Heat in Maryland, July 22 to 23, 2002

Name: Heat in Maryland, July 22 to 23, 2002
Start: 2002-07-22T10:00
End: 2002-07-23T20:00
Location: Maryland

July 22 to 23, 2002 · NWS LWX · 12 events in 12 counties and zones

Another round of hot and humid weather occurred across Central and Southern Maryland on July 22nd and 23rd. Heat indexes rose to between 98 and 105 degrees both days.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 9 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: 3
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 12

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.

Another round of hot and humid weather occurred across Central and Southern Maryland on July 22nd and 23rd. Heat indexes rose to between 98 and 105 degrees both days. Three people died from heat related illnesses during this time. In Montgomery County, a 47 year old man died on the 25th. In Baltimore County, a 50 year old man died on the 22nd. In the city of Baltimore, a 60 year old man was found dead in a junkyard on the 20th. Each victim had underlying health conditions which contributed to their death. Allegany Power, serving Central and Western Maryland, recorded record energy usage on the 22nd.

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 Jul 22, 10:00 AM EST, 0 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jul 22, 10:00 AM EST, 0 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BALTIMORE/WASHINGTON
1100 AM EDT TUE JUL 22 2002

AT 14Z CDFNT EXTENDED FM NW PA TO CENTRAL OH MOVING SE. FRONT WILL
APPROACH THE AREA LATE THIS AFTRN MOVING INTO THE AREA TNGT.

DYNAMICS REMAIN WELL N OF THE AREA AND BEST WIND FIELDS/SHEAR REMAIN
N OF THE AREA SO BEST CHC OF ORGANIZED SVR WX WILL BE TO OUR N.
HOWEVER...MODIFIED SOUNDING GIVES IAD AN LI OF -5C AND OVR 3000 J/KG
THIS AFTRN SO INSTABILITY WILL BE PRESENT. EXPECT SCT SHRA/TSRA TO
FORM IN THE INSTABILITY BY MID TO LATE AFTRN POSSIBLY ALG THE
PREFRONTAL TROF. WITH GOOD INSTABIILITY...A FEW PULSE SVR STORMS ARE
NOT OUT OF THE QUESTION LATE THIS AFTRN INTO THIS EVE BUT AS STATED
ABOVE...THE BEST CHC OF ORGANIZED SVR WILL BE TO OUR N. PCP H20 IS
NEARLY 2.00 INCHES OVR THE AREA SO STORMS COULD PRODUCE SOME VERY
HEAVY RAIN. HOWEVER...STORMS SHOULD BE MOVING ALG AT LEAST 15 KTS SO
DONT EXPECT ANY ONE STORM TO STAY OVR ANY ONE LOCATION FOR VERY
LONG SO NO FFA ATTM BUT LOCALIZED FLOODING IN LOW LYING AND POOR
DRAINAGE AREAS CERTAINLY POSSIBLE.

12Z IAD SOUNDING GIVES A MAX TEMP OF 97F. WITH PLENTY OF SUNSHINE
OVR THE AREA NOW AND SW FLOW...TEMPS SHOULD RISE RAPIDLY LATE THIS
MORNING AND THIS AFTRN. WILL WIDEN THE RANGE A BIT TO ACCOUNT FOR A
FEW SPOTS POSSIBLY REACHING THE UPR 90S. ALSO BUMPED UP TEMPS IN THE
DOWNSLOPE AREAS OF THE WRN RIDGES. THEY WERE JUST AS HOT AS ERN
AREAS YDA AND IT SHOULD BE THE SAME CASE AGAIN THIS AFTRN.

WITH DWPTS AROUND 70 AND TEMPS AT LEAST 95F HEAT INDICES WILL ONCE
AGAIN BE IN THE ADVY RANGE OVR ENTIRE AREA EXCEPT HIGHLAND AND
PENDLETON CO. HAVE EXPANDED THE ADVISORY FOR THE AFTRN HOURS.

NO CHGS 2ND PD OR BEYOND.

.LWX...
DC...HEAT ADVISORY UNTIL 6 PM TODAY FOR ZONE DCZ001.
MD...HEAT ADVISORY UNTIL 6 PM TODAY FOR ZONES
     MDZ002>007...MDZ009>011...MDZ013>014...MDZ016>018.
VA...HEAT ADVISORY UNTIL 6 PM TODAY FOR ZONES
     VAZ025>031...VAZ036>042...VAZ050>057.
WV...HEAT ADVISORY UNTIL 6 PM TODAY FOR ZONES WVZ048>053...WVZ055.

WALSTON

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

12 heat. Local standard time, as filed.

Heat, Frederick

When: July 22, 10:00 AM EST to July 23, 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: July 22, 10:00 AM EST to July 23, 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, Southern Baltimore / Baltimore (C)

When: July 22, 10:00 AM EST to July 23, 8:00 PM EST
Where: Southern Baltimore / Baltimore (C) forecast zone
Deaths: 2 direct, 0 indirect
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 39.367, -76.614 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heat, Northern Baltimore

When: July 22, 10:00 AM EST to July 23, 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, Harford

When: July 22, 10:00 AM EST to July 23, 8:00 PM EST
Where: Harford forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

Heat, Howard

When: July 22, 10:00 AM EST to July 23, 8:00 PM EST
Where: Howard forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

Heat, Montgomery

When: July 22, 10:00 AM EST to July 23, 8:00 PM EST
Where: Montgomery forecast zone
Deaths: 1 direct, 0 indirect
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

Heat, Anne Arundel

When: July 22, 10:00 AM EST to July 23, 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, Prince Georges

When: July 22, 10:00 AM EST to July 23, 8:00 PM EST
Where: Prince Georges forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 38.830, -76.847 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heat, Charles

When: July 22, 10:00 AM EST to July 23, 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, Calvert

When: July 22, 10:00 AM EST to July 23, 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, St. Mary'S

When: July 22, 10:00 AM EST to July 23, 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.

Event	Date	Age	Sex	Where	Kind
Heat, Southern Baltimore / Baltimore (C)	2002-07-20	60	Male	Outside/Open Areas	Direct
Heat, Southern Baltimore / Baltimore (C)	2002-07-22	50	Male	Other	Direct
Heat, Montgomery	2002-07-25	47	Male	Other	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 Maryland in 2002 Every state in 2002 This day in weather history Warnings in Maryland, 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 2026-09-30. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5308458, 5308459, 5308460, 5308461, 5308462, 5308463, 5308464, 5308465, 5308466, 5308467, 5308468, 5308469.