Strong and destructive tornadoes form most frequently in the United States, Bangladesh, and Eastern India, but they can occur almost anywhere under the right conditions.

Tornadoes also develop occasionally in southern Canada during the Northern Hemisphere's summer and somewhat regularly at other times of the year across Europe, Asia, and Australia.

2003 is currently the seventh-most active year for tornadoes in the United States since reliable record-keeping began in 1950.

[7] A tornado killed 17 people near the town of Yumbi in the northwestern Bandundu Province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

[9][10] Another tornado struck the next day near Lahore in eastern Pakistan, killing two people and injuring 150.

At 3:13 PM, an F1 tornado touched down in the rugged rural hills of extreme western Breathitt County, Kentucky, near Athol.

[7] During a three-day period from the 17th to the 19th, 22 F1 and F0 tornadoes touched down across a widespread area, mostly in Oklahoma, Louisiana, Alabama, and Tennessee.

On the evening of the 20th, a supercell thunderstorm developed in the Florida Panhandle, producing an F2 tornado that struck Cypress.

As a result of that tornado, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) dispersed over $8.4 million in funds.

Additionally, an F1 tornado struck North Miami Beach and caused damage to trees and roofs, but no injuries were reported.

These shortwaves provided a mechanism for the deepening of surface low pressure areas, which followed the upper level flow from southwest to northeast.

This persistent flow provided an abundance of warm, moist maritime tropical air in the central and eastern US.

[7] Hail between the size of softballs and volleyballs fell in Aurora, Nebraska on June 22 along with another storm to the East that produced a tornado.

[7] A large tornado outbreak struck the Northern Plains, mainly in the state of South Dakota.

At about 7:30 pm, a long-tracked supercell thunderstorm spawned a series of tornadoes along a path of 61 miles through New York and Vermont.

The derecho itself produced a very intense mesoscale convective vortex, and at times, the entire squall line was wrapped into it, creating a "Super-Derecho", also known as a Landphoon.

[20] The tornado touched down in Ewing near Prospect Street, crossed Olden Avenue, and entered Lawrence Township near the Shabukunk Creek.

Olden Avenue in Ewing was closed for several days while debris and downed power poles were removed.

On November 17, the Storm Prediction Center forecast a moderate risk of severe thunderstorms for much of the Deep South from the Ohio Valley to the Gulf Coast as an upper-level low ran into very unstable air.

During the evening hours, numerous tornadoes broke out across portions of Southeast Texas and Central Louisiana, resulting in 56 injuries.

During the late evening hours of November 26 (the night before Thanksgiving), severe weather broke out across portions of West-Central Louisiana.

An F3 or F2 tornado caused destruction in the small town of Atalaya, in the province of Corrientes, in eastern Argentina.

A minor tornado hit near Inverleigh, Victoria, Australia, causing severe damage to a farm.