States › California › 2003
California, 2003
The year's recorded storm events, federal disaster declarations and flood insurance claims.
NCEI notes that Storm Data is compiled from a variety of sources including the National Weather Service, other federal, state and local agencies, the media and the public; that property and crop damage figures are estimates; and that some events are recorded by NWS forecast zone rather than by county. FEMA notes that NFIP claim records are redacted and aggregated to protect the privacy of policyholders.
Events by hazard
Includes events recorded by forecast zone. The state's yearly total for 2003 was 811 against 905 in 2002.
Counties with the most recorded events
Notable events
| Date | County | Event type | Magnitude | Property damage | Deaths | Injuries |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25 Oct 2003 | San Diego | Wildfire | — | $1,040,000,000 | 14 | 90 |
| 25 Dec 2003 | Forecast zone | Debris Flow | — | $5,000,000 | 14 | 10 |
| 25 Oct 2003 | San Bernardino | Wildfire | — | $696,400,000 | 4 | 5 |
| 26 Aug 2003 | San Bernardino | Flash Flood | — | $50,000 | 3 | — |
| 1 Nov 2003 | San Bernardino | Wildfire | — | $278,600,000 | 2 | 7 |
| 26 Oct 2003 | San Diego | Wildfire | — | $55,220,000 | 2 | 18 |
| 25 Dec 2003 | San Bernardino | Flash Flood | — | $1,000,000 | 2 | 5 |
| 20 Jul 2003 | Forecast zone | Heat | — | — | 2 | — |
| 25 Feb 2003 | San Diego | Heavy Rain | — | $250,000 | 1 | 3 |
| 6 Jan 2003 | Forecast zone | High Wind | 60 mph | $50,000 | 1 | 1 |
| 5 Jan 2003 | Forecast zone | High Wind | 75 mph | $400,000 | 1 | — |
| 14 Feb 2003 | San Diego | Flood | — | — | 1 | — |
| 5 Jul 2003 | Forecast zone | Heat | — | — | 1 | — |
| 12 Jul 2003 | Forecast zone | Heat | — | — | 1 | — |
| 14 Jul 2003 | Forecast zone | Heat | — | — | 1 | — |
| 30 Jul 2003 | Riverside | Lightning | — | — | 1 | — |
| 21 Oct 2003 | San Bernardino | Wildfire | — | $50,000,000 | — | 35 |
| 1 Nov 2003 | San Diego | Wildfire | — | $16,960,000 | — | 23 |
| 25 Feb 2003 | Riverside | Heavy Rain | — | $250,000 | — | 24 |
| 27 Nov 2003 | Forecast zone | Dust Storm | — | — | — | 20 |
| 27 Nov 2003 | Forecast zone | Dust Storm | — | — | — | 20 |
| 20 Aug 2003 | San Bernardino | Flash Flood | — | $500,000 | — | 18 |
| 16 Jul 2003 | San Diego | Wildfire | — | $1,000,000 | — | 14 |
| 12 Jul 2003 | Forecast zone | Heat | — | — | — | 11 |
| 7 Jan 2003 | Forecast zone | High Wind | 59 mph | $203,000 | — | 7 |
| 5 Sep 2003 | San Bernardino | Wildfire | — | $200,000 | — | 9 |
| 1 Nov 2003 | San Diego | Wildfire | — | $21,500,000 | — | 6 |
| 4 Jul 2003 | Forecast zone | Heat | — | — | — | 8 |
| 26 Oct 2003 | Riverside | Wildfire | — | $6,000,000 | — | 7 |
| 3 Jul 2003 | Riverside | Wildfire | — | $750,000 | — | 5 |
| 3 Jan 2003 | Forecast zone | Dense Fog | — | $250,000 | — | 4 |
| 11 Jan 2003 | Forecast zone | Dense Fog | — | $125,000 | — | 4 |
| 2 Nov 2003 | Forecast zone | Cold/Wind Chill | — | — | — | 4 |
| 30 Jun 2003 | San Diego | Wildfire | — | — | — | 4 |
| 25 Aug 2003 | Santa Clara | Wildfire | — | — | — | 4 |
| 18 Aug 2003 | Riverside | Wildfire | — | $1,000,000 | — | 3 |
| 27 Jan 2003 | Forecast zone | Dense Fog | — | $30,000 | — | 3 |
| 4 Feb 2003 | Forecast zone | Dense Fog | — | $20,000 | — | 3 |
| 13 Jul 2003 | Forecast zone | Heat | — | — | — | 3 |
| 4 Jul 2003 | Riverside | Wildfire | — | — | — | 3 |
Up to 40 events with deaths, injuries, damage of $50,000 or more, or a tornado rating, ranked by deaths, injuries and damage.
Federal disaster declarations in 2003
| Declared | Number | Type | Incident | Title | Counties |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 28 Oct 2003 | FM-2508 | Fire management assistance | Fire | Ca-Whitmore Fire-10-28-2003 | 1 |
| 27 Oct 2003 | DR-1498 | Major disaster | Fire | Wildfires, Flooding, Mudflow And Debris Flow Directly Related T | 5 |
| 26 Oct 2003 | FM-2507 | Fire management assistance | Fire | Ca-Mountain Fire-10-26-2003 | 1 |
| 26 Oct 2003 | FM-2506 | Fire management assistance | Fire | Paradise Fire | 1 |
| 26 Oct 2003 | FM-2505 | Fire management assistance | Fire | Ca-Cedar Fire-10-26-2003 | 1 |
| 26 Oct 2003 | FM-2504 | Fire management assistance | Fire | Simi Fire | 1 |
| 25 Oct 2003 | FM-2503 | Fire management assistance | Fire | Old Fire | 1 |
| 25 Oct 2003 | FM-2502 | Fire management assistance | Fire | Ca-Verdale Fire 10-25-2003 | 2 |
| 23 Oct 2003 | FM-2501 | Fire management assistance | Fire | Ca-Grand Prix Fire-10-23-2003 | 1 |
| 21 Oct 2003 | FM-2500 | Fire management assistance | Fire | Pass Fire | 1 |
| 6 Sep 2003 | FM-2497 | Fire management assistance | Fire | Ca-Bridge Fire-09-05-2003 | 1 |
| 19 Aug 2003 | FM-2491 | Fire management assistance | Fire | Ca-Locust Wildfire-08-19-2003 | 2 |
| 25 Jul 2003 | FM-2487 | Fire management assistance | Fire | Canyon Fire | 1 |
| 3 Jul 2003 | FM-2475 | Fire management assistance | Fire | Ca-Railroad Fire-07-03-2003 | 1 |
| 29 Jun 2003 | FM-2474 | Fire management assistance | Fire | Ca - Tejon Fire - 06-30-2003 | 1 |
| 28 Jun 2003 | FM-2473 | Fire management assistance | Fire | Ca - Sawmill Fire - 06-27-2003 | 1 |
| 7 Jan 2003 | FM-2466 | Fire management assistance | Fire | Ca - Wildfire (Pacific Fire) - 01-06-2003 | 1 |
Flood insurance claims with a 2003 date of loss
236 NFIP claims, 125 of them paid, for $1,864,234.
Sources: NOAA NCEI Storm Events through 30 Jun 2026; OpenFEMA DisasterDeclarationsSummaries v2 (29 Sep 2026); OpenFEMA NfipClaims v3 (8 Sep 2026). Built 30 Sep 2026.