Heat in Missouri, July 21 to 24, 2001

Name: Heat in Missouri, July 21 to 24, 2001
Start: 2001-07-21T11:00
End: 2001-07-24T21:00
Location: Missouri

July 21 to 24, 2001 · NWS LSX · 28 events in 28 counties and zones

The second mini Heat Wave of the month hit from July 21 through July 24. Temperatures rose to the middle to upper 90s with St.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 28 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: 71
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 28

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 LSX wrote it up.

The second mini Heat Wave of the month hit from July 21 through July 24. Temperatures rose to the middle to upper 90s with St. Louis hitting 99 degrees, the hottest of the summer thus far. The maximum Heat Index ranged from 105 to 115 degrees. There were at least 3 known deaths from the heat. In one case, a 19-month -old girl died when left in an automobile.

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 St. Louis, MO wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Jul 21, 2:45 AM CST, 8 hours 15 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jul 21, 2:45 AM CST, 8 hours 15 minutes before

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The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

28 heat. Local standard time, as filed.

Heat, Washington

When: July 21, 11:00 AM CST to July 24, 9:00 PM CST
Where: Washington forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 37.962, -90.877 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heat, Shelby

When: July 21, 11:00 AM CST to July 24, 9:00 PM CST
Where: Shelby forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 39.798, -92.077 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heat, St. Louis (C)

When: July 21, 11:00 AM CST to July 24, 9:00 PM CST
Where: St. Louis (C) forecast zone
Deaths: 1 direct, 0 indirect
Injuries: 38 direct, 0 indirect
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 38.627, -90.198 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heat, St. Louis

When: July 21, 11:00 AM CST to July 24, 9:00 PM CST
Where: St. Louis forecast zone
Deaths: 1 direct, 0 indirect
Injuries: 33 direct, 0 indirect
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 38.641, -90.443 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heat, St. Francois

When: July 21, 11:00 AM CST to July 24, 9:00 PM CST
Where: St. Francois forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 37.810, -90.472 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heat, Ste. Genevieve

When: July 21, 11:00 AM CST to July 24, 9:00 PM CST
Where: Ste. Genevieve forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 37.894, -90.194 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heat, St. Charles

When: July 21, 11:00 AM CST to July 24, 9:00 PM CST
Where: St. Charles forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 38.782, -90.675 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heat, Reynolds

When: July 21, 11:00 AM CST to July 24, 9:00 PM CST
Where: Reynolds forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 37.362, -90.969 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heat, Ralls

When: July 21, 11:00 AM CST to July 24, 9:00 PM CST
Where: Ralls forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 39.528, -91.522 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heat, Pike

When: July 21, 11:00 AM CST to July 24, 9:00 PM CST
Where: Pike forecast zone
Deaths: 1 direct, 0 indirect
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 39.344, -91.171 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heat, Osage

When: July 21, 11:00 AM CST to July 24, 9:00 PM CST
Where: Osage forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 38.460, -91.862 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heat, Montgomery

When: July 21, 11:00 AM CST to July 24, 9:00 PM CST
Where: Montgomery forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 38.942, -91.470 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heat, Monroe

When: July 21, 11:00 AM CST to July 24, 9:00 PM CST
Where: Monroe forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 39.496, -92.001 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heat, Moniteau

When: July 21, 11:00 AM CST to July 24, 9:00 PM CST
Where: Moniteau forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 38.633, -92.583 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heat, Marion

When: July 21, 11:00 AM CST to July 24, 9:00 PM CST
Where: Marion forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 39.806, -91.622 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heat, Madison

When: July 21, 11:00 AM CST to July 24, 9:00 PM CST
Where: Madison forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 37.478, -90.345 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heat, Lincoln

When: July 21, 11:00 AM CST to July 24, 9:00 PM CST
Where: Lincoln forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 39.058, -90.960 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heat, Lewis

When: July 21, 11:00 AM CST to July 24, 9:00 PM CST
Where: Lewis forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 40.097, -91.722 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heat, Knox

When: July 21, 11:00 AM CST to July 24, 9:00 PM CST
Where: Knox forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 40.128, -92.148 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heat, Jefferson

When: July 21, 11:00 AM CST to July 24, 9:00 PM CST
Where: Jefferson forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 38.261, -90.538 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heat, Iron

When: July 21, 11:00 AM CST to July 24, 9:00 PM CST
Where: Iron forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 37.504, -90.690 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heat, Gasconade

When: July 21, 11:00 AM CST to July 24, 9:00 PM CST
Where: Gasconade forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 38.441, -91.508 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heat, Franklin

When: July 21, 11:00 AM CST to July 24, 9:00 PM CST
Where: Franklin forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 38.411, -91.075 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heat, Crawford

When: July 21, 11:00 AM CST to July 24, 9:00 PM CST
Where: Crawford forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 37.976, -91.304 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heat, Cole

When: July 21, 11:00 AM CST to July 24, 9:00 PM CST
Where: Cole forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 38.505, -92.282 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heat, Callaway

When: July 21, 11:00 AM CST to July 24, 9:00 PM CST
Where: Callaway forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 38.836, -91.926 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heat, Boone

When: July 21, 11:00 AM CST to July 24, 9:00 PM CST
Where: Boone forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 38.991, -92.310 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heat, Audrain

When: July 21, 11:00 AM CST to July 24, 9:00 PM CST
Where: Audrain forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 39.216, -91.842 (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, St. Louis (C)	2001-07-23	79	Male	Permanent Home	Direct
Heat, St. Louis	2001-07-23	79	Male	Permanent Home	Direct
Heat, Pike	2001-07-23	1	Female	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 Missouri in 2001 Every state in 2001 This day in weather history Warnings in Missouri, July 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 2026-09-30. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5258778, 5258779, 5258780, 5258781, 5258782, 5258783, 5258784, 5258785, 5258786, 5258787, 5258788, 5258789, 5258790, 5258791, 5258792, 5258793, 5258794, 5258795, 5258796, 5258797, 5258798, 5258799, 5258800, 5258801, 5258802, 5258803, 5258804, 5258805.