Drought in Missouri, September 1 to 19, 2002

Name: Drought in Missouri, September 1 to 19, 2002
Start: 2002-09-01T00:00
End: 2002-09-19T10:00
Location: Missouri

September 1 to 19, 2002 · NWS PAH · 11 events in 11 counties and zones

Moderate drought conditions persisted over southeast Missouri through mid September. A very heavy rainfall event in mid August was the exception to persistent dryness that began in June.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 11 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: None recorded
Events: 11

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.

Moderate drought conditions persisted over southeast Missouri through mid September. A very heavy rainfall event in mid August was the exception to persistent dryness that began in June. Crop losses were mitigated by the August rainfall.

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

11 drought. Local standard time, as filed.

Drought, Bollinger

When: September 1, 12:00 AM CST to September 19, 10:00 AM CST
Where: Bollinger forecast zone
Reported by: NEWSPAPER
Coordinates: 37.322, -90.026 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Butler

When: September 1, 12:00 AM CST to September 19, 10:00 AM CST
Where: Butler forecast zone
Reported by: NEWSPAPER
Coordinates: 36.716, -90.407 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Cape Girardeau

When: September 1, 12:00 AM CST to September 19, 10:00 AM CST
Where: Cape Girardeau forecast zone
Reported by: NEWSPAPER
Coordinates: 37.384, -89.684 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Carter

When: September 1, 12:00 AM CST to September 19, 10:00 AM CST
Where: Carter forecast zone
Reported by: NEWSPAPER
Coordinates: 36.941, -90.962 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Mississippi

When: September 1, 12:00 AM CST to September 19, 10:00 AM CST
Where: Mississippi forecast zone
Reported by: NEWSPAPER
Coordinates: 36.828, -89.291 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, New Madrid

When: September 1, 12:00 AM CST to September 19, 10:00 AM CST
Where: New Madrid forecast zone
Reported by: NEWSPAPER
Coordinates: 36.595, -89.652 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Perry

When: September 1, 12:00 AM CST to September 19, 10:00 AM CST
Where: Perry forecast zone
Reported by: NEWSPAPER
Coordinates: 37.707, -89.824 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Ripley

When: September 1, 12:00 AM CST to September 19, 10:00 AM CST
Where: Ripley forecast zone
Reported by: NEWSPAPER
Coordinates: 36.653, -90.864 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Scott

When: September 1, 12:00 AM CST to September 19, 10:00 AM CST
Where: Scott forecast zone
Reported by: NEWSPAPER
Coordinates: 37.053, -89.568 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Stoddard

When: September 1, 12:00 AM CST to September 19, 10:00 AM CST
Where: Stoddard forecast zone
Reported by: NEWSPAPER
Coordinates: 36.856, -89.944 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Wayne

When: September 1, 12:00 AM CST to September 19, 10:00 AM CST
Where: Wayne forecast zone
Reported by: NEWSPAPER
Coordinates: 37.113, -90.461 (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 Missouri in 2002 Every state in 2002 This day in weather history Warnings in Missouri, 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: 5316404, 5316405, 5316406, 5316407, 5316408, 5316409, 5316410, 5316411, 5316412, 5316413, 5316414.