Missouri, 2001

Heat in Missouri, August 1 to 9, 2001

August 1 to 9, 2001 · NWS SGF · 34 events in 34 counties and zones

The heat and humidity continued into the first week of August with heat indices between 100 and 110 degrees for 9 consecutive days. In addition to heat related illnesses, two heat related deaths occurred in the Ozarks.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 34 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
2
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
34

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 SGF wrote it up.

The heat and humidity continued into the first week of August with heat indices between 100 and 110 degrees for 9 consecutive days. In addition to heat related illnesses, two heat related deaths occurred in the Ozarks.

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 Springfield, MO wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Jul 31, 1:15 PM CST, 10 hours 45 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jul 31, 1:15 PM CST, 10 hours 45 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SPRINGFIELD MO
215 PM CDT TUE JUL 31 2001

FORECAST PROBLEMS: TEMPERATURES/HEAT INDICES AND PRECIPITATION
CHANCES BY THE END OF THE WEEK.

LATEST TEMPERATURES OVER THE OZARKS AND SOUTHEAST KANSAS WERE NEARLY
THE SAME 24 HRS AGO...HOWEVER DEW POINTS HAVE DROPPED A FEW
DEGREES...ESPECIALLY ALONG THE OZARK PLATEAU AND NEAR THE ARKANSAS
BORDER. THEREFORE AFTERNOON HEAT INDICES ARE RUNNING A FEW DEGREES
LOWER THAN YESTERDAY AT THIS TIME.

FWC TEMPERATURES ARE MORE IN LINE WITH CURRENT TRENDS AND WILL
LIKELY ADJUST TEMPERATURES THIS WAY THROUGH THURSDAY. AS FOR HEAT
ADVISORY AND THE POSSIBILITY OF AN EXCESSIVE HEAT WARNING FOR MAINLY
THE NORTHWEST ONE QUARTER OF THE CWA...I AM LEANING TOWARD LEAVING
THE HEAT ADVISORY UNTIL WEDNESDAY...BUT WILL HIGHLIGHT HEAT INDICES
OF 100 TO 105 ON THURSDAY. THE MAIN FACTOR FOR NOT EXTENDING THE
ADVISORY THRU THURSDAY WILL BE...

1. LOWER DEW POINTS AND MAIN POOLING OF HIGHER THETA-E AIR ALONG
FRONTAL BOUNDARY THAT IS EXPECTED TO BE IN NORTHERN MISSOURI BY
THURSDAY.

2. OZARK PLATEAU AFFECTS AND INDICATIONS OF SOMEWHAT DRIER AIR
ADVECTING IN FROM THE SOUTHEAST BY THURSDAY.

AS FOR AN ISOLATED THUNDERSTORM THIS AFTERNOON/EVENING...WILL WAIT
UNTIL ZONE TIME TO ADJUST ZONES IF NECESSARY. IT WAS MAINLY DUE TO
HIGHER THETA-E AIR AND LOWER 70H TEMPS NEAR THE ARKANSAS BORDER.

SAME SCENARIO IS FORECAST FOR WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON WITH HIGHER 70H
DEW POINTS AXIS ALONG THE KANSAS/MISSOURI BORDER...BUT WILL LEAVE
OUT THUNDERSTORMS CHANCES FOR NOW. AS FOR THURSDAY THRU
SATURDAY...MODELS CONTINUE THE TREND OF UPPER RIDGE RETROGRADING TO
WESTERN KANSAS BY FRIDAY...ALLOWING FOR MCS DEVELOPMENT OVER THE
CENTRAL PLAINS/MID-MISSISSIPPI VALLEY TO PROPAGATE SOUTHWARD INTO
NORTHERN AND CENTRAL MISSOURI BY LATE THURSDAY NIGHT...THEN INTO
FRIDAY WITH N/NE FLOW DEVELOPING. WILL KEEP ISOLATED CHANCES FOR
THURSDAY AFTERNOON/EVENING OVER CENTRAL MISSOURI...THEN CONTINUE THE
POPS FOR FRIDAY AND SATURDAY.  MODELS ARE STILL INDICATING LOWER
THICKNESS VALUES FOR THE WEEKEND AND EARLY NEXT WEEK...HOWEVER WILL
ONLY TREND DOWNWARD TO NEAR NORMAL FOR THIS TIME OF YEAR.

FOR COORDINATION ONLY.

FCSTID = 25

SGF   73  94  72  93 /  10  10  10  10
JLN   76  97  76  96 /  10  10  10  10
UNO   73  94  72  93 /  10  10  10  10
VIH   74  94  73  94 /  10  10  10  20

.SGF...
MO...HEAT ADVISORY FOR TUESDAY NIGHT AND WEDNESDAY FOR ZONES
MOZ055>058...MOZ066>071...MOZ077>083...MOZ088>098...MOZ101>106.

KS...HEAT ADVISORY FOR TUESDAY NIGHT AND WEDNESDAY FOR ZONES
KSZ073...KSZ097...KSZ101.

JLT

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

34 heat. Local standard time, as filed.

Heat, Barry

When
August 1, 12:00 AM CST to August 9, 4:00 PM CST
Where
Barry forecast zone
Reported by
OTHER FEDERAL AGENCY
Coordinates
36.710, -93.829 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heat, Barton

When
August 1, 12:00 AM CST to August 9, 4:00 PM CST
Where
Barton forecast zone
Reported by
OTHER FEDERAL AGENCY
Coordinates
37.502, -94.347 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heat, Benton

When
August 1, 12:00 AM CST to August 9, 4:00 PM CST
Where
Benton forecast zone
Reported by
OTHER FEDERAL AGENCY
Coordinates
38.295, -93.288 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heat, Camden

When
August 1, 12:00 AM CST to August 9, 4:00 PM CST
Where
Camden forecast zone
Reported by
OTHER FEDERAL AGENCY
Coordinates
38.027, -92.766 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heat, Cedar

When
August 1, 12:00 AM CST to August 9, 4:00 PM CST
Where
Cedar forecast zone
Reported by
OTHER FEDERAL AGENCY
Coordinates
37.724, -93.857 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heat, Christian

When
August 1, 12:00 AM CST to August 9, 4:00 PM CST
Where
Christian forecast zone
Deaths
1 direct, 0 indirect
Reported by
OTHER FEDERAL AGENCY
Coordinates
36.970, -93.189 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heat, Dade

When
August 1, 12:00 AM CST to August 9, 4:00 PM CST
Where
Dade forecast zone
Reported by
OTHER FEDERAL AGENCY
Coordinates
37.432, -93.850 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heat, Dallas

When
August 1, 12:00 AM CST to August 9, 4:00 PM CST
Where
Dallas forecast zone
Reported by
OTHER FEDERAL AGENCY
Coordinates
37.680, -93.024 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heat, Dent

When
August 1, 12:00 AM CST to August 9, 4:00 PM CST
Where
Dent forecast zone
Reported by
OTHER FEDERAL AGENCY
Coordinates
37.607, -91.508 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heat, Douglas

When
August 1, 12:00 AM CST to August 9, 4:00 PM CST
Where
Douglas forecast zone
Reported by
OTHER FEDERAL AGENCY
Coordinates
36.933, -92.499 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heat, Greene

When
August 1, 12:00 AM CST to August 9, 4:00 PM CST
Where
Greene forecast zone
Reported by
OTHER FEDERAL AGENCY
Coordinates
37.258, -93.342 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heat, Hickory

When
August 1, 12:00 AM CST to August 9, 4:00 PM CST
Where
Hickory forecast zone
Reported by
OTHER FEDERAL AGENCY
Coordinates
37.941, -93.321 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heat, Howell

When
August 1, 12:00 AM CST to August 9, 4:00 PM CST
Where
Howell forecast zone
Reported by
OTHER FEDERAL AGENCY
Coordinates
36.774, -91.886 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heat, Jasper

When
August 1, 12:00 AM CST to August 9, 4:00 PM CST
Where
Jasper forecast zone
Deaths
1 direct, 0 indirect
Reported by
OTHER FEDERAL AGENCY
Coordinates
37.204, -94.341 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heat, Laclede

When
August 1, 12:00 AM CST to August 9, 4:00 PM CST
Where
Laclede forecast zone
Reported by
OTHER FEDERAL AGENCY
Coordinates
37.658, -92.590 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heat, Lawrence

When
August 1, 12:00 AM CST to August 9, 4:00 PM CST
Where
Lawrence forecast zone
Reported by
OTHER FEDERAL AGENCY
Coordinates
37.106, -93.833 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heat, Maries

When
August 1, 12:00 AM CST to August 9, 4:00 PM CST
Where
Maries forecast zone
Reported by
OTHER FEDERAL AGENCY
Coordinates
38.162, -91.925 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heat, McDonald

When
August 1, 12:00 AM CST to August 9, 4:00 PM CST
Where
McDonald forecast zone
Reported by
OTHER FEDERAL AGENCY
Coordinates
36.629, -94.348 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heat, Miller

When
August 1, 12:00 AM CST to August 9, 4:00 PM CST
Where
Miller forecast zone
Reported by
OTHER FEDERAL AGENCY
Coordinates
38.215, -92.428 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heat, Morgan

When
August 1, 12:00 AM CST to August 9, 4:00 PM CST
Where
Morgan forecast zone
Reported by
OTHER FEDERAL AGENCY
Coordinates
38.424, -92.886 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heat, Newton

When
August 1, 12:00 AM CST to August 9, 4:00 PM CST
Where
Newton forecast zone
Reported by
OTHER FEDERAL AGENCY
Coordinates
36.906, -94.339 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heat, Oregon

When
August 1, 12:00 AM CST to August 9, 4:00 PM CST
Where
Oregon forecast zone
Reported by
OTHER FEDERAL AGENCY
Coordinates
36.687, -91.403 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heat, Ozark

When
August 1, 12:00 AM CST to August 9, 4:00 PM CST
Where
Ozark forecast zone
Reported by
OTHER FEDERAL AGENCY
Coordinates
36.649, -92.445 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heat, Phelps

When
August 1, 12:00 AM CST to August 9, 4:00 PM CST
Where
Phelps forecast zone
Reported by
OTHER FEDERAL AGENCY
Coordinates
37.877, -91.792 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heat, Polk

When
August 1, 12:00 AM CST to August 9, 4:00 PM CST
Where
Polk forecast zone
Reported by
OTHER FEDERAL AGENCY
Coordinates
37.617, -93.400 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heat, Pulaski

When
August 1, 12:00 AM CST to August 9, 4:00 PM CST
Where
Pulaski forecast zone
Reported by
OTHER FEDERAL AGENCY
Coordinates
37.825, -92.208 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heat, Shannon

When
August 1, 12:00 AM CST to August 9, 4:00 PM CST
Where
Shannon forecast zone
Reported by
OTHER FEDERAL AGENCY
Coordinates
37.157, -91.400 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heat, St. Clair

When
August 1, 12:00 AM CST to August 9, 4:00 PM CST
Where
St. Clair forecast zone
Reported by
OTHER FEDERAL AGENCY
Coordinates
38.037, -93.776 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heat, Stone

When
August 1, 12:00 AM CST to August 9, 4:00 PM CST
Where
Stone forecast zone
Reported by
OTHER FEDERAL AGENCY
Coordinates
36.747, -93.456 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heat, Taney

When
August 1, 12:00 AM CST to August 9, 4:00 PM CST
Where
Taney forecast zone
Reported by
OTHER FEDERAL AGENCY
Coordinates
36.655, -93.041 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heat, Texas

When
August 1, 12:00 AM CST to August 9, 4:00 PM CST
Where
Texas forecast zone
Reported by
OTHER FEDERAL AGENCY
Coordinates
37.317, -91.965 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heat, Vernon

When
August 1, 12:00 AM CST to August 9, 4:00 PM CST
Where
Vernon forecast zone
Reported by
OTHER FEDERAL AGENCY
Coordinates
37.851, -94.342 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heat, Webster

When
August 1, 12:00 AM CST to August 9, 4:00 PM CST
Where
Webster forecast zone
Reported by
OTHER FEDERAL AGENCY
Coordinates
37.281, -92.876 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heat, Wright

When
August 1, 12:00 AM CST to August 9, 4:00 PM CST
Where
Wright forecast zone
Reported by
OTHER FEDERAL AGENCY
Coordinates
37.270, -92.469 (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, Christian2001-08-0577FemalePermanent HomeDirect
Heat, Jasper2001-08-053MaleVehicle/Towed TrailerDirect

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 Missouri in 2001Every state in 2001This day in weather historyWarnings in Missouri, 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: 5266629, 5266630, 5266631, 5266632, 5266633, 5266634, 5266635, 5266636, 5266637, 5266638, 5266639, 5266640, 5266641, 5266642, 5266643, 5266644, 5266645, 5266646, 5266647, 5266648, 5266649, 5266650, 5266651, 5266652, 5266653, 5266654, 5266655, 5266656, 5266657, 5266658, 5266740, 5266741, 5266742, 5266743.