Off to a Cold & Dry Start
The year started out very cold and dry (see Figures 1 & 2, below). Morning low temperatures were below freezing in Tallahassee on 18 of the 31 days of January. Eight of these were hard freezes. In fact, the average daily minimum temperature for the month was just a fraction of a degree above the freezing mark. Temperatures dipped below 20 degrees three times. The low of 18 on the 24th was the coldest temperature of the year in Tallahassee. The high temperature that day was just 43 degrees, the coldest afternoon of the year. The 24th was quite cold across the entire region. The temperature even got down to 20 at Apalachicola, FL, that morning with an afternoon high temperature of just 39. Other temperatures around the region that morning include 19 at Panama City, FL (a record for the date); 17 at Valdosta, GA; 14 at Dothan, AL; and 13 at Albany, GA. Despite the frequent cold spells, no daily minimum records were set during the month at Tallahassee. However, a record low of 27 was established at Panama City on the 25th, and Albany set a record low of 16 on the 18th. January 2003 was the 6th coldest January of all time and the 10th coldest month overall.

January was also quite dry. Measurable rainfall occurred on only 5 days. The monthly total was just 0.34 inches, which is over 5 inches below normal. This makes January 2003 the 4th driest of all time and the driest month of 2003.

Figure 1. Temperatures in Tallahassee during the year 2003.

Heavy rains were frequent in March with 5.5 to 7.5 inches of rain falling during the month across most of the region. However, there were locally higher amounts.

From March 4th-9th, periods of heavy rainfall, which ranged from three to six inches in Leon County to 14 inches in Taylor County, flooded many roads, homes and poor drainage areas. Residents along Munson Slough in northern Wakulla County were forced to evacuate as flood waters seeped into their homes. Widespread flooding forced many families in Taylor County to evacuate to motels, while others were isolated by the rising flood waters. Many septic tanks and water wells were damaged. Some residents along the swollen Apalachicola and Ocklockonee rivers in Liberty County experienced minor flooding. Minor to moderate flooding occurred near the Aucilla and Suwannee river basins. Flood waters seeping into homes in Steinhatchee Springs forced residents to evacuate to higher ground. Local states of emergency were declared in Leon, Wakulla, Taylor, Liberty and Lafayette counties.

On March 20th, torrential rains were streaming in off the Gulf of Mexico into Panama City on a night that saw deadly tornadoes further northeast in Georgia (see below). In a three-hour period, five inches of rain fell in parts of Panama City, FL, causing significant flooding of streets, intersections and low-lying areas. Several cars were stranded along a flooded stretch of U.S. Highway 98. Officially, Panama City recorded 9.31 inches of rain for the month, over a third of which fell on the 20th alone.

April saw a return to near normal temperatures, and it was drier than normal in most areas. The exception was Dothan, which received nearly 8 inches of rain during the month, with over 3 inches occurring in a 24-hour period on the 7-8th.

Figure 2. Rainfall in Tallahassee during the year 2003.

The main reason for the mild temperatures was the abundant cloud cover and frequent rains, which occurred throughout the summer, despite the absence of any tropical systems. The wettest month was June with 14.30 inches measured at Tallahassee, more than double the normal rainfall. This was the 6th wettest June on record. Similar amounts of rain fell in Apalachicola with 4.52 inches falling on the 20th alone. Rainfall was only slightly above average in July, but only 8 days were rain-free. In August, 10.45 inches of rain fell in Tallahassee. This is nearly 3.5 inches above normal. Over a foot of rain fell in Panama City with 3.28 inches on the 12th alone. The combined rainfall in Tallahassee for the summer months of June, July and August was 32.33 inches. This amount represents more than half of the normal annual average rainfall in the city and is the 5th wettest summer on record.

Autumn Warm, but not Stormy
Unlike the last several seasons, no tropical systems directly impacted the Florida Big Bend or Eastern Panhandle. Tropical Storm warnings were posted for parts of the Big Bend coastline for Tropical Storm Henri, but impacts were minimal as the system weakened to a depression before making landfall well down the coast near Clearwater on the morning of September 6th. The fall months were also notable for the lack of severe weather. Typically, the region sees a secondary peak in severe weather activity in the fall, particularly November. However, there were no such events this year. Temperatures were above normal for most of the season. In November, temperatures averaged 2.6 degrees warmer than normal in Tallahassee. The first 13 days of the month were all warmer than normal with several record daily maximums tied or broken. In Tallahassee, the temperature reached 86 on the 4th, 6th, and 7th, tying or breaking a record each day. Apalachicola tied or broke records on the 6th, 7th and 8th. Panama City tied records on the 1st and 2nd. Albany, GA, tied their record temperature of 87 on the 5th. The normal date of the first freezing temperature at Tallahassee Regional Airport is November 6th. This year, the first freeze did not occur until the 29th.

Cold and Dry December
December 2003 was dominated by persistently cool weather. Only one of the first 28 days averaged warmer than normal. A mild spell at the end of the month kept this December out of the list of top five coldest. Still, temperatures averaged 5.4 degrees colder than normal. Temperatures dropped to the freezing mark or lower on 15 days during the month, but there were only two hard freezes, on the 20th and 21st.

Severe Weather
Typically, this part of the country sees a peak in severe weather activity during the spring months with a secondary maximum in November. Through summer, isolated severe storms are possible on almost any day, although large outbreaks are much less common. Occasionally severe weather occurs in the winter months, and some of these can be major outbreaks. In 2003, there were a couple of notable severe weather episodes during the peak season, with frequent mainly isolated activity in the summer. There was only one severe weather report during the fall, and no severe weather at all during the winter months of January and December. Monthly summaries of severe weather occurrences in 2003 can be obtained by clicking the links below.

January