Tornadoes of 2003
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| tornado outbreak year: | January-December 2003 |
| Maximum rated tornado: | F4 tornado, 9 locations, 4 occurances |
| Tornadoes caused (US): | 1375[1] |
| Damages (US): | ≥$1.2 Billion (2006 USD)[2] |
| Fatalities (US): | 54[2] |
| Fatalities (World): | Unknown |
| Tornado Years 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005 |
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This page documents the tornadoes and tornado outbreaks of 2003, primarily in the United States. Most tornadoes form in the U.S., although some events may take place internationally.
Contents |
[edit] Events
[edit] January
[edit] February
[edit] March
On 27 March, a series of six tornadoes stuck the south Florida area. including a Fujita class F2 that stuck the Liberty City neighborhood of Miami and caused one death and 14 injuries. The fatality was the first tornado-related death in Miami-Dade County since 1925. As a result of that tornado, FEMA disbursed over $8.4 Million in funds. Additionally, a class F1 tornado struck North Miami Beach and caused damage to trees and roofs, but no injuries were reported.
[edit] April
[edit] May
- May 3-11
The May 2003 Tornado outbreak sequence in the United States was a series of tornado outbreaks that occurred from May 3 to May 11. Tornadoes began occurring over the affected area on April 30th, but the most prolific continuous period was the seven day period of May 4-10. There were 401 tornado reports in 19 states and one Canadian province, 1,587 reports of large hail, and 740 reports of wind damage. More severe weather broke out this week alone than any other week in U.S. history, though comparable events occurred in May 1917, 1930, and 1949 before the modern era of tornado detection. There was a severe weather outbreak every day during the week. There were 48 people killed by the tornadoes, and damages totaled nearly $1 billion.
The main meteorological factor for this series of tornado outbreaks was the presence of a persistent 500 mb trough over the western United States, coupled with a series of shortwave disturbances which propagated through the central and eastern United States. These shortwaves provided a mechanism for the deepening of surface low pressure areas, which followed the upper level flow from southwest to northeast. The cyclones induced a strong north to southeasterly flow in the low levels of the atmosphere (1000 mb, 850 mb) off the Gulf of Mexico. This persistent flow provided an abundance of warm, moist maritime tropical air in the central and eastern US.
- May 18
An F2 tornado stuck Bendigo, Victoria, Australia, damaging more than 50 houses on a 7 km path.[3]
[edit] June
- June 24
Around 5:00 pm a large F4 tornado touched down near Sioux Falls ripping through the rural farmland before completely annihilating the town of Manchester. The town of Manchester since then has become a ghost town.
[edit] July
- July 21
Around 3:20pm, an F1 tornado touched down in Kinzua Bridge State Park and destroyed the 103 year old Kinzua Bridge.
At about 7:30pm,a long tracked supercell thunderstorm spawned a tornado over the Mid Hudson Valley of New York and continued into Vermont, with a total discontinuous track of 61 miles. It had multiple vortices at one point and at its strongest over Kinderhook Lake was rated an F2. A barn was completely destroyed and it's contents thrown into Kinderhook Lake. The tornado also picked up a trailer home and smashed it to the ground, causing severe injuries to the woman inside. This tornado continued into Vermont, causing severe tree damage as the parent thunderstorm started producing downbursts in and near the tornado track. A restaurant suffered damage as windows were blown out and part of the roof was peeled off. It finally lifted while in the Green Mountain State Forest after an hour and a half long rampage. It's width ranged from 50 to 150 yards. Damage was estimated at $1.7M.
[edit] August
[edit] September
- September 23
A series of F1 tornadoes that hit Lawrence Township, in Mercer County, New Jersey. There were no fatalities, but there was widespread damage to homes.[4] The tornadoes moved from the Southwest (Ewing Township area) along the Shabakunk Creek. As they made their way into Lawrenceville, the tornadoes followed a path parallel to Princeton Pike (slightly northwest to Princeton Pike). This would be the area with the most damage. Several retail stores at the Mercer Mall and the Nassau Park retail center were damaged.
[edit] October
On 29 October, A category F0 tornado struck suburban Miami Gardens, Florida. No deaths or injuries were reported, and damage was relatively minor; damage to fencing and landscaping,roof damage to a trailer, and destruction of a patio and carport. The widely scattered nature of the damage supported the Fujita F0 classification. NWS report
[edit] November
[edit] December
- December 21
A minor tornado hit near Inverleigh, Victoria, Australia, causing severe damage to a farm.[3]
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ Data from the Storm Prediction Center archives, which are accessible through SeverePlot, free software created and maintained by John Hart, lead forecaster for the SPC.
- ^ a b Storm Events All States
- ^ a b Severe Thunderstorms and Tornadoes in Victoria Retrieved 06-04-2007.
- ^ Tornado damages homes and power lines in Lawrence Twp., The Daily Princetonian, September 24, 2003
[edit] External links
| Tornados by year | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by 2002 |
Tornadoes of 2003 |
Succeeded by 2004 |
