Drought in Indiana, September 1 to 30, 2002

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

September 1 to 30, 2002 · NWS PAH · 6 events in 6 counties and zones

A prolonged summer drought gradually worsened, becoming severe by early September. Many parts of southwest Indiana received little or no measurable rainfall during August.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 6 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: $70 million
Events: 6

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 southwest Indiana received little or no measurable rainfall during August. At Boonville, only 0.08 inch was measured in August. Evansville reported an August total of 0.63 inch. Rainfall was highly variable during the summer, and Evansville reported more rain than many other sites. The main effect of the drought was on agriculture. Crop loss estimates totalled around 70 million dollars. The corn crop, which was especially susceptible to the combined effects of heat and drought, took the biggest hit. About 50 million dollars in corn was lost in southwest Indiana. 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. However, the effects of this drought on trees, shrubs, and wildfire danger was considerably less than the drought of 1999. The remnants of Tropical Storm Isidore provided very heavy rainfall late in September. One to three inches of rain fell over most of southwest Indiana, 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 earlier.

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

6 drought. Local standard time, as filed.

Drought, Gibson

When: September 1, 12:00 AM CST to September 30, 6:00 PM CST
Where: Gibson forecast zone
Crop damage: $70 million
Reported by: NEWSPAPER
Coordinates: 38.312, -87.585 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Pike

When: September 1, 12:00 AM CST to September 30, 6:00 PM CST
Where: Pike forecast zone
Reported by: NEWSPAPER
Coordinates: 38.399, -87.232 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Posey

When: September 1, 12:00 AM CST to September 30, 6:00 PM CST
Where: Posey forecast zone
Reported by: NEWSPAPER
Coordinates: 38.022, -87.868 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Spencer

When: September 1, 12:00 AM CST to September 30, 6:00 PM CST
Where: Spencer forecast zone
Reported by: NEWSPAPER
Coordinates: 38.014, -87.008 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Vanderburgh

When: September 1, 12:00 AM CST to September 30, 6:00 PM CST
Where: Vanderburgh forecast zone
Reported by: NEWSPAPER
Coordinates: 38.025, -87.586 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Warrick

When: September 1, 12:00 AM CST to September 30, 6:00 PM CST
Where: Warrick forecast zone
Reported by: NEWSPAPER
Coordinates: 38.092, -87.272 (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 Indiana in 2002 Every state in 2002 This day in weather history Warnings in Indiana, 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: 5316544, 5316545, 5316546, 5316547, 5316548, 5316549.