Heat and Drought in Kansas, July 1 to 31, 2002

Name: Heat and Drought in Kansas, July 1 to 31, 2002
Start: 2002-07-01T00:01
End: 2002-07-31T23:59
Location: Kansas

July 1 to 31, 2002 · NWS TOP · 24 events in 23 counties and zones

July 2002 was one of the hotter and drier months on record for northeast Kansas. Monthly temperatures averaged well above normal over the whole area with many days of high temperatures above 95 degrees and quite a few over 100 degrees.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 24 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: $4,000
Events: 24

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 TOP wrote it up.

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 Topeka, KS wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Jun 30, 1:40 PM CST, 10 hours 21 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jun 30, 1:40 PM CST, 10 hours 21 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS
240 PM CDT SUN JUN 30 2002

MAIN FORECAST CONCERN IS PRECIP CHANCES AND TEMPS THROUGH THE
FORECAST PERIOD.

SUMMERTIME PATTERN CONTINUES WITH UPPER RIDGE OVER THE CENTRAL
PLAINS. THE BOUNDARY LAYER REMAINS MOIST WITH DEWPOINTS IN THE UPPER
60S TO AROUND 70. WITH MID LEVEL TEMPS UNABLE TO COMPLETELY CAP OFF
THE ATMOSPHERE...ISOLATED CONVECTION DURING THE AFTERNOON CAN NOT BE
RULED OUT. THE BETTER CHANCES OF MORE ORGANIZED PRECIP LOOKS TO BE
TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY...AND WILL KEEP THE SLIGHT CHANCE THEN.
ANYTHING ELSE THAT DEVELOPS TOMORROW OR THURSDAY THROUGH SUNDAY
SHOULD BE ISOLATED AND WILL NOT MENTION IN THE ZONES FOR NOW.

FOR TUESDAY THE UPPER LEVEL LOW OVER OK/TX MAY BEGIN TO EFFECT THE
CWA. THE ETA AND AVN DISAGREE ON HOW TO HANDLE THE LOW...WHERE THE
ETA KEEPS THE BULK OF ENERGY SOUTH AND THE AVN BRINGS A VORT MAX
NORTH INTO EASTERN KS. THINK THE AVN IS A BIT OVER DONE...AND THERE
MAY BE MORE ENERGY TO LEAK NORTH THAN THE ETA SUGGEST SO WILL
CONTINUE WITH SLIGHT CHANCE. FOR WEDNESDAY UPPER LEVEL SHEAR AXIS
MAY STILL BE OVER HEAD. IN ADDITION A WEAK BOUNDARY MAY MEANDER INTO
THE CWA FROM NEB TO SUPPORT CONVECTION.

MIN TEMPS TONIGHT WILL AGAIN BE MILD AS WINDS WILL STAY UP AND KEEP
THINGS WELL MIXED...SO ADJUSTED LOWS UP. THINK THAT THERE WILL BE
MORE CLOUDS AROUND TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY ACROSS NORTHCENTRAL ZONES
AND HAVE SHAVED A COUPLE DEGREES OF TEMPS THERE. THINK THAT THE MAV
IS TOO COOL AND HAVE LEANED TOWARDS THE FWC GUIDANCE. DID NOT MAKE
MANY CHANCE TO THE REMAINING TEMPS. TEMPS FOR THE WEEKEND MAY NEED
TO BE BUMPED UP A LITTLE FOR THE WEEKEND WITH THE LEE TROUGH
DEEPENING.

.TOP...NONE

WOLTERS

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

23 heat, 1 drought. Local standard time, as filed.

Heat, Riley

When: July 1, 12:01 AM CST to July 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Riley forecast zone
Reported by: NEWSPAPER
Coordinates: 39.297, -96.735 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heat, Shawnee

When: July 1, 12:01 AM CST to July 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Shawnee forecast zone
Reported by: NEWSPAPER
Coordinates: 39.042, -95.756 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heat, Wabaunsee

When: July 1, 12:01 AM CST to July 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Wabaunsee forecast zone
Reported by: NEWSPAPER
Coordinates: 38.953, -96.205 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heat, Washington

When: July 1, 12:01 AM CST to July 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Washington forecast zone
Reported by: NEWSPAPER
Coordinates: 39.784, -97.087 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Clay

When: July 1, 12:01 AM CST to July 10, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Clay forecast zone
Crop damage: $4,000
Reported by: OTHER FEDERAL AGENCY
Coordinates: 39.350, -97.165 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Dry weather and hot temperatures produced crop damage in various parts of Clay county.

Heat, Anderson

When: July 1, 12:01 AM CST to July 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Anderson forecast zone
Reported by: NEWSPAPER
Coordinates: 38.214, -95.293 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heat, Brown

When: July 1, 12:01 AM CST to July 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Brown forecast zone
Reported by: NEWSPAPER
Coordinates: 39.827, -95.564 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heat, Clay

When: July 1, 12:01 AM CST to July 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Clay forecast zone
Reported by: NEWSPAPER
Coordinates: 39.350, -97.165 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heat, Cloud

When: July 1, 12:01 AM CST to July 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Cloud forecast zone
Reported by: NEWSPAPER
Coordinates: 39.480, -97.649 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heat, Coffey

When: July 1, 12:01 AM CST to July 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Coffey forecast zone
Reported by: NEWSPAPER
Coordinates: 38.237, -95.734 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heat, Dickinson

When: July 1, 12:01 AM CST to July 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Dickinson forecast zone
Reported by: NEWSPAPER
Coordinates: 38.867, -97.153 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heat, Douglas

When: July 1, 12:01 AM CST to July 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Douglas forecast zone
Reported by: NEWSPAPER
Coordinates: 38.885, -95.293 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heat, Franklin

When: July 1, 12:01 AM CST to July 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Franklin forecast zone
Reported by: NEWSPAPER
Coordinates: 38.565, -95.286 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heat, Geary

When: July 1, 12:01 AM CST to July 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Geary forecast zone
Reported by: NEWSPAPER
Coordinates: 39.002, -96.752 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heat, Jackson

When: July 1, 12:01 AM CST to July 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Jackson forecast zone
Reported by: NEWSPAPER
Coordinates: 39.417, -95.794 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heat, Jefferson

When: July 1, 12:01 AM CST to July 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Jefferson forecast zone
Reported by: NEWSPAPER
Coordinates: 39.236, -95.383 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heat, Lyon

When: July 1, 12:01 AM CST to July 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Lyon forecast zone
Reported by: NEWSPAPER
Coordinates: 38.456, -96.153 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heat, Marshall

When: July 1, 12:01 AM CST to July 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Marshall forecast zone
Reported by: NEWSPAPER
Coordinates: 39.784, -96.523 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heat, Morris

When: July 1, 12:01 AM CST to July 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Morris forecast zone
Reported by: NEWSPAPER
Coordinates: 38.687, -96.650 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heat, Nemaha

When: July 1, 12:01 AM CST to July 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Nemaha forecast zone
Reported by: NEWSPAPER
Coordinates: 39.784, -96.014 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heat, Osage

When: July 1, 12:01 AM CST to July 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Osage forecast zone
Reported by: NEWSPAPER
Coordinates: 38.652, -95.727 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heat, Ottawa

When: July 1, 12:01 AM CST to July 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Ottawa forecast zone
Reported by: NEWSPAPER
Coordinates: 39.133, -97.650 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heat, Pottawatomie

When: July 1, 12:01 AM CST to July 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Pottawatomie forecast zone
Reported by: NEWSPAPER
Coordinates: 39.379, -96.342 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heat, Republic

When: July 1, 12:01 AM CST to July 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Republic forecast zone
Reported by: NEWSPAPER
Coordinates: 39.828, -97.651 (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.
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 Kansas in 2002 Every state in 2002 This day in weather history Warnings in Kansas, July 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: 5303505, 5303506, 5303507, 5303508, 5304320, 5304321, 5304322, 5304323, 5304324, 5304325, 5304326, 5304327, 5304328, 5304329, 5304330, 5304331, 5304332, 5304333, 5304334, 5304335, 5304336, 5304337, 5304338, 5304339.