Tornado History Map

2003 tornadoes

1,374 tornadoes recorded in the United States in 2003, drawn on the map and coloured by rating.

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Years2003
Rating (F or EF scale)

Shows tornadoes that started in, or crossed, the chosen state. To see how many have passed near you, search a town or ZIP code, or tap the map.

Key
  • F0 / EF0 Light damage
  • F1 / EF1 Moderate damage
  • F2 / EF2 Considerable damage
  • F3 / EF3 Severe damage
  • F4 / EF4 Devastating damage
  • F5 / EF5 Incredible damage
  • Unknown Not rated (2007 onwards)

How to read the lines. Each line is one tornado, drawn from where it started to where it ended, coloured and sized by its rating. A dot means the record has no end point. Tap a line for its details, or tap anywhere else to see how many tornadoes have passed nearby. Weaker tornadoes appear as you zoom in. Ratings use the Fujita (F) scale before 1 February 2007 and the Enhanced Fujita (EF) scale from then on.

Tornadoes in 2003

The Storm Prediction Center recorded 1,374 tornadoes in 2003, against an average of 967 a year from 1950 to 2025. It was the number 9 busiest year in the record. They killed 54 people and injured 1,088. The busiest month was May (542), and the busiest single day was 24 June 2003, with 95.

  • 1,374tornadoes
  • 54deaths
  • 1,088injuries
  • 95on the busiest day (24 June 2003)

Tornadoes in 2003 were rated on the Fujita (F) scale. Counts of weak tornadoes in particular depend on how many were spotted and reported, which has changed over the decades, so compare years with care.

How strong were the tornadoes of 2003?

RatingTornadoesShare
F0 / EF089165%
F1 / EF135526%
F2 / EF2937%
F3 / EF3272%
F4 / EF48<1%
F5 / EF500%
Unknown rating00%
Tornadoes by month in 2003
Bar chart of tornadoes by period. The most is 542 in May.Jan0Feb18Mar43Apr156May542Jun292Jul167Aug44Sep32Oct26Nov53Dec1
Show the numbers
PeriodCount
Jan0
Feb18
Mar43
Apr156
May542
Jun292
Jul167
Aug44
Sep32
Oct26
Nov53
Dec1

Deadliest tornadoes of 2003

Strongest tornadoes of 2003

Many of these tornadoes killed or injured people. The numbers are the official record's, and they may be revised.

Where the 2003 tornadoes started

← 2002 · 2004 → · All years

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