Iowa, 2001

Heat in Iowa, August 1 to 8, 2001

August 1 to 8, 2001 · NWS ARX · 8 events in 8 counties and zones

The excessive heat that began in July continued through the first part of August, with afternoon temperatures reaching into the middle to upper 90s. The heat combined with high humidity produced dangerous heat indices of 110 to 120.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 8 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.

  • Tornadoes
  • Tropical storms and surge
  • Floods
  • Wind
  • Hail
  • Winter weather
  • Heat and drought
  • Cold
  • Fire, smoke and dust
  • Marine and coastal
  • Other

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
8

Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.

What happened

The episode as NWS ARX wrote it up.

The excessive heat that began in July continued through the first part of August, with afternoon temperatures reaching into the middle to upper 90s. The heat combined with high humidity produced dangerous heat indices of 110 to 120.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS La Crosse, WI wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Jul 31, 8:41 PM CST, 3 hours 19 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jul 31, 8:41 PM CST, 3 hours 19 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LA CROSSE WI
941 PM CDT TUE JUL 31 2001

BIGGEST CONCERN FOR THE OVERNIGHT IS THE HEAT INDICES. CURRENT
ADVISORY EXPIRES THIS EVENING FOR SOUTHEAST MINNESOTA AND IN CLARK
AND TAYLOR COUNTIES IN WISCONSIN. DEW POINTS IN THESE LOCATIONS ARE
WELL ABOVE 12Z GUIDANCE NUMBERS AND REMAIN IN THE UPPER 70S. HEAT
INDEX VALUES MAY GET BELOW 80 BY MORNING...BUT WILL NOT BE FOR AN
EXTENDED PERIOD SO WILL EXTEND THE ADVISORY THROUGH THE NIGHT FOR
THESE LOCATIONS. OTHER CONCERN IS WITH THE RAIN CHANCES FOR LATE
TONIGHT. NEW MESO ETA IS MATCHING UP WELL WITH PRESENT SITUATION
AND CONTINUES MOVING THE ACTIVITY ACROSS SOUTH DAKOTA AND NEBRASKA
EAST OVERNIGHT. IF IT HOLDS TOGETHER IS SHOULD MOVE INTO WESTERN
AREAS AROUND 12Z. WILL LEAVE THE POPS AS IS.

.LSE...HEAT ADVISORY TONIGHT MNZ079-086>088-094>096-IAZ010-011-029-
       030-WIZ017-029-032>034-041>044-053>055-061.

IRELAND

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

8 heat. Local standard time, as filed.

Heat, Allamakee

When
August 1, 12:00 AM CST to August 8, 2:30 PM CST
Where
Allamakee forecast zone
Reported by
NEWSPAPER
Coordinates
43.284, -91.378 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heat, Chickasaw

When
August 1, 12:00 AM CST to August 8, 2:30 PM CST
Where
Chickasaw forecast zone
Reported by
NEWSPAPER
Coordinates
43.060, -92.318 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heat, Clayton

When
August 1, 12:00 AM CST to August 8, 2:30 PM CST
Where
Clayton forecast zone
Reported by
NEWSPAPER
Coordinates
42.845, -91.341 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heat, Fayette

When
August 1, 12:00 AM CST to August 8, 2:30 PM CST
Where
Fayette forecast zone
Reported by
NEWSPAPER
Coordinates
42.863, -91.844 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heat, Floyd

When
August 1, 12:00 AM CST to August 8, 2:30 PM CST
Where
Floyd forecast zone
Reported by
NEWSPAPER
Coordinates
43.060, -92.789 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heat, Howard

When
August 1, 12:00 AM CST to August 8, 2:30 PM CST
Where
Howard forecast zone
Reported by
NEWSPAPER
Coordinates
43.357, -92.317 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heat, Mitchell

When
August 1, 12:00 AM CST to August 8, 2:30 PM CST
Where
Mitchell forecast zone
Reported by
NEWSPAPER
Coordinates
43.356, -92.789 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heat, Winneshiek

When
August 1, 12:00 AM CST to August 8, 2:30 PM CST
Where
Winneshiek forecast zone
Reported by
NEWSPAPER
Coordinates
43.291, -91.844 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

Heat
Heat below excessive heat criteria that still caused deaths, injuries or significant impacts.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Iowa in 2001Every state in 2001This day in weather historyWarnings in Iowa, August 2001

Sources

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5263540, 5263541, 5263542, 5263543, 5263544, 5263545, 5263546, 5263547.