Heat in Illinois, August 10 to 12, 2002

Name: Heat in Illinois, August 10 to 12, 2002
Start: 2002-08-10T08:00
End: 2002-08-12T20:00
Location: Illinois

August 10 to 12, 2002 · NWS LOT · 1 event in 1 county or zone

High temperatures reached the upper 80s to lower 90s from August 10th through the 12th. Overnight low temperatures were in the upper 60s to near 70.

The toll

Deaths: 2
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 1

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 LOT wrote it up.

High temperatures reached the upper 80s to lower 90s from August 10th through the 12th. Overnight low temperatures were in the upper 60s to near 70. Two fatalities occurred in Chicago.

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 Chicago, IL wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Aug 10, 2:40 AM CST, 5 hours 20 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Aug 10, 2:40 AM CST, 5 hours 20 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHICAGO IL
340 AM CDT SAT AUG 10 2002

AFTER A STRING OF NICE DAYS, THE CONTROLLING SURFACE HIGH HAS MOVED
FAR ENOUGH EAST TO BEGIN A CHANGE TO THE SURFACE PATTERN. ALOFT A
SIG TROUGH WILL CONTINUE TO LIFT EAST NORTHEAST INTO WESTERN ONTARIO.

THE SURFACE FRONT ASSOCIATED WITH THE TROUGH MENTIONED ABOVE IS
WEAKENING THIS MORNING AND LIES FROM THE MINNESOTA ARROWHEAD TO
SOUTHWEST NEBRASKA. A NARROW BAND OF CLOUDS AND SOME PRECIP CAN BE
SEEN ALONG THE FRONT. THE STRENGTH OF THE FRONT AND ITS ROLE IN
PRODUCING PRECIP FOR THE FORECAST AREA ARE THE MAIN SHORT TERM
CONCERNS.

WITH CONTINUED EAST NORTHEAST MOVEMENT OF THE H5 TROUGH AND
WEAKENING OF THE SURFACE FRONT, IT APPEARS THAT PRECIP CHANCES HAVE
DIMINISHED TO BELOW THE MENTIONABLE THRESHOLD. FORCING INVOF THE
FRONT OVER THE FORECAST AREA IS ALMOST NON-EXISTENT AND QPF VALUES
HAVE BEEN SHUT OUT SINCE YESTERDAYS MODEL RUNS. WILL DROP MENTION
OF ANY PRECIP WITH THIS SYSTEM.

LOW LEVEL FLOW WILL REMAINS SOUTHWEST SUNDAY AS FRONT WASHES OUT.
THIS SHOULD HELP TEMPS CLIMB BACK TO NEAR 90 WITH INCREASING RH.
RELIEF FROM THIS WARMTH APPEARS TO BE ONLY A DAY AWAY AS NEXT H5
TROUGH MOVES ALONG US/CANADA BORDER MONDAY. THIS FEATURE LOOKS
STRONGER AND MUCH BETTER ORGANIZED AT LOW LEVELS. WITH MOISTURE IN
PLACE AND VERTICAL VELOCITIES LOOKING MUCH BETTER, THERE SHOULD BE
SOME PRECIP WITH THE ASSOCIATED FRONT LATE MONDAY AND INTO TUESDAY.

.CHI...NONE.

SOMREK

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Aug 10, 4:32 AM CST, 3 hours 28 minutes before

ILZ003>006-008-010>014-019>023-032>033-039-INZ001>002-010>011-019
-051-101700-

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHICAGO IL
1200 PM CDT/EST FRI AUG 9 2002

FOR NORTH CENTRAL AND NORTHEAST ILLINOIS AND NORTHWEST INDIANA.

NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED TODAY OR TONIGHT.

HIGH PRESSURE OVER THE GREAT LAKES WILL INSURE DRY AND PLEASANT
WEATHER TODAY. A WEAK COLD FRONT WILL APPROACH THE AREA TONIGHT BUT
IT APPEARS THAT IT WILL PASS WITHOUT PRODUCING ANY RAIN OR
THUNDERSTORMS.

Special weather statement, Aug 10, 7:17 AM CST, 43 minutes before

ILZ003>006-008-010>014-019>023-032>033-039-INZ001>002-010>011-019
-051-101700-

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...CORRECTION TO ISSUANCE TIME
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHICAGO IL
600 AM CDT/EST SAT AUG 10 2002

FOR NORTH CENTRAL AND NORTHEAST ILLINOIS AND NORTHWEST INDIANA.

NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED TODAY OR TONIGHT.

HIGH PRESSURE OVER THE GREAT LAKES WILL INSURE DRY AND PLEASANT
WEATHER TODAY. A WEAK COLD FRONT WILL APPROACH THE AREA TONIGHT BUT
IT APPEARS THAT IT WILL PASS WITHOUT PRODUCING ANY RAIN OR
THUNDERSTORMS.

RLS

Event by event

1 heat. Local standard time, as filed.

Heat, Cook

When: August 10, 8:00 AM CST to August 12, 8:00 PM CST
Where: Cook forecast zone
Deaths: 2 direct, 0 indirect
Reported by: GOVT OFFICIAL

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, Cook	2002-08-13	2	Male	Permanent Home	Direct
Heat, Cook	2002-08-13	73	Male	Permanent Home	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 Illinois in 2002 Every state in 2002 This day in weather history Warnings in Illinois, August 2002

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: 5311191.