Maryland, 2001

Heat in Maryland, August 6 to 10, 2001

August 6 to 10, 2001 · NWS LWX · 14 events in 14 counties and zones

High pressure brought ample sunshine and warm southerly winds to the region between the 6th and 10th. Afternoon temperatures soared into the 90s and dew points in the 60s pushed heat indices to between 98 and 112 degrees.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 10 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
3
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
14

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 LWX wrote it up.

High pressure brought ample sunshine and warm southerly winds to the region between the 6th and 10th. Afternoon temperatures soared into the 90s and dew points in the 60s pushed heat indices to between 98 and 112 degrees. At Baltimore/Washington International Airport a high temperature of 98 degrees was reported on the 9th and 10th. A high temperature of 96 degrees was recorded on the 7th and 97 degrees was recorded on the 8th. At the Inner Harbor of Baltimore, a high temperature of 101 degrees was recorded on the 9th and a high of 99 degrees was recorded on the 7th, 8th, and 10th. Overnight lows in the heat island of downtown Baltimore only dropped into the lower 80s on the 9th and 10th. In Hagerstown, the high temperature on the 7th and 9th was 96 degrees and on the 8th was 95 degrees. A "code red" alert was issued by environment officials in the Washington D.C. and Baltimore metropolitan area on August 8th and 9th due to bad air quality. Medical professionals reported treating several people for heat related illnesses during the period. Nine people were transported to hospitals for heat related injuries in Harford County. Eight people were treated for heat illness in Calvert County. In Anne Arundel County, five people required medical attention. Three people died from heat exhaustion in their un-air-conditioned Baltimore City homes on the 9th. The victims were two males ages 50 and 75 and one female age 75.

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 Baltimore/Washington wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Aug 6, 9:45 AM EST, 3 hours 15 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Aug 6, 9:45 AM EST, 3 hours 15 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BALTIMORE/WASHINGTON
1045 AM EDT MON AUG 6 2001

HOT SUMMER RIDGE THAT HAS BEEN OVR THE CNTRL STATES WILL BROADEN OVR
THE EAST THIS WEEK. 850 TMPS WILL BE 18 TO 20 DURING THE DAY TUE.
WEAK TROF WILL PUSH S TOWARDS THE REGION TUE...WHICH WILL HELP TURN
THE WINDS AROUND TO THE WEST AND BUMP UP TMPS A FEW DEGREES FROM
TODAY. DWPTS ARE VERY HIGH TODAY...IN THE MID TO UPPER 70S...AND WE
SHOULD HAVE NO PROBS REACHING HEAT ADVISRY CRITERIA. WILL UPDATE
FORECAST TO REMOVE MORNING FOG.

STRONG

.LWX...
DC...EXCESSIVE HEAT WATCH FOR TUE THRU WED FOR ZONE DCZ001.

HEAT ADVISORY FOR TDY FOR ZONE DCZ001.

MD...EXCESSIVE HEAT WATCH FOR TUE THRU WED FOR ZONES
MDZ002>007...MDZ009>011...MDZ013>014...MDZ016>018.

HEAT ADVISORY FOR TDY FOR ZONES MDZ002>007...MDZ009>011...
MDZ013>014...MDZ016>018.

VA...EXCESSIVE HEAT WATCH FOR TUE THRU WED FOR ZONES
VAZ021...VAZ025>031...VAZ036>042...VAZ050>057.

HEAT ADVISORY FOR TDY FOR ZONES VAZ021...VAZ025>031...
VAZ036>042...VAZ050>057.

WV...EXCESSIVE HEAT WATCH FOR TUE THRU WED FOR ZONES
WVZ048>055.

HEAT ADVISORY FOR TDY FOR ZONES WVZ048>055.

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

14 heat. Local standard time, as filed.

Heat, Allegany

When
August 6, 1:00 PM EST to August 10, 8:00 PM EST
Where
Allegany forecast zone
Reported by
AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

Heat, Washington

When
August 6, 1:00 PM EST to August 10, 8:00 PM EST
Where
Washington forecast zone
Reported by
AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates
39.604, -77.814 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heat, Frederick

When
August 6, 1:00 PM EST to August 10, 8:00 PM EST
Where
Frederick forecast zone
Reported by
AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates
39.472, -77.398 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heat, Carroll

When
August 6, 1:00 PM EST to August 10, 8:00 PM EST
Where
Carroll forecast zone
Reported by
AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates
39.563, -77.022 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heat, Northern Baltimore

When
August 6, 1:00 PM EST to August 10, 8:00 PM EST
Where
Northern Baltimore forecast zone
Reported by
AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates
39.443, -76.616 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heat, Southern Baltimore / Baltimore (C)

When
August 6, 1:00 PM EST to August 10, 8:00 PM EST
Where
Southern Baltimore / Baltimore (C) forecast zone
Deaths
3 direct, 0 indirect
Reported by
AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates
39.367, -76.614 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heat, Harford

When
August 6, 1:00 PM EST to August 10, 8:00 PM EST
Where
Harford forecast zone
Reported by
AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

Heat, Howard

When
August 6, 1:00 PM EST to August 10, 8:00 PM EST
Where
Howard forecast zone
Reported by
AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

Heat, Montgomery

When
August 6, 1:00 PM EST to August 10, 8:00 PM EST
Where
Montgomery forecast zone
Reported by
AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

Heat, Prince Georges

When
August 6, 1:00 PM EST to August 10, 8:00 PM EST
Where
Prince Georges forecast zone
Reported by
AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates
38.830, -76.847 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heat, Anne Arundel

When
August 6, 1:00 PM EST to August 10, 8:00 PM EST
Where
Anne Arundel forecast zone
Reported by
AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates
38.994, -76.568 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heat, Calvert

When
August 6, 1:00 PM EST to August 10, 8:00 PM EST
Where
Calvert forecast zone
Reported by
AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates
38.535, -76.531 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heat, Charles

When
August 6, 1:00 PM EST to August 10, 8:00 PM EST
Where
Charles forecast zone
Reported by
AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates
38.474, -77.013 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heat, St. Mary'S

When
August 6, 1:00 PM EST to August 10, 8:00 PM EST
Where
St. Mary'S forecast zone
Reported by
AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates
38.216, -76.529 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

The people who died

As the offices recorded each death: direct deaths were caused by the weather itself, indirect ones by something it set in motion.

EventDateAgeSexWhereKind
Heat, Southern Baltimore / Baltimore (C)2001-08-0950MalePermanent HomeDirect
Heat, Southern Baltimore / Baltimore (C)2001-08-0975FemalePermanent HomeDirect
Heat, Southern Baltimore / Baltimore (C)2001-08-0975MalePermanent HomeDirect

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 Maryland in 2001Every state in 2001This day in weather historyWarnings in Maryland, 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: 5263683, 5263684, 5263685, 5263686, 5263687, 5263688, 5263689, 5263690, 5263691, 5263692, 5263693, 5263694, 5263695, 5263696.