Heat in Wisconsin, August 4 to 8, 2001

Name: Heat in Wisconsin, August 4 to 8, 2001
Start: 2001-08-04T12:00
End: 2001-08-08T18:00
Location: Wisconsin

August 4 to 8, 2001 · NWS MPX · 9 events in 9 counties and zones

An extensive heat wave persisted for five days. Hot weather and tropical-like humidity pervaded the region, as virtually all stations registered highs in the 90s all five days.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 9 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

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The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 9

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 MPX wrote it up.

An extensive heat wave persisted for five days. Hot weather and tropical-like humidity pervaded the region, as virtually all stations registered highs in the 90s all five days. Most locales noted highs in the middle 90s. The two places that came closest to triple digits were St. Croix Falls (Polk County), which saw 99 degrees on August 5, and Hager City (Pierce County), which registered 98, also on August 5. A record low minimum was established at Eau Claire on August 6, when the low was only 78. Meanwhile, dewpoints were in the 70s regionwide, and occasionally the low 80s.A few noteworthy heat indexes, including the highest known value for each day, are:August 4 - 103 at Rice Lake (Barron County) and 102 at Osceola (Polk County).August 5 - 110 at Osceola (Polk County), 108 at Rice Lake (Barron County) and Eau Claire (Eau Claire County).August 6 - 114 at Osceola (Polk County), 113 at Rice Lake (Barron County), 112 at Hager City (Pierce County), and 111 at Augusta (Eau Claire County).August 7 - 108 at Osceola (Polk County), 105 at Hager City (Pierce County), and 103 at Augusta (Eau Claire County).August 8 - 102 at Osceola (Polk County), 98 at Rice Lake (Barron County), and 96 at Augusta (Eau Claire County).

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 Twin Cities, MN wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Aug 4, 10:15 AM CST, 1 hour 45 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Aug 4, 10:15 AM CST, 1 hour 45 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TWIN CITIES/CHANHASSEN MN
1115 AM CDT SAT AUG 4 2001

HEAT ADVISORY CONTINUES TO LOOK GOOD IN WRN ZONES WITH DEWPOINTS IN
THE MID 70S AND TEMPERATURES IN THE MID 90S.  THE REST OF THE AREA
MORE MARGINAL ALTHOUGH CONTINUED HOT AND HUMID.  THE LATEST RUC
MODEL INDICATED SOME CONVECTIVE POTENTIAL IS SWRN MN WITH A WARM
FRONT/DRY LINE PUSHING IN FROM THE PLAINS.  THIS MAY BE OVERDONE
WITH OUT MUCH UPPER SUPPORT...BUT AN ISOLATED STORM MAY BE POSSIBLE.
FOR NOW THE FORECAST WILL LEAVE OUT A MENTION OF STORMS.

.MSP...HEAT ADVISORY THIS AFTERNOON WEST OF AN ALEXANDRIA-WILLMAR-
FAIRMONT LINE.
 SCOTT

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

9 heat. Local standard time, as filed.

Heat, Barron

When: August 4, 12:00 PM CST to August 8, 6:00 PM CST
Where: Barron forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 45.424, -91.848 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heat, Chippewa

When: August 4, 12:00 PM CST to August 8, 6:00 PM CST
Where: Chippewa forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 45.069, -91.280 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heat, Dunn

When: August 4, 12:00 PM CST to August 8, 6:00 PM CST
Where: Dunn forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 44.947, -91.896 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heat, Eau Claire

When: August 4, 12:00 PM CST to August 8, 6:00 PM CST
Where: Eau Claire forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 44.727, -91.286 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heat, Pepin

When: August 4, 12:00 PM CST to August 8, 6:00 PM CST
Where: Pepin forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 44.483, -92.150 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heat, Pierce

When: August 4, 12:00 PM CST to August 8, 6:00 PM CST
Where: Pierce forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 44.720, -92.422 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heat, Polk

When: August 4, 12:00 PM CST to August 8, 6:00 PM CST
Where: Polk forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 45.461, -92.441 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heat, Rusk

When: August 4, 12:00 PM CST to August 8, 6:00 PM CST
Where: Rusk forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 45.475, -91.133 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heat, St. Croix

When: August 4, 12:00 PM CST to August 8, 6:00 PM CST
Where: St. Croix forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 45.034, -92.453 (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

Every storm in Wisconsin in 2001 Every state in 2001 This day in weather history Warnings in Wisconsin, 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: 5267399, 5267400, 5267401, 5267402, 5267403, 5267404, 5267405, 5267406, 5267407.