The tornado outbreak of May 15, 2003

47 tornadoesTexas, Oklahoma, Kansas and 3 more states

47 tornadoes touched down across 6 states between 4:10 PM and 11:58 PM CDT, none rated F3 or stronger.

Watch the day unfold

Tornado outbreak · May 15, 2003

How the day unfolded

Every tornado recorded that day, at its logged touchdown time and along its path, with the counties it crossed.

About this replay

Central time—Historical replay — logged touchdown times

Tornadoes—of 47 that day

Strongest so far—

Killed—in tornadoes so far

The day in numbers

Tornadoes: 47; 89th of 12,998 tornado days since 1950
F3 or stronger: 0; None rated F4 or F5
Killed: 0; Along all the paths
Injured: 0; Along all the paths
Path miles: 115; All the paths end to end
First and last: 4:10 PM to 11:58 PM; Touchdowns, Central Daylight Time

Hour by hour

Tornadoes touching down in each hour, Central Daylight Time.

Every tornado

In order of touchdown.

Tornadoes of May 15, 2003

4:10 PM	F1	Knox County TN	2.5	50
4:12 PM	F0	Cimarron County OK	0.1	100
4:15 PM	F1	Knox County TN	1.5	50
4:25 PM	F1	Cimarron County OK	5.0	200
4:39 PM	F2	Baca County CO	5.0	200
4:42 PM	F0	Kiowa County CO	1.0	75
4:45 PM	F0	Cimarron County OK	0.1	50
5:20 PM	F1	Lincoln County NC	3.0	100
5:36 PM	F1	Dallam County TX	10.0	1,320
5:41 PM	F0	Dallam County TX	1.0	500
6:46 PM	F0	Texas County OK	0.1	50
7:20 PM	F0	Texas County OK	0.5	30
7:29 PM	F2	Seward County KS	2.5	100
7:35 PM	F0	Texas County OK	0.5	20
7:38 PM	F0	Sherman County TX	1.0	50
7:40 PM	F2	Seward County KS	4.9	100
7:45 PM	F0	Texas County OK	0.3	100
7:58 PM	F0	Moore County TX	6.0	200
8:15 PM	F0	Sherman County TX	0.1	50
8:15 PM	F0	Sherman County TX	0.1	20
8:30 PM	F0	Gray County TX	0.1	40
8:31 PM	F0	Sherman County TX	0.3	50
8:33 PM	F1	Texas County OK	2.0	30
8:37 PM	F0	Donley County TX	0.5	50
8:42 PM	F0	Jones County TX	0.3	20
8:45 PM	F0	Texas County OK	1.0	40
8:59 PM	F1	Shackelford County TX	2.0	150
8:59 PM	F0	Donley County TX	0.1	20
9:00 PM	F0	Beaver County OK	0.8	20
9:10 PM	F1	Meade County KS	2.0	100
9:23 PM	F0	Hutchinson County TX	2.0	30
9:25 PM	F2	Shackelford County TX	1.5	800
9:25 PM	F2	Shackelford County TX	1.5	450
9:30 PM	F2	Seward County KS	2.5	100
9:43 PM	F1	Wheeler County TX	18.0	100
9:44 PM	F0	Carson County TX	0.1	20
9:45 PM	F1	Meade County KS	1.0	50
10:00 PM	F0	Eastland County, Stephens County TX	12.0	300
10:10 PM	F0	Shackelford County TX	1.0	50
10:12 PM	F1	Shackelford County TX	1.0	150
10:30 PM	F0	Wheeler County TX	0.5	50
10:36 PM	F0	Clark County KS	1.3	100
10:53 PM	F2	Wheeler County, Roger Mills County TX, OK	15.5	1,760
11:13 PM	F0	Eastland County TX	0.1	50
11:21 PM	F0	Wheeler County TX	0.1	50
11:42 PM	F0	Ford County KS	0.8	50
11:58 PM	F1	Ford County KS	2.0	50

By state

Tornadoes by state, May 15, 2003

Texas	24	0	0
Oklahoma	10	0	0
Kansas	8	0	0
Colorado	2	0	0
Tennessee	2	0	0
North Carolina	1	0	0

Tornadoes in 2003 · On this date in other years · The biggest outbreak days

Storm Prediction Center severe weather database, 1950 to 2025. A day is SPC’s calendar date in Central Standard Time; an outbreak day here has 40 or more tornadoes, or 6 or more rated F3/EF3 or stronger.