Heat in Missouri, July 8 to 9, 2002

Name: Heat in Missouri, July 8 to 9, 2002
Start: 2002-07-08T11:00
End: 2002-07-09T23:00
Location: Missouri

July 8 to 9, 2002 · NWS LSX · 29 events in 29 counties and zones

High temperatures climbed into the middle to upper 90's with Heat Indices from 105 to 110 degrees. There was one death in St.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 29 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: 1
Injuries: 26
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 29

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 LSX wrote it up.

High temperatures climbed into the middle to upper 90's with Heat Indices from 105 to 110 degrees. There was one death in St. Louis County in which heat was listed as a contributing cause.

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 St. Louis, MO wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Jul 8, 2:55 AM CST, 8 hours 5 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jul 8, 2:55 AM CST, 8 hours 5 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ST LOUIS MO
355 AM CDT MON JUL 8 2002

00Z MDL RUNS CONT PREV TRENDS OF A WWD EXPANSION OF THE UPR
RDG...ALLOWING A WK NW FLOW REGIME TO DVLP OVR N/MID MS RVR VLY.
THIS SHUD GIVE AREA A DECENT SHOT OF PCPN ON TUE...AND BRING A
RESPITE FROM THE HEAT BY MIDWEEK.

IN THE NR TERM HWVR THE HEAT IS ON.  INCRG W COMPONENT IN ADV OF N
PLAINS CDFNT WL PUSH 85H THERMAL RDG INTO OUR AREA DURG THE DAY.
TEMPS FCST BY ALL MDLS TO CLIMB INTO THE 20-22C RANGE BY MID AFTN
WHICH WAS GD ENUF FOR MID 90S TO OUR WEST ON SUN.  ALG WITH THE SLGT
UPWARD NUDGE OF TEMPS WL ALSO COME A SLGT INCR IN HUMIDITY LVLS AS
WELL...SPCLY OVR SE SECTIONS WHICH ENJOYED AN INTRUSION OF LWR DWPTS
THIS PAST WEEKEND.  COMBO OF TEMPS/LWR 70S DWPTS WL PUSH STL METRO
INTO HEAT ADV CRITERIA ONCE AGAIN.

AS FAR AS PCPN IS CONCERNED TDA...NEW GUID IS CONTG TREND OF SUN
RUNS IN SUGGESTING A SLGT CHC OF TSTMS OVR N SECTIONS OF FA TDA IN
AREA OF WK WRM ADV.

PCPN CHCS WL BE INCRG LTR TNGT AND INTO TUE AS CDFNT APRCHS AREA.
WHILE UPR SUPPORT IS NOT IMPRESSIVE...IF ETA/AVN ARE TO BE BLVD SFC
MSTR POOLING IN THE VCNTY OF CDFNT WL PRODUCE A VRY UNSTBL AMS.
WULD CERTAINLY THINK THAT SFC CNVGC ALONE WL BE MORE THAN ENUF TO
GET CNVTN GOING.   IN ADDITION...FOR THE SCND CONSECUTIVE RUN K
INDICES FROM ETA ARE PROGGED INTO THE 40C RANGE...WHICH IS NORMALLY
A VALUE FOR A HIGH CHC POP.   THE ONE NEGATIVE FACTOR FOR PCPN MAY
BE THE WRM 7H TEMPS...WHICH FLIRT WITH 10C BY TUE AFTN.

TEMPS FOR TUE ARE REALLY TRICKY SINCE 85H THERMAL RDG STILL PROGGED
OVR AREA.  IF WRM MID LVL TEMPS RETARD DVLPMNT OF CLDS/CNVTN
THEN TEMPS WL RPDLY JUMP TO TDAS LVLS.  HWVR...IF CNVTN DVLPS ERY
TEMPS WL BE HELD DOWN.  FOR NOW WL CONT LEANING TO THE WRM MET
NUMBERS...WHICH WL KP MOST AREAS IN THE 90S.  THESE TEMPS AND DWPT
POOLING ALG THE FNT WL PUSH HEAT INDEX ABV 105 IN STL AREA AGAIN.
ACTUALLY...HIER DWPTS VALUES CULD MAKE TMRWS CONDS WORSE THAN THOSE
OF TDA.

.STL...HEAT ADVISORY CITY OF STL TODAY THRU TUE.

TRUETT

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

29 heat. Local standard time, as filed.

Heat, Monroe

When: July 8, 11:00 AM CST to July 9, 11:00 PM CST
Where: Monroe forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 39.496, -92.001 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heat, Montgomery

When: July 8, 11:00 AM CST to July 9, 11:00 PM CST
Where: Montgomery forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 38.942, -91.470 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heat, Osage

When: July 8, 11:00 AM CST to July 9, 11:00 PM CST
Where: Osage forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 38.460, -91.862 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heat, Pike

When: July 8, 11:00 AM CST to July 9, 11:00 PM CST
Where: Pike forecast zone
Injuries: 1 direct, 0 indirect
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 39.344, -91.171 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heat, Ralls

When: July 8, 11:00 AM CST to July 9, 11:00 PM CST
Where: Ralls forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 39.528, -91.522 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heat, Reynolds

When: July 8, 11:00 AM CST to July 9, 11:00 PM CST
Where: Reynolds forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 37.362, -90.969 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heat, Shelby

When: July 8, 11:00 AM CST to July 9, 11:00 PM CST
Where: Shelby forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 39.798, -92.077 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heat, St. Charles

When: July 8, 11:00 AM CST to July 9, 11:00 PM CST
Where: St. Charles forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 38.782, -90.675 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heat, St. Francois

When: July 8, 11:00 AM CST to July 9, 11:00 PM CST
Where: St. Francois forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 37.810, -90.472 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heat, St. Louis

When: July 8, 11:00 AM CST to July 9, 11:00 PM CST
Where: St. Louis forecast zone
Injuries: 15 direct, 0 indirect
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 38.641, -90.443 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heat, St. Louis (C)

When: July 8, 11:00 AM CST to July 9, 11:00 PM CST
Where: St. Louis (C) forecast zone
Injuries: 10 direct, 0 indirect
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 38.627, -90.198 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heat, Ste. Genevieve

When: July 8, 11:00 AM CST to July 9, 11:00 PM CST
Where: Ste. Genevieve forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 37.894, -90.194 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heat, Warren

When: July 8, 11:00 AM CST to July 9, 11:00 PM CST
Where: Warren forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 38.765, -91.161 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heat, Washington

When: July 8, 11:00 AM CST to July 9, 11:00 PM CST
Where: Washington forecast zone
Deaths: 1 direct, 0 indirect
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 37.962, -90.877 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heat, Audrain

When: July 8, 11:00 AM CST to July 9, 11:00 PM CST
Where: Audrain forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 39.216, -91.842 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heat, Boone

When: July 8, 11:00 AM CST to July 9, 11:00 PM CST
Where: Boone forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 38.991, -92.310 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heat, Callaway

When: July 8, 11:00 AM CST to July 9, 11:00 PM CST
Where: Callaway forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 38.836, -91.926 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heat, Cole

When: July 8, 11:00 AM CST to July 9, 11:00 PM CST
Where: Cole forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 38.505, -92.282 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heat, Crawford

When: July 8, 11:00 AM CST to July 9, 11:00 PM CST
Where: Crawford forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 37.976, -91.304 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heat, Franklin

When: July 8, 11:00 AM CST to July 9, 11:00 PM CST
Where: Franklin forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 38.411, -91.075 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heat, Gasconade

When: July 8, 11:00 AM CST to July 9, 11:00 PM CST
Where: Gasconade forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 38.441, -91.508 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heat, Iron

When: July 8, 11:00 AM CST to July 9, 11:00 PM CST
Where: Iron forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 37.504, -90.690 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heat, Jefferson

When: July 8, 11:00 AM CST to July 9, 11:00 PM CST
Where: Jefferson forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 38.261, -90.538 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heat, Knox

When: July 8, 11:00 AM CST to July 9, 11:00 PM CST
Where: Knox forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 40.128, -92.148 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heat, Lewis

When: July 8, 11:00 AM CST to July 9, 11:00 PM CST
Where: Lewis forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 40.097, -91.722 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heat, Lincoln

When: July 8, 11:00 AM CST to July 9, 11:00 PM CST
Where: Lincoln forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 39.058, -90.960 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heat, Madison

When: July 8, 11:00 AM CST to July 9, 11:00 PM CST
Where: Madison forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 37.478, -90.345 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heat, Marion

When: July 8, 11:00 AM CST to July 9, 11:00 PM CST
Where: Marion forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 39.806, -91.622 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heat, Moniteau

When: July 8, 11:00 AM CST to July 9, 11:00 PM CST
Where: Moniteau forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 38.633, -92.583 (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, Washington	2002-07-09	69	Female	Permanent Home	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 Missouri in 2002 Every state in 2002 This day in weather history Warnings in Missouri, 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: 5303194, 5303195, 5303196, 5303197, 5303198, 5303199, 5303200, 5303201, 5303202, 5303203, 5303204, 5303205, 5303206, 5303207, 5304657, 5304658, 5304659, 5304660, 5304661, 5304662, 5304663, 5304664, 5304665, 5304666, 5304667, 5304668, 5304669, 5304670, 5304671.