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National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Climate of 2003 - Annual Review
National Climatic Data Center |
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National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Climate of 2003 - Annual Review
National Climatic Data Center |
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2003 was the 20th warmest year on record for the U.S. with a nationally averaged temperature of 53.7�F (12.1�C). Cool temperatures in the East and warmth in the western half of the country were part of a persistent pattern in 2003. The last five 5-year periods (1999-2003, 1998-2002, 1997-2001, 1996-2000), were the warmest 5-year periods in the last 109 years of national records, and the latest 6 (1998-2003), 7 (1997-2003), 8 (1996-2003), 9 (1995-2003) and 10-year (1994-2003) periods were the warmest on record for the U.S., illustrating the anomalous warmth of the last decade. |
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The 2002-2003 winter season (Dec-Feb) was 32nd warmest on record for the U.S., with warmth in the Northwest and West and cool conditions stretching from the South to the Northeast. Spring (March-May) was warmer than normal nationally with much of the country warmer than average in each of the spring months, except for consistently cool conditions in the Northeast. Summer (June-August) was 14th warmest in 109 years of national records. The western half of the country contributed most to that warmth, while the Central and Southeast regions were cooler than average over the summer. The 2003 fall season (September-November) was 20th warmest on record, with some states in the West having a record warm October. In November the persistent pattern of warmth in the West and cool in the Northeast was replaced with cooler temperatures to the West and some warmth in the East. However, December returned to the more persistent pattern of 2003 with some southeastern states cooler than average and warmth across much of the remainder of the contiguous states. The West was record warm for several multi-month periods during the last year. The graph to the left shows July-December average temperature for the West. |
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More details of individual monthly and seasonal reports for 2003 can be found in NCDC's monthly and seasonal reports. |
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The adjacent figure shows the percent of the contiguous U.S. that was very warm and the percent that was very cold during each of the past 24 months. In 2003, 4 months (January, July, August, and October) averaged very warm over 30% or more of the country. Nearly 20 percent of the country was very cold in June though in no other month in 2003 was there a large percentage of the country affected by very cold temperatures. Very warm and very cold conditions are defined as the warmest and coldest ten percent of recorded temperatures, respectively. |
| 2003 was the warmest year on record for New Mexico and the second warmest for Nevada and Idaho. Seven other states were much warmer than normal during 2003. Cooler statewide annual temperatures were generally confined to the Southeast and parts of the Northeast. |
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Two states in the West had their warmest summer on record, and a further 10 states were much warmer than average for the summer. The Northwest Region had its second warmest summer on record, and the Southwest and West their third.
Annual temperatures averaged across the state of Alaska in 2003 placed 4th warmest since 1918, with every season in 2003 in Alaska averaging above normal. |
| Data collected by NOAA's TIROS-N polar-orbiting satellites and adjusted for time-dependent biases by NASA and the Global Hydrology and Climate Center at the University of Alabama in Huntsville, indicate that temperatures in the lower half of the atmosphere (lowest 8 km of the atmosphere) over the U.S. were warmer than the 20-year (1979-1998) average for the 6th consecutive year. 2003 ranks as the 5th warmest year since satellite records began in 1979. |  |
National Precipitation  |
The adjacent figure shows the percent of the contiguous U.S. that was very wet and the percent that was very dry during each of the past 24 months. During 2003, more than a tenth of the country was very dry in 3 months, with percentages in January exceeding 30%, and in July nearly 25% percent of the country was very dry. In every month from February to July the percentage area of very wet conditions exceeded ten percent. This was due in part to the persistent pattern of cool and wet conditions in the eastern half of the country. Drought persisted in those areas which began the year in drought. More details on U.S. drought for 2003 can be found on the annual drought summary page. |
| Precipitation in the United States in 2003 was characterized by persistent dryness in the West and above average wetness in the East. Virginia had its wettest year on record during 2003, already exceeding the previous annual record by the end of November. North Carolina and Maryland also broke the previous annual record for precipitation by the end of December 2003. Twelve states were much wetter than normal with the Southeast and Northeast regions as a whole having their third and fourth wettest years on record, respectively. New Mexico had its 5th driest year. More details on U.S. drought for 2003 can be found on the annual drought summary page. |  |
| Virginia, North and South Carolina had their wettest spring on record (see map below left). It was also the driest spring on record for Texas. It was second wettest spring and summer for the Southeast (see image below right) and the five month period from May-September included six states with record wetness. |
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Severe Storms 
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There were 35 very strong to violent tornadoes (wind speeds in excess of 158 mph, category F3-F5 on the Fujita Scale) during the 2003 tornado season (March-August). This is close to the long-term (1950-2001) mean of 38 and is more active than each of the last 3 seasons. A slight negative trend in very strong to violent tornadoes has been observed since 1950. Though the season was near average, there were several notable storm outbreaks in 2003. These include the record outbreak in May where a total of 516 tornadoes occurred during the month, the greatest monthly total for any month since national records began in 1950. Thirty-nine people were killed as a result of those tornadoes in May. Tornadoes in Texas and Oklahoma in April claimed 11 lives, while 6 people died in severe thunderstorms and a tornado in Georgia in March. The annual summary of significant events describes these outbreaks and other severe weather for the nation over the year. NCDC's monthly pages contain additional details for each month. |
Atlantic Hurricanes | There were 16 named tropical storms in 2003, 7 of which became hurricanes with 3 reaching major hurricane strength (category 3-5 on the Saffir-Simpson Scale). On average, 10 named storms form with 6 growing to hurricane strength and two developing into major hurricanes. The higher than average number of tropical cyclones in 2003 is consistent with an observed increase in activity since the mid-1990s. Six storms impacted the U.S. with Hurricane Isabel causing 16 deaths and over two billion dollars of damage in the Mid-Atlantic states in September. More details regarding the Atlantic Hurricane Season, and notable storms therein, can be found on the 2003 Hurricane page. | 
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Snow Season 
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The 2002/2003 snow season was generally above average along the eastern seaboard. Stations from Oklahoma northeast to the Great Lakes also recorded as much as 200% of normal snowfall for the 2002/2003 season. Snow totals for locations in the West and northern Great Plains were mostly below normal for the season, although the Rockies' Front Range and parts of the Sierra Nevada Mountains had near average snowfall. A large snowstorm in March in the Front Range made up for some low snow totals early in the season for the central Rockies, and a large storm in February (pictured left) broke many 24-hour snowfall records in the East. |
More details of individual months and seasons in 2003 can be found on NCDC's monthly pages
NOAA's National Climatic Data Center is the world's largest active archive of weather data. The preliminary temperature and precipitation rankings are available from the center by calling: 828-271-4800.
NOAA works closely with the academic and science communities on climate-related research projects to increase the understanding of El Niño and improve forecasting techniques. NOAA's Climate Prediction Center monitors, analyzes and predicts climate events ranging from weeks to seasons for the nation. NOAA also operates the network of data buoys and satellites that provide vital information about the ocean waters, and initiates research projects to improve future climate forecasts.
For further information, contact:
Jay Lawrimore
NOAA/National Climatic Data Center
151 Patton Avenue
Asheville, NC 28801-5001
fax: 828-271-4328
email: Jay.Lawrimore@noaa.gov
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