Maryland, 2002

Heat in Maryland, August 12 to 19, 2002

August 12 to 19, 2002 · NWS LWX · 14 events in 14 counties and zones

High pressure sitting off the Atlantic coastline pumped hot and humid air into the region between August 12th and 19th. Temperatures soared well into the 90s during the afternoon each day and heat index values approached 100 degrees.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 10 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
4
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
14

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 LWX wrote it up.

High pressure sitting off the Atlantic coastline pumped hot and humid air into the region between August 12th and 19th. Temperatures soared well into the 90s during the afternoon each day and heat index values approached 100 degrees. At Baltimore-Washington International Airport, a record high temperature of 99 degrees was set on the 13th. On the 18th, the mercury soared to a record high of 96. Four Marylanders died during the eight day heat wave. In Prince George's County, a 66 year old woman died on the 19th. In Baltimore, two men, ages 51 and 62, were found dead in their homes on the 17th. On the 20th, a 38-year old man died in the city. In Washington County, three people were treated for serious heat-related illnesses after participating in outdoor activities. In Harford County, at least 13 people were treated in hospitals for heat-related problems.

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 Baltimore/Washington wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Aug 12, 9:45 AM EST, 15 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Aug 12, 9:45 AM EST, 15 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BALTIMORE/WASHINGTON
1045 AM EDT MON AUG 12 2002

12Z IAD SOUNDING SUGGESTS A MAX OF 97 THIS AFTRN. ALL AVAILABLE
GUIDANCE SUGGESTS MID 90S. WILL BUMP UP TEMPS JUST A NOTCH OVR THE
ENTIRE AREA.

MODIFIED IAD SOUNDING GIVES A CAPE OVR 3000 J/KG AND AN LI OF -7C.
IN ADDITION...850MB TO 500MB LAPSE RATES INCREASE A BIT DURING THE
AFTRN. AIR MASS WILL BE UNSTABLE. WEAK VORT MAX PASSING BY JUST TO
THE N OF THE AREA AND WEAK SFC BOUNDARY SETTING UP OVR THE CWA MAY
ACT AS A TRIGGER FOR CONVECTION. 30 POPS SEEM OK. WILL TIME ACTIVITY
LATE IN THE DAY E OF THE BLUE RIDGE AND ANYTIME DURING THE AFTRN W
OF THE BLUE RIDGE.

NO CHGS TO 2ND PD OR BEYOND.

WALSTON

---------------------------------------------------------------------
PREVIOUS AFD BELOW...

SHORT TERM FCST THRU TUE NIGHT...

S/W PASSES THRU TODAY ALONG WITH A DROP IN LIS. BEST CHCS NRN
ZONES. TEMPERATURES INTO THE MID 90S WILL COMBINE WITH HIGHER DEW
POINTS TUES TO PUSH HEAT INDICES OVER 100. TUE DOESNT LOOK VERY
GOOD FOR CONVECTION. PULLED BACK ON POPS AND JUST LEFT CHC IN FAR
MTNS.

BMW
---------------------------------------------------------------------

LONG-TERM (WED-SUN)

CONTINUED SRLY FLOW THE NEXT SVRL DAYS WILL RESULT IN AN
INCREASINGLY MOIST AIR MASS ACROSS THE MID-ATLANTIC REGION. WILL
CONTINUE WITH A CHANCE POPS FOR WED AS AIR MASS WILL BE MOIST AND
UNSTABLE.  BEST CHANCE FOR CONVECTION APPEARS TO BE ON THURS AS AVN
LIFTS A VORT FROM THE NORTHEAST GULFMEX UP THE ERN SEABOARD.  IN
ADDITION...S/W TROUGH NOW OVR WRN MT WILL DIVE SOUTHEAST TODAY AND
MOVE RAPIDLY EWD ACROSS THE PLAINS WED AND INTO THE ERN GREAT LKS BY
THURS.  LIFT ASSOCIATED WITH THIS FEATURE ALONG WITH VORT MOVING UP
FROM THE GULF SHOULD RESULT IN HIGHER COVERAGE OF TSTMS.
THUS...HAVE RAISED POPS TO 40 PERCENT THURS.  DRY AIR MOVES IN FOR
THE WEEKEND WITH TEMPS REMAINING GENERALLY IN THE UPPER 80S TO LOW
90S.

ROSA

.LWX...
DC...NONE.
MD...NONE.
VA...NONE.
WV...NONE.
MARINE...NONE.

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

14 heat. Local standard time, as filed.

Heat, Allegany

When
August 12, 10:00 AM EST to August 19, 8:00 PM EST
Where
Allegany forecast zone
Reported by
AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

Heat, Washington

When
August 12, 10:00 AM EST to August 19, 8:00 PM EST
Where
Washington forecast zone
Reported by
AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates
39.604, -77.814 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heat, Frederick

When
August 12, 10:00 AM EST to August 19, 8:00 PM EST
Where
Frederick forecast zone
Reported by
AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates
39.472, -77.398 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heat, Carroll

When
August 12, 10:00 AM EST to August 19, 8:00 PM EST
Where
Carroll forecast zone
Reported by
AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates
39.563, -77.022 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heat, Northern Baltimore

When
August 12, 10:00 AM EST to August 19, 8:00 PM EST
Where
Northern Baltimore forecast zone
Reported by
AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates
39.443, -76.616 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heat, Southern Baltimore / Baltimore (C)

When
August 12, 10:00 AM EST to August 19, 8:00 PM EST
Where
Southern Baltimore / Baltimore (C) forecast zone
Deaths
3 direct, 0 indirect
Reported by
AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates
39.367, -76.614 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heat, Harford

When
August 12, 10:00 AM EST to August 19, 8:00 PM EST
Where
Harford forecast zone
Reported by
AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

Heat, Howard

When
August 12, 10:00 AM EST to August 19, 8:00 PM EST
Where
Howard forecast zone
Reported by
AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

Heat, Montgomery

When
August 12, 10:00 AM EST to August 19, 8:00 PM EST
Where
Montgomery forecast zone
Reported by
AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

Heat, Prince Georges

When
August 12, 10:00 AM EST to August 19, 8:00 PM EST
Where
Prince Georges forecast zone
Deaths
1 direct, 0 indirect
Reported by
AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates
38.830, -76.847 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heat, Anne Arundel

When
August 12, 10:00 AM EST to August 19, 8:00 PM EST
Where
Anne Arundel forecast zone
Reported by
AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates
38.994, -76.568 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heat, Calvert

When
August 12, 10:00 AM EST to August 19, 8:00 PM EST
Where
Calvert forecast zone
Reported by
AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates
38.535, -76.531 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heat, Charles

When
August 12, 10:00 AM EST to August 19, 8:00 PM EST
Where
Charles forecast zone
Reported by
AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates
38.474, -77.013 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heat, St. Mary'S

When
August 12, 10:00 AM EST to August 19, 8:00 PM EST
Where
St. Mary'S forecast zone
Reported by
AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates
38.216, -76.529 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

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.

EventDateAgeSexWhereKind
Heat, Southern Baltimore / Baltimore (C)2002-08-1751MalePermanent HomeDirect
Heat, Southern Baltimore / Baltimore (C)2002-08-1762MalePermanent HomeDirect
Heat, Southern Baltimore / Baltimore (C)2002-08-2038MaleOtherDirect
Heat, Prince Georges2002-08-1966FemaleOtherDirect

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

More

Every storm in Maryland in 2002Every state in 2002This day in weather historyWarnings in Maryland, 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: 5314464, 5314465, 5314466, 5314467, 5314468, 5314469, 5314470, 5314471, 5314472, 5314473, 5314474, 5314475, 5314476, 5314477.