Heat in Michigan, August 6 to 9, 2001

Name: Heat in Michigan, August 6 to 9, 2001
Start: 2001-08-06T12:00
End: 2001-08-09T23:00
Location: Michigan

August 6 to 9, 2001 · NWS DTX · 17 events in 17 counties and zones

A large high pressure ridge settled across the Great Lakes region during the first week of August. With this ridge in place, high temperatures soared well into the 90s across southeast Michigan.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 17 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: 1
Injuries: 200
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 17

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 DTX wrote it up.

A large high pressure ridge settled across the Great Lakes region during the first week of August. With this ridge in place, high temperatures soared well into the 90s across southeast Michigan. During this period, Flint broke 3 record highs, including a high of 98 on the 8th. Detroit also broke a record on the 8th when a high of 99 degrees was reached. In addition to the heat, humidity levels rose significantly during the time period. The high heat and humidity allowed daytime heat indices to exceed 100 degrees four days in a row. In fact, heat advisories were in effect for all of southeast Michigan for the afternoons and evenings of the 7th, 8th, and 9th. During this time period, heat indices ranged from 105 to 110 degrees.The heat caused several people to seek emergency care for heat stroke and heat exhaustion. One fatality also occurred due to the heat when an Oak Park man was found suffering from severe heat exhaustion while locked in his car. Several hours later, he was pronounced dead at an area hospital. The hot weather only aggravated the dry conditions already in place across southeast Lower Michigan (see July for more details). This led to tremendous worries among area farmers that they may loose entire crops. Thousands of power outages also occurred throughout the region as demand surpassed supply. Several factory workers across the area were sent home from work to escape the extreme heat. Many of those who were not, however, threatened to walk off the job as a result of not having air conditioning in their factories.

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 Detroit, MI wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Aug 6, 2:30 AM EST, 9 hours 30 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Aug 6, 2:30 AM EST, 9 hours 30 minutes before

SOUTHEAST MICHIGAN AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DETROIT/PONTIAC MI
330 AM EDT MON AUG 6 2001

MODELS IN REASONABLY GOOD AGREEMENT. QUESTION OF THE DAY IS CHANCES
FOR RAINFALL ALONG AND AHEAD OF WEAKENING COLD FRONT WHICH WILL BE
WORKING ITS WAY SOUTH ACROSS SOUTHEAST MI TONIGHT AND TUESDAY.
MODELS PORTRAY DIFFUSE 500 MB VORTICITY LOBE DROPPING SOUTH ACROSS
THE AREA LATE TONIGHT AND TUESDAY MORNING...PUTTING A SLIGHT DENT IN
THE MID LEVEL RIDGING OVERHEAD...BUT RIDGING ESTABLISHING ITSELF
AGAIN TUESDAY NIGHT. AT THE SURFACE...HIGH PRESSURE SUPPRESSED SOUTH
TODAY...THEN THE WEAKENING COLD FRONT LATE TONIGHT AND TUESDAY
SETTLING THROUGH THE AREA.

AVAILABLE MOISTURE RATHER MODEST NEXT COUPLE OF DAYS. 700 MB
MOISTURE SEEN BONE DRY GIVING WAY TO SOME INCREASE NORTH THIS
AFTERNOON AND FAIR OVER ALL OF SOUTHEAST MI TONIGHT AND OVER THE
SOUTH TUESDAY MORNING...BEFORE MARKED DRYING TUESDAY AFTERNOON. 850
TO 925 MB MOISTURE PRETTY GOOD TONIGHT AND IN THE SOUTH TUESDAY.

OMEGA LIFT SLIGHT IN 850 TO 700 MB LAYER TONIGHT AND ESPECIALLY IN
SOUTH TUESDAY. 850 MB THERMAL RIDGE STRENGTHENS TO AROUND 22C OVER
FORECAST AREA TODAY...BUT BACKS OFF TUESDAY...AND LOW LEVEL WIND
SPEEDS MODEST AT BEST. 850 TO 500 MB QVECTOR CONVERGENCE WEAK IN
NORTH BY EVENING AND OVER ENTIRE AREA TONIGHT AND IN SOUTH THROUGH
TUESDAY MORNING. FRONTOGENETICAL FORCING ABOUT NIL...AS IS 250 MB
DIVERGENCE/850 CONVERGENCE COUPLING. SURFACE CONVERGENCE ATTENDING
COLD FRONT MODEST AT BEST AND SHOWING WEAKENING TREND TONIGHT INTO
TUESDAY. K INDICES DO...HOWEVER...INCREASE INTO THE 30S TONIGHT AND
LINGER THERE TUESDAY IN THE SOUTH.

WITH SOME LOW LEVEL MOISTURE TO WORK WITH TONIGHT AND TUESDAY...
THERMODYNAMICS MAY PLAY A KEY ROLE. SURFACE BASED LIFTED INDICES
BECOME MODERATELY UNSTABLE NORTH BY THIS EVENING...WITH 1000 TO 2000
JOULES OF CAPE...MODEST INSTABILITY ACROSS MOST OF AREA TONIGHT WITH
SIMILAR CAPES. A GOOD DEGREE OF CONVECTIVE INHIBITION SEEN THROUGH
TONIGHT...THOUGH...AND IT IS BY NO MEANS CERTAIN IF THIS CAN BE
OVERCOME. BELIEVE 30 PERCENT POPS TONIGHT IS STILL IN ORDER. THEN ON
TUESDAY...WITH FRONT STILL IN THE AREA...SOUTHERN AREAS EXPECTING
2000 JOULES OR MORE OF CAPE AND INHIBITION ERODING....BELIEVE CHANCE
POPS JUSTIFIED MOST OF DAY IN THE SOUTH. ALSO...850 MB LIFTED
INDICES...FROM ETA IN PARTICULAR...SHOWING QUITE UNSTABLE TONIGHT
ACROSS FORECAST AREA AND CONTINUING SOUTH TUESDAY.

.DTX...NONE.

DWD

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Aug 6, 10:37 AM EST, 1 hour 23 minutes before

MIZ047>049-053>055-060>063-068>070-075-076-082-083-071200-

SEVERE WEATHER OUTLOOK FOR SOUTHEAST LOWER MICHIGAN
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DETROIT/PONTIAC MI
1137 AM EDT MON AUG 6 2001

...SEVERE WEATHER POTENTIAL STATEMENT FOR SOUTHEAST MICHIGAN...

DISPATCHERS...PLEASE NOTIFY YOUR EMERGENCY MANAGERS IMMEDIATELY.

SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE LATE THIS EVENING AND OVERNIGHT
TONIGHT. THESE STORMS ARE NOT EXPECTED TO BE SEVERE AND SPOTTER
ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED.

A COLD FRONT WILL MOVE SOUTH ACROSS LOWER MICHIGAN THIS EVENING AND
OVERNIGHT TONIGHT. SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS MAY DEVELOP AHEAD OF THIS
FRONTAL BOUNDARY AFTER 9 PM NORTH OF INTERSTATE 69 AND AFTER 1 AM
SOUTH. ANY STORM THAT DEVELOPS WILL MOVE SOUTHEAST AT 20 MPH. SOME
OF THE STRONGER STORMS WILL HAVE THE POTENTIAL FOR PRODUCING 1/4
INCH HAIL...WIND GUSTS TO 35 MPH AND TORRENTIAL DOWNPOURS.

STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO...OR TO YOUR FAVORITE MEDIA
OUTLET...FOR LATER WEATHER UPDATES. YOU CAN ALSO REACH YOUR NATIONAL
WEATHER SERVICE ONLINE AT HTTP://WWW.CRH.NOAA.GOV/DTX/START.HTM (ALL
LOWER CASE).

CONSIDINE

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

17 heat. Local standard time, as filed.

Heat, Bay

When: August 6, 12:00 PM EST to August 9, 11:00 PM EST
Where: Bay forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 43.721, -83.942 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heat, Genesee

When: August 6, 12:00 PM EST to August 9, 11:00 PM EST
Where: Genesee forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 43.022, -83.707 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heat, Huron

When: August 6, 12:00 PM EST to August 9, 11:00 PM EST
Where: Huron forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 43.910, -82.855 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heat, Lapeer

When: August 6, 12:00 PM EST to August 9, 11:00 PM EST
Where: Lapeer forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 43.090, -83.222 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heat, Lenawee

When: August 6, 12:00 PM EST to August 9, 11:00 PM EST
Where: Lenawee forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 41.895, -84.066 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heat, Livingston

When: August 6, 12:00 PM EST to August 9, 11:00 PM EST
Where: Livingston forecast zone
Injuries: 1 direct, 0 indirect
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 42.603, -83.911 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heat, Macomb

When: August 6, 12:00 PM EST to August 9, 11:00 PM EST
Where: Macomb forecast zone
Injuries: 2 direct, 0 indirect
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 42.673, -82.910 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heat, Midland

When: August 6, 12:00 PM EST to August 9, 11:00 PM EST
Where: Midland forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 43.647, -84.388 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heat, Monroe

When: August 6, 12:00 PM EST to August 9, 11:00 PM EST
Where: Monroe forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 41.921, -83.494 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heat, Oakland

When: August 6, 12:00 PM EST to August 9, 11:00 PM EST
Where: Oakland forecast zone
Deaths: 1 direct, 0 indirect
Injuries: 80 direct, 0 indirect
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 42.660, -83.386 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heat, Saginaw

When: August 6, 12:00 PM EST to August 9, 11:00 PM EST
Where: Saginaw forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 43.335, -84.053 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heat, Sanilac

When: August 6, 12:00 PM EST to August 9, 11:00 PM EST
Where: Sanilac forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 43.443, -82.646 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heat, Shiawassee

When: August 6, 12:00 PM EST to August 9, 11:00 PM EST
Where: Shiawassee forecast zone
Injuries: 3 direct, 0 indirect
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 42.954, -84.147 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heat, St. Clair

When: August 6, 12:00 PM EST to August 9, 11:00 PM EST
Where: St. Clair forecast zone
Injuries: 5 direct, 0 indirect
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 42.931, -82.664 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heat, Tuscola

When: August 6, 12:00 PM EST to August 9, 11:00 PM EST
Where: Tuscola forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 43.491, -83.440 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heat, Washtenaw

When: August 6, 12:00 PM EST to August 9, 11:00 PM EST
Where: Washtenaw forecast zone
Injuries: 2 direct, 0 indirect
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 42.253, -83.839 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heat, Wayne

When: August 6, 12:00 PM EST to August 9, 11:00 PM EST
Where: Wayne forecast zone
Injuries: 107 direct, 0 indirect
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 42.285, -83.261 (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.

Event	Date	Age	Sex	Where	Kind
Heat, Oakland	2001-08-07	50	Male	Vehicle/Towed Trailer	Direct

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

Every storm in Michigan in 2001 Every state in 2001 This day in weather history Warnings in Michigan, 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: 5263708, 5263709, 5263710, 5263711, 5263712, 5263713, 5263714, 5263715, 5263716, 5263717, 5263718, 5263719, 5263720, 5263721, 5263722, 5263723, 5263724.