2003-05-04: Beginning of the May 2003 Outbreak Sequence

[Andy Wehrle]

Today is the 20th anniversary of one of the most prolific and impactful tornado outbreaks of the 2000s, probably behind only Super Tuesday, 2008 and Veteran's Day 2002, or maybe even a little ahead of the latter. Numerous long-tracked and deadly F3s and F4s struck primarily far eastern Kansas and western Missouri, but also parts of the mid-South such as Jackson, TN. It was the first of what would become four high risks issued in seven days. Consider we just went slightly over two years without one being issued (and prior to that, we had gone nearly two years as well).

 

[Mike Smith]

The good thing about this event is that it was quite "forecastable." Even without CAMs, the storms formed in classic ways and the warnings were excellent.

 

[Angel Escobales Jr]

I had a chance to transfer some videos from the day of May 4, and with their permission I am able to share their videos with y’all.
First is video of the Pierce City F3:

Second is distant brief video of the Girard F4, the Crestline F3 (the main show in this video), and distant video of the Pierce City F3:

 

[JamesCaruso]

That was one of only three years that I missed chasing since I started in 1996, because my son was born. I wouldn’t ordinarily have gone on my chase vacation that early in May anyway, but I remember thinking it was pretty cool that he was born during what I remember being called the seven day period with the most tornados - is that still true??

 

[Andy Wehrle]

That was one of only three years that I missed chasing since I started in 1996, because my son was born. I wouldn’t ordinarily have gone on my chase vacation that early in May anyway, but I remember thinking it was pretty cool that he was born during what I remember being called the seven day period with the most tornados - is that still true??

April 25-28, 2011 (and any 7-day period containing that range) surpassed it, due largely of course to the insanity that occurred on the 27th.

 

[Andy Wehrle]

Whoops, I hadn't seen that there was already a thread for this date, but this one can cover the outbreak sequence in general.

Today is the 20th Anniversary of the May 8th, 2003 tornado outbreak. The third high risk in five days, it most famously produced the Moore-Choctaw, OK F4, Moore's second violent tornado in four years and five days (although much less impactful than the 1999 one, or the one that would strike ten years later in 2013).

None of the other strong tornadoes in this outbreak made direct hits on towns or cities and thus are not well remembered, but F3s occurred in Osage County, KS and Osage County, OK (!), and another F3 occurred in the vicinity of Yates Center, KS which was probably the most-destructive tornado of the day after Moore as well as the one that most chasers who weren't in Oklahoma were on.

 

[CoryDoffing]

Doing a retroactive forecast & risk assessment, and seeing as how the risk categories have changed, how many of those high risk days from then would still be high risk today? Seems since Marginal & Enhanced were introduced we have far fewer high risk days than we used to. Curious if this is a coincidence or not.