	1:15 PM CDT	F0	Jackson	0.2	15			$1,000

August 11 1 tornado

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Deaths	Injuries	Damage
August 11	4:20 PM CDT	F1	Medina	0.2	30			$3,000

September 4 1 tornado

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Deaths	Injuries	Damage
September 4	5:51 PM CDT	F0	Harris	0.2	30

September 8 1 tornado

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Deaths	Injuries	Damage
September 8	1:50 AM CDT	F0	Martin	0.2	100

September 14 1 tornado

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Deaths	Injuries	Damage
September 14	10:37 AM CDT	F0	San Patricio	0.3	30

September 25 1 tornado

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Deaths	Injuries	Damage
September 25	1:50 PM CDT	F1	Mitchell	1.0	30			$250,000

October 5 4 tornadoes

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Injuries	Damage
October 5	6:05 PM CDT	F1	Swisher	5.0	50		$10,000
October 5	6:05 PM CDT	F1	Brazos	4.0	400	1	$750,000
October 5	6:30 PM CDT	F0	Brazos	0.3	50		$3,000
October 5	6:34 PM CDT	F0	Swisher	0.1	30

October 6 1 tornado

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Deaths	Injuries	Damage
October 6	1:17 AM CDT	F0	Mitchell	3.0	75

October 9 7 tornadoes

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Damage
October 9	3:00 AM CDT	F0	Harris	3.0	50	$3,000
October 9	9:20 AM CDT	F0	Fort Bend	1.0	100	$30,000
October 9	11:43 AM CDT	F0	Liberty	1.0	75	$1,000
October 9	5:05 PM CDT	F0	Harris	1.5	50	$20,000
October 9	5:12 PM CDT	F0	Wharton	1.0	50	$10,000
October 9	5:45 PM CDT	F0	Fort Bend	1.0	25
October 9	5:45 PM CDT	F0	Brazoria	1.0	50	$2,000

November 17 26 tornadoes

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Injuries	Damage
November 17	8:33 AM CST	F0	Wharton	0.5	25		$1,000
November 17	8:38 AM CST	F0	Wharton	1.0	100	2	$10,000
November 17	9:10 AM CST	F0	Matagorda	0.5	75		$30,000
November 17	9:10 AM CST	F0	Wharton	0.5	50		$2,000
November 17	9:20 AM CST	F0	Wharton	0.2	20
November 17	10:00 AM CST	F0	Wharton	1.0	50		$20,000
November 17	12:05 PM CST	F2	Fort Bend	1.5	200	60	$500,000
November 17	12:15 PM CST	F2	Fort Bend	1.0	50		$800,000
November 17	1:00 PM CST	F0	Harris	0.2	50
November 17	2:50 PM CST	F0	Brazoria	1.0	75	1	$70,000
November 17	3:01 PM CST	F2	Harris	0.7	100		$550,000
November 17	4:25 PM CST	F0	Galveston	0.1	30		$100,000
November 17	4:40 PM CST	F0	Galveston	1.0	30		$30,000
November 17	4:50 PM CST	F0	Chambers	0.1	25
November 17	5:20 PM CST	F0	Harris	0.5	50		$30,000
November 17	5:30 PM CST	F1	Chambers	0.5	100	5	$100,000
November 17	5:42 PM CST	F0	Liberty	0.2	20		$10,000
November 17	5:45 PM CST	F1	Liberty	0.2	20		$30,000
November 17	8:55 PM CST	F0	Harris	1.4	20		$10,000
November 17	9:08 PM CST	F1	Galveston	0.2	25		$200,000
November 17	9:15 PM CST	F1	Galveston	0.2	50		$280,000
November 17	9:15 PM CST	F2	Newton	1.0	20		$1.0 million
November 17	9:30 PM CST	F0	Harris	0.5	50		$50,000
November 17	10:30 PM CST	F1	Harris	1.5	50	3	$230,000
November 17	11:15 PM CST	F1	Jasper	5.0	50		$1.0 million
November 17	11:35 PM CST	F1	Chambers	1.0	50		$300,000

November 18 1 tornado

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Deaths	Injuries	Damage
November 18	1:00 AM CST	F0	Jefferson	0.2	10			$100,000

Crossed into Texas

Tornadoes that touched down in a neighboring state and ran into Texas. They are counted under the state they began in.

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Deaths	Injuries	Damage
May 14	8:10 PM CDT	F2	McCurtain, OK to TX	78.3	100			$250,000

Nearby

Every tornado in Texas since 1950 Warnings in force in Texas The live radar over Texas

What this means

Ratings are the survey's, read off the damage rather than measured; the rating scale is above. Tornado counts rise through the record as reporting improved, so a year in the 1950s is not comparable with one today except for the strongest tornadoes, which were always noticed.

Sources

NOAA Storm Prediction Center tornado database, 1950-2025, the official record kept by NOAA's Storm Prediction Center.