Tropical cyclones in 2003

During 2003, tropical cyclones formed within seven different tropical cyclone basins, located within various parts of the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. During the year, a total of 129 systems formed with 85 of these developing further and were named by the responsible warning centre. The strongest tropical cyclone of the year was Cyclone Inigo, which was estimated to have a minimum barometric pressure of 900 hPa (26.58 inHg) and was tied with Cyclone Gwenda for being the most intense recorded cyclone in the Australian region in terms of pressure, with the possible exception of Cyclone Mahina.^[1] So far, 26 Category 3 tropical cyclones formed, including six Category 5 tropical cyclones formed in 2003, tying 2021. The accumulated cyclone energy (ACE) index for the 2003 (seven basins combined), as calculated by Colorado State University was 833 units.

Tropical cyclones in 2003
Year summary map
Year boundaries
First system	01U
Formed	January 4, 2003
Last system	Heta
Dissipated	January 11, 2004
Strongest system
Name	Inigo
Lowest pressure	900 mbar (hPa); 26.58 inHg
Longest lasting system
Name	01U
Duration	18 days
Year statistics
Total systems	129
Named systems	85
Total fatalities	1,082 total
Total damage	$11.89 billion (2003 USD)
Related articles 2003 Atlantic hurricane season 2003 Pacific hurricane season 2003 Pacific typhoon season 2003 North Indian Ocean cyclone season 2002–03 South-West Indian Ocean cyclone season 2003–04 South-West Indian Ocean cyclone season 2002–03 Australian region cyclone season 2003–04 Australian region cyclone season 2002–03 South Pacific cyclone season 2003–04 South Pacific cyclone season
Other years 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005

Four tropical storms active on February 12; from left to right are Gerry, Hape, the system that would become Isha, and Fiona in the Australian region

Tropical cyclone activity in each basin is under the authority of an RSMC. The National Hurricane Center (NHC) is responsible for tropical cyclones in the North Atlantic and East Pacific. The Central Pacific Hurricane Center (CPHC) is responsible for tropical cyclones in the Central Pacific. Both the NHC and CPHC are subdivisions of the National Weather Service. Activity in the West Pacific is monitored by the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA). Systems in the North Indian Ocean are monitored by the India Meteorological Department (IMD). The Météo-France located in Réunion (MFR) monitors tropical activity in the South-West Indian Ocean. The Australian region is monitored by five TCWCs that are under the coordination of the Australian Bureau of Meteorology (BOM). Similarly, the South Pacific is monitored by both the Fiji Meteorological Service (FMS) and the Meteorological Service of New Zealand Limited. Other, unofficial agencies that provide additional guidance in tropical cyclone monitoring include the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) and the Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC).

Global conditions and hydrological summary

The ENSO in this year was mostly neutral.

Summary

Systems

January

Cyclone Beni

Tropical cyclones formed in January 2003

Storm name	Dates active	Max wind km/h (mph)	Pressure (hPa)	Areas affected	Damage (USD)	Deaths	Refs
01U	January 4–25	95 (60)	988	Northern Territory, Western Australia	Unknown	None	[2]
Ebula	January 7–12	115 (75)	972	None	None	None	[2]
Ami	January 9–15	150 (90)	950	Tuvalu, Fiji, Tonga	$51.2 million	14	[3][4]
Yanyan	January 15–20	65 (40)	1000	None	None	None	[5]
Fari	January 24–31	95 (60)	985	Madagascar	Unknown	None	[2][6]
Beni	January 19–February 5	205 (125)	920	Vanuatu, New Caledonia, Queensland	$7 million	1	[7][8]
Cilla	January 26–30	75 (45)	995	Fiji, Tonga, American Samoa	Minimal	None	[9][10]
08F	January 30–February 8	30 (20)	1002	None	None	None	[11]

February

Cyclone Dovi

Tropical cyclones formed in February 2003

Storm name	Dates active	Max wind km/h (mph)	Pressure (hPa)	Areas affected	Damage (USD)	Deaths	Refs
Isha	February 3–15	65 (40)	995	None	None	None	[12]
Fiona	February 3–13	175 (115)	935	None	None	None	[13]
Gerry	February 5–15	165 (105)	940	Mauritius, Réunion	Unknown	1	[14][15][16]
Dovi	February 5–11	205 (125)	920	Cook Islands	Minimal	None	[17][18][19]
Hape	February 7–16	150 (90)	960	None	None	None	[20]
10F	February 15–21	—	998	None	None	None	[13]
Japhet	February 25–March 6	175 (110)	935	Mozambique, Zambia, Zimbabwe	None	25	[21][22][23]
Graham	February 27–March 1	75 (45)	985	Western Australia	Minimal	1	[24][25]

March

Cyclone Kalunde

March was the most inactive month of 2003, with 6 tropical cyclones forming around this month.

Tropical cyclones formed in March 2003

Storm name	Dates active	Max wind km/h (mph)	Pressure (hPa)	Areas affected	Damage (USD)	Deaths	Refs
Harriet	March 1–11	85 (50)	985	Western Australia	None	None	[26]
Erica	March 1–12	215 (130)	915	Queensland, Southeast Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, New Caledonia	$15 million	2	[27][28]
Kalunde	March 3–17	215 (130)	910	Rodrigues	$3.15 million	None	[29]
10F	March 6–8	—	998	None	None	None	[30]
Craig	March 8–13	100 (65)	976	Northern Territory, Queensland	Unknown	Unknown	[31][32][33][34]
Eseta	March 10–14	185 (115)	930	Fiji	$876 thousand	None	[17]

April

Cyclone Inigo

Tropical cyclones formed in April 2003

Storm name	Dates active	Max wind km/h (mph)	Pressure (hPa)	Areas affected	Damage (USD)	Deaths	Refs
Inigo	April 1–8	240 (150)	900	Indonesia, East Timor, Western Australia	~$6 million	58	[35][36]
14F	April 6–8	—	998	None	None	None	[37]
Luma	April 8–11	130 (80)	980	None	None	None	[37]
Kujira (Amang)	April 9–30	165 (105)	930	Micronesia, Philippines, Taiwan, Japan	3	$230 thousand	[38][39][40][41][42]
Fili	April 13–15	95 (60)	987	Tonga	None	None	[37]
15F	April 15–16	—	—	None	None	None	[37]
Ana	April 20–27	95 (60)	994	Florida, Bermuda, Azores, British Isles	Minimal	2	[43][44]

May

Typhoon Chan-hom

Tropical cyclones formed in May 2003

Storm name	Dates active	Max wind km/h (mph)	Pressure (hPa)	Areas affected	Damage (USD)	Deaths	Refs
Manou	May 2–23	155 (95)	950	Mauritius, Madagascar	Unknown	89	[45][46]
BOB 01	May 10–20	140 (85)	980	Sri Lanka, India, Myanmar	$135 million	260	[47][48]
TD	May 17	—	1004	Philippines	None	None
03W (Batibot)	May 18–21	55 (35)	1002	Philippines	None	None	[49]
TD	May 19	—	1004	None	None	None
Andres	May 19–25	95 (60)	997	None	None	None	[50]
Chan-hom	May 19–27	155 (100)	940	Chuuk, Saipan	$16 million	None	[51]
Linfa (Chedeng)	May 25–June 2	100 (65)	980	Philippines, Japan	$28.2 million	41	[42][49]
Nangka (Dodong)	May 30–June 3	95 (60)	985	Philippines, Taiwan, Japan	None	None	[52]

June

Typhoon Soudelor

Tropical cyclones formed in June 2003

Storm name	Dates active	Max wind km/h (mph)	Pressure (hPa)	Areas affected	Damage (USD)	Deaths	Refs
Gina	June 4–9	150 (90)	950	Solomon Islands	Minimal	2	[53][54][55]
Epi	June 5–6	65 (40)	993	Papua New Guinea	None	None	[56]
Soudelor (Egay)	June 11–24	150 (90)	955	Philippines, Taiwan, South Korea, Japan	>$15.3 million	14	[57][58][59]
Two	June 11	55 (35)	1008	None	None	None	[60]
Blanca	June 17–22	95 (60)	997	None	None	None	[61]
Carlos	June 26–27	100 (65)	996	Southwestern Mexico	$8 million	9	[62][63][64][65]
Bill	June 29–July 3	95 (60)	997	Mexico, Gulf Coast of the United States, Southeastern United States	$50.5 million	4	[66]

July

Typhoon Imbudo

Tropical cyclones formed in July 2003

Storm name	Dates active	Max wind km/h (mph)	Pressure (hPa)	Areas affected	Damage (USD)	Deaths	Refs
Dolores	July 6–8	65 (40)	1005	None	None	None	[67]
Claudette	July 8–17	150 (90)	979	Windward Islands, Jamaica, Yucatán Peninsula, Mexico, Texas	$181 million	3	[68]
Falcon	July 9–10	55 (35)	1004	None	None	None	[69]
Enrique	July 10–13	100 (65)	993	None	None	None	[70]
Koni	July 15–23	110 (70)	975	Philippines, China, Vietnam	$16.9 million	7	[71][72]
Imbudo	July 15–25	165 (105)	935	Philippines, China	$383 million	85	[73][74][75]
Danny	July 16–21	120 (75)	1000	None	None	None	[76]
Felicia	July 17–23	85 (50)	1000	None	None	None	[77]
Six	July 19–21	55 (35)	1010	None	None	None	[78]
Seven	July 25–27	55 (35)	1010	Georgia	None	None	[79][80]
BOB 02	July 25–28	55 (35)	988	East India, Bangladesh	None	None	[81][48]
Ineng	July 30–31	45 (30)	1004	Philippines	$145 thousand	None	[82]
Morakot (Ineng)	July 31–August 4	85 (50)	992	Taiwan, China	$31 million	3	[69][83]

August

Hurricane Fabian

Tropical cyclones formed in August 2003

Storm name	Dates active	Max wind km/h (mph)	Pressure (hPa)	Areas affected	Damage (USD)	Deaths	Refs
TD	August 2–6	Un­known	1008	None	None	None
Etau (Kabayan)	August 2–9	155 (100)	945	Palau, Guam, Okinawa, Japan	$295 million	20
Guillermo	August 7–12	95 (60)	997	None	None	None
Hilda	August	65 (40)	1004	None	None	None
Erika	August 14–17	120 (75)	988	Florida, Mexico, Southern Texas	$100 thousands	2
One-C	August 15–17	55 (35)	1009	None	None	None
Krovanh (Niña)	August 16–26	120 (75)	970	Philippines, China, Vietnam	$253 million	4
TD	August 17	Un­known	1004	Philippines	None	None
Vamco (Manang)	August 18–20	65 (40)	996	Philippines, Taiwan, China	$4.7 million	None
Lakay	August 18–20	55 (35)	996	Philippines, Taiwan, China	None	None
TD	August 18–19	Un­known	1008	None	None	None
Nine	August 21–22	55 (35)	1007	Lesser Antilles, Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic	$20 thousands	None
Ignacio	August 22–27	165 (105)	970	Baja California Peninsula, Sonora, California	$21 million	4
TD	August 26–27	Un­known	1008	None	None	None
Fabian	August 27 – September 3	230 (145)	939	Leeward Islands, Bermuda, Eastern Canada	$300 million	8
Dujuan (Onyok)	August 27 – September 3	150 (90)	950	Philippines, Okinawa, Taiwan, China	$392 million	44
BOB 03	August 27–29	45 (30)	996	Northeast India	Minimal	None
Jimena	August 28 – September 5	165 (105)	970	Hawaii	Minimal	None
Grace	August 30 – September 2	65 (40)	1007	Texas, Oklahoma, Ohio Valley, Mid-Atlantic States	$114 thousands	None
TD	August 31 – September 3	Un­known	1008	None	None	None

September

Typhoon Maemi

Tropical cyclones formed in September 2003

Storm name	Dates active	Max wind km/h (mph)	Pressure (hPa)	Areas affected	Damage (USD)	Deaths	Refs
Henri	September 3–8	95 (60)	997	Florida, Delaware, Pennsylvania	$19.6 million	None
Kevin	September 3–6	65 (40)	1000	None	None	None
Maemi (Pogi)	September 4–13	195 (120)	910	Japan, South Korea, North Korea	$4.1 billion	120
Isabel	September 6–19	270 (165)	915	Lesser Antilles, Greater Antilles, Turks and Caicos Islands, Bahamas, East coast of the United States, Atlantic Canada	$3.6 billion	51
TD	September 7–8		1002	Vietnam	None	None
Fourteen	September 8–10	55 (35)	1007	None	None	None
TD	September 11–13		1010	None	None	None
Linda	September 13–17	120 (75)	987	None	None	None
TD	September 14–15		1004	South China	None	None
Quiel	September 15–19			Philippines	None	None
Choi-wan (Roskas)	September 16–24	130 (80)	955	Japan	$2.5 million	None
Marty	September 18–24	155 (100)	970	Baja California Peninsula, Sonora, Sinaloa, Arizona	$100 million	12
Koppu (Sikat)	September 23–30	130 (80)	960	None	None	None
Juan	September 24–29	165 (105)	969	Eastern Canada (Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island)	$200 million	4
Kate	September 25 – October 7	205 (125)	952	Newfoundland, Iceland, Europe	None	None
Abaimba	September 28 – October 4	85 (50)	995	None	None	None

October

Typhoon Parma

Tropical cyclones formed in October 2003

Storm name	Dates active	Max wind km/h (mph)	Pressure (hPa)	Areas affected	Damage (USD)	Deaths	Refs
Larry	October 1–6	100 (65)	993	Central America	$53.6 million	5
Nora	October 1–9	165 (105)	969	Mexico, Texas	Minimal	None
Olaf	October 3–8	120 (75)	987	Mexico, Texas	Minimal	1
TD	October 5–6		1008	Taiwan	None	None
18W	October 6–10	55 (35)	1004	South China	None	None
BOB 04	October 6–10	45 (30)	998	India	None	21
Mindy	October 10–14	75 (45)	1002	Hispaniola, Puerto Rico	$50 thousands	None
19W	October 12–13			South China	None	2
Nicholas	October 13–23	110 (70)	990	None	None	None
TD	October 16		1004	None	None	None
Ketsana (Tisoy)	October 17–26	165 (105)	940	None	None	None
Parma	October 19–31	175 (110)	930	None	None	None
Patricia	October 20–26	130 (80)	984	None	None	None
23W	October 21–29	55 (35)	1008	Thailand, Malaysia, Myanmar, India	Minimal	1
Ursula	October 21–23	55 (35)	1004	Philippines	Minimal	1
Melor (Viring)	October 29 – November 5	95 (60)	980	Philippines, Taiwan, Japan	None	4

November

Typhoon Lupit

Tropical cyclones formed in November 2003

Storm name	Dates active	Max wind km/h (mph)	Pressure (hPa)	Areas affected	Damage (USD)	Deaths	Refs
Beni	November 9–25	175 (110)	935	Mascarene Islands	None	None	[84]
Nepartak (Weng)	November 11–19	120 (75)	970	Philippines, China	$197 million	13	[85][86]
ARB 06	November 12–16	100 (65)	990	Maldives, Somalia	None	None	[81]
TD	November 14–15	—	1004	None	None	None	[87]
TD	November 15	—	1004	None	None	None
Lupit (Yoyoy)	November 18–December 4	185 (115)	915	Federated States of Micronesia, Japan	$1.7 million	None	[88]

December

Cyclone Heta

Tropical cyclones formed in December 2003

Storm name	Dates active	Max wind km/h (mph)	Pressure (hPa)	Areas affected	Damage (USD)	Deaths	Refs
Odette	December 4–9	100 (65)	993	Colombia, Dominican Republic, Haiti, Puerto Rico	$8 million	10	[89][90]
Cela	December 4–20	120 (75)	975	Madagascar	None	None	[91]
01F	December 4–6	Not specified	1005	None	None	None	[92][93][94][95]
Jana	December 6–12	155 (100)	950	None	None	None	[96]
Peter	December 7–11	95 (60)	990	None	None	None	[97]
BOB 07	December 11–16	100 (65)	992	India, Indonesia, Sri Lanka	$28 million	83	[81][98][46]
TD	December 16–17	Not specified	1004	None	None	None	[96]
02F	December 16–20	Not specified	1000	Solomon Islands	None	None	[99][100][101][102]
Debbie	December 16–23	120 (75)	950	Papua New Guinea, Northern Territory	None	None	[96]
27W (Zigzag)	December 24–27	55 (35)	1000	Philippines	None	None	[103]
Heta	December 25, 2003 – January 8, 2004	215 (130)	915	Samoan Islands, Tonga, Niue	$113 million	1	[104][105][106][107]
Darius	December 27, 2003 – January 4, 2004	100 (65)	980	Mascarene Islands	None	None	[108]
04F	December 29	Not specified	1004	Samoan Islands	None	None	[109]

Global effects

Season name	Areas affected	Systems formed	Named storms	Damage (USD)	Deaths
2003 Atlantic hurricane season	Florida, Bermuda, Azores, British Isles, Gulf Coast of the United States, Southeastern United States, Yucatán Peninsula, Texas, Windward Islands, Jamaica, Lesser Antilles, Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, Leeward Islands, Eastern Canada, Oklahoma, Ohio Valley, Mid-Atlantic States, Delaware, Pennsylvania, Turks and Caicos Islands, Bahamas, East coast of the United States, Atlantic Canada, Newfoundland, Iceland, Europe, Central America, Hispaniola, Haiti	21	16	$4.42 billion	93
2003 Pacific hurricane season	Southwestern Mexico, Baja California Peninsula, Sonora, California, Hawaii, Sinaloa, Arizona	17	16	$129 million	23
2003 Pacific typhoon season 3	Caroline Islands, Philippines, Mariana Islands, Ryukyu Islands, Taiwan, China, Vietnam, Laos, Russian Far East, Alaska, Thailand, Cambodia, South Korea, North Korea	45	21	$6.44 billion	362
2003 North Indian Ocean cyclone season	Sri Lanka, India, Myanmar, East India, Bangladesh, Northeastern India, Thailand, Malaysia, Maldives, Somalia, Indonesia	7	0	$163 million	364
2002–03 South-West Indian Ocean cyclone season 2	Mozambique, Tanzania, Malawi, Madagascar, Mauritius, Réunion, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Rodrigues	10	8	$6.65 million	169
2003–04 South-West Indian Ocean cyclone season 3	Madagascar, Mauritius, Rodrigues, Réunion	4	4	None	None
2002–03 Australian region cyclone season 2	Western Australia, Eastern Indonesia, Top End, Kimberley, Queensland, Papua New Guinea, Cocos (Keeling) Islands	8	8	$13 million	60
2003–04 Australian region cyclone season 3	Papua New Guinea, Queensland	2	2	None	None
2002–03 South Pacific cyclone season 2	Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, Tuvalu, Fiji, Samoa, Tonga, Niue, Tokelau, American Samoa	12	7	$16.876 million	20
2003–04 South Pacific cyclone season 3	Solomon Islands, Fiji, Tonga	3	0	None	None
Worldwide	(See above)	129[a]	85	$11.19 billion	1,082

1. The sum of the number of systems and fatalities in each basin will not equal the number shown as the total. This is because when systems move between basins, it creates a discrepancy in the actual number of systems and fatalities.

See also

• Tropical cyclones portal

• Tropical cyclones by year
• List of earthquakes in 2003
• Tornadoes of 2003

Notes

¹ Only systems that formed either on or after January 1, 2003 are counted in the seasonal totals.
² Only systems that formed either before or on December 31, 2003 are counted in the seasonal totals.
³ The wind speeds for this tropical cyclone/basin are based on the IMD Scale which uses 3-minute sustained winds.
⁴ The wind speeds for this tropical cyclone/basin are based on the Saffir Simpson Scale which uses 1-minute sustained winds.
⁵The wind speeds for this tropical cyclone are based on Météo-France which uses gust winds.