Drought in Illinois, September 1 to 30, 2002

Name: Drought in Illinois, September 1 to 30, 2002
Start: 2002-09-01T00:01
End: 2002-09-30T18:00
Location: Illinois

September 1 to 30, 2002 · NWS PAH · 19 events in 19 counties and zones

A prolonged summer drought gradually worsened, becoming severe by early September. Many parts of southern Illinois received little or no measurable rainfall in July.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 19 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: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: $53 million
Events: 19

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 PAH wrote it up.

A prolonged summer drought gradually worsened, becoming severe by early September. Many parts of southern Illinois received little or no measurable rainfall in July. At Paducah, Kentucky, the three-month period from June through August of 2002 was the second driest such period on record. The main effect of the drought was on agriculture. Crop loss estimates totalled around 53 million dollars in southern Illinois. The corn crop, which was especially susceptible to the combined effects of heat and drought, took the biggest hit. About 33 million dollars in corn was lost in southern Illinois. Another 20 million dollars was lost in soybean production. Some trees and shrubs died in the drought, especially newly planted ones with shallow root systems. A few outdoor fires broke out, including a 20-acre blaze in Saline County, several miles west of Eldorado. The remnants of Tropical Storm Isidore provided much-needed heavy rainfall late in September. One to three inches of rain fell over most of southern Illinois, which greatly eased the drought.

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 Paducah, KY wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Aug 31, 1:00 PM CST, 11 hours 1 minute earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Aug 31, 1:00 PM CST, 11 hours 1 minute before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PADUCAH KY
200 PM CDT SAT AUG 31 2002

88D AND IR SHOWS SOME CONVECTION...AS EXPECTED...FIRED UP IN FAR
SERN PTNS FA IN DAYTIME HEAT. WL UTILIZE PERSISTENCE STRATEGY AND
CONTINUE A SMALL CHC FOR THE FAR SE INTO THE EARLY EVENING HOURS. WL
WAIT CLOSE TO PRESS TIME FOR FINAL CALL ON AREAL EXTENT.

THE NEW MODEL RUNS ARE NOT TOO DISSIMILAR. THEY STILL SHOW A GRADUAL
EVOLUTION OF THE UPPER PATTERN OVER DAYS 3-5 AS AN UPPER LEVEL RIDGE
STRENGTHENS OVER THE MID SECTION OF THE COUNTRY. AS A RESULT...WE WL
INTRODUCE A CHC OF PCPN ON TUE...WHEN THE INCREASE IN MOISTURE IS
SUFFICIENT TO WARRANT AT LEAST A DIURNAL POP IN THE DESTABILIZED
ATMOS. THIS POP MAY BE AIDED BY THE PASSAGE OF A SURFACE REFLECTED
FRONT AS HIGH PRESSURE BUILDS INTO THE GREAT LAKES...SO WELL
CONTINUE IT INTO TUE NIGHT.

WED SHOULD BE DRY AND UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF THE GREAT LAKES HIGH.
THEN THE MEAN ATMOS MOISTURE REBOUNDS ON SLYS BY THU-FRI...SO WELL
RE-INTRODUCE AT LEAST A DIURNAL CHC PCPN....WITH ANOTHER SUBTLE WAVE
PASSAGE SAT RETURNING DRY WX/TAD COOLER TEMPS.

WL CONTINUE THE GOING TREND OF AOA GUIDANCE ON HIGHS AND NR GUIDANCE
ON LOWS.

.PAH...NONE.
DH

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

19 drought. Local standard time, as filed.

Drought, Alexander

When: September 1, 12:01 AM CST to September 30, 6:00 PM CST
Where: Alexander forecast zone
Reported by: NEWSPAPER
Coordinates: 37.192, -89.338 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Edwards

When: September 1, 12:01 AM CST to September 30, 6:00 PM CST
Where: Edwards forecast zone
Crop damage: $53 million
Reported by: NEWSPAPER
Coordinates: 38.417, -88.053 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Franklin

When: September 1, 12:01 AM CST to September 30, 6:00 PM CST
Where: Franklin forecast zone
Reported by: NEWSPAPER
Coordinates: 37.992, -88.924 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Gallatin

When: September 1, 12:01 AM CST to September 30, 6:00 PM CST
Where: Gallatin forecast zone
Reported by: NEWSPAPER
Coordinates: 37.763, -88.230 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Hamilton

When: September 1, 12:01 AM CST to September 30, 6:00 PM CST
Where: Hamilton forecast zone
Reported by: NEWSPAPER
Coordinates: 38.082, -88.539 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Hardin

When: September 1, 12:01 AM CST to September 30, 6:00 PM CST
Where: Hardin forecast zone
Reported by: NEWSPAPER
Coordinates: 37.518, -88.267 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Jackson

When: September 1, 12:01 AM CST to September 30, 6:00 PM CST
Where: Jackson forecast zone
Reported by: NEWSPAPER
Coordinates: 37.785, -89.382 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Jefferson

When: September 1, 12:01 AM CST to September 30, 6:00 PM CST
Where: Jefferson forecast zone
Reported by: NEWSPAPER
Coordinates: 38.301, -88.924 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Johnson

When: September 1, 12:01 AM CST to September 30, 6:00 PM CST
Where: Johnson forecast zone
Reported by: NEWSPAPER
Coordinates: 37.460, -88.881 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Massac

When: September 1, 12:01 AM CST to September 30, 6:00 PM CST
Where: Massac forecast zone
Reported by: NEWSPAPER
Coordinates: 37.219, -88.708 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Perry

When: September 1, 12:01 AM CST to September 30, 6:00 PM CST
Where: Perry forecast zone
Reported by: NEWSPAPER
Coordinates: 38.084, -89.367 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Pope

When: September 1, 12:01 AM CST to September 30, 6:00 PM CST
Where: Pope forecast zone
Reported by: NEWSPAPER
Coordinates: 37.413, -88.562 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Pulaski

When: September 1, 12:01 AM CST to September 30, 6:00 PM CST
Where: Pulaski forecast zone
Reported by: NEWSPAPER
Coordinates: 37.223, -89.127 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Saline

When: September 1, 12:01 AM CST to September 30, 6:00 PM CST
Where: Saline forecast zone
Reported by: NEWSPAPER
Coordinates: 37.753, -88.541 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Union

When: September 1, 12:01 AM CST to September 30, 6:00 PM CST
Where: Union forecast zone
Reported by: NEWSPAPER
Coordinates: 37.471, -89.255 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Wabash

When: September 1, 12:01 AM CST to September 30, 6:00 PM CST
Where: Wabash forecast zone
Reported by: NEWSPAPER
Coordinates: 38.446, -87.844 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Wayne

When: September 1, 12:01 AM CST to September 30, 6:00 PM CST
Where: Wayne forecast zone
Reported by: NEWSPAPER
Coordinates: 38.430, -88.426 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, White

When: September 1, 12:01 AM CST to September 30, 6:00 PM CST
Where: White forecast zone
Reported by: NEWSPAPER
Coordinates: 38.088, -88.180 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Williamson

When: September 1, 12:01 AM CST to September 30, 6:00 PM CST
Where: Williamson forecast zone
Reported by: NEWSPAPER
Coordinates: 37.730, -88.930 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

Drought: A drought reaching severe (D2) or worse on the US Drought Monitor, or with notable 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, September 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: 5316437, 5316526, 5316527, 5316528, 5316529, 5316530, 5316531, 5316532, 5316533, 5316534, 5316535, 5316536, 5316537, 5316538, 5316539, 5316540, 5316541, 5316542, 5316543.