Tornadoes of 2003

Tornadoes of 2003

F4 Tornado Near Franklin, KS during the May 2003 Sequence Outbreak
Timespan	February 14 – December 23, 2003
Maximum rated tornado	F4 tornado 8 locations on 4 different days
Tornadoes in U.S.	1,374
Damage (U.S.)	≥$1.2 Billion (2006 USD)
Fatalities (U.S.)	54
Fatalities (worldwide)	≥108
2001 2002 2003 2004 2005

This page documents the tornadoes and tornado outbreaks of 2003, primarily in the United States. Many tornadoes form in the U.S., although some events may take place internationally.

United States of America

January had no tornadoes confirmed in the United States. It was only the fifth time since 1950 that an entire month went tornado-free. The other months were; October 1952, December 1963, November 1976, and January 1986.

A tornado killed 17 people near the town of Yumbi in the northwestern Bandundu Province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Over 4,000 people were injured, 217 seriously.

On the 17th, a tornado killed five people and injured 35 in Gadap Town, Pakistan. More than 80 structures were destroyed, and many livestock were killed as well.

Another tornado struck the next day near Lahore in eastern Pakistan, killing two people and injuring 150. Four-hundred homes were destroyed in four villages.

A rare winter storm caused 12 tornadoes. At 3:13 PM, an F1 tornado touched down in the rugged rural hills of extreme western Breathitt County, Kentucky, near Athol. Two people were killed as five trailers were destroyed, and many damaged.

There were 93 tornadoes reported in March.

The March 17–20, 2003 tornado outbreak produced 28 tornadoes from Texas to Georgia. During a three-day period from the 17th to the 19th, a series of 22 F1 and F0 tornadoes touched down across a widespread area, mostly in Oklahoma, Louisiana, Alabama, and Tennessee. On the 17th, an F1 tornado near Cookeville, Tennessee killed one person when a trailer was thrown 100 yards. The tornado damaged houses, barns, trailers, garages, sheds, and at least one church. Many trees were downed as well. Another F1 tornado on the 19th damaged three mobile homes, 11 homes and four businesses from the Rosalie to Flat Rock communities in Alabama.