Heat in New Jersey, July 29 to 31, 2002

Name: Heat in New Jersey, July 29 to 31, 2002
Start: 2002-07-29T12:00
End: 2002-07-31T23:59
Location: New Jersey

July 29 to 31, 2002 · NWS OKX · 6 events in 6 counties and zones

An eight day "heat wave" began on July 29th and extended through August 5th across the region. High temperatures rose into the mid and upper 90s from July 29th through the 31st.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 3 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: 6

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 OKX wrote it up.

An eight day "heat wave" began on July 29th and extended through August 5th across the region. High temperatures rose into the mid and upper 90s from July 29th through the 31st. These temperatures combined with humidity produced heat indices from 100 to 105 degrees on the 29th and from around 95 to 100 degrees on the 30th and 31st.

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 New York, NY wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Jul 29, 9:30 AM EST, 2 hours 30 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jul 29, 9:30 AM EST, 2 hours 30 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NEW YORK NY
1030 AM EDT MON JUL 29 2002

WILL KEEP HEAT ADVISORY AS IS. NO UPDATES PLANNED. MSAS ANALYSIS
SHOWS TROUGH TO OUR EAST AND RIDGE AT ALL LEVELS BEHIND ACROSS PA/NY.

WITH RIDGE BUILDING IN...DO NOT EXPECT ANY CONVECTION DESPITE
UNSTABLE ATMOSPHERE. FOR NOW...WILL LEAVE PRECIP MENTION OUT AS DO
NOT EXPECT MORE THAN AN ISOLATED TSTM.

FORECAST TEMPS LOOK OK.

NO CHANGES TO MARINE FORECAST.

PW

EARLIER DISCUSSION BELOW...

I ISSUED A HEAT ADVISORY FOR TODAY FOR THE ENTIRE FA EXCEPT ERN LONG
ISLAND AND MOST OF COASTAL CT. MOST OF THE FA WILL PROBABLY BE
MARGINAL WITH HEAT INDEX 100 TO 105. TEMPS EXPECTED TO TOP OUT IN
THE MID 90S IN MOST SPOTS. DEW PTS ARE IN THE LOWER TO MID 70S
ATTM...HOWEVER SOME DRIER AIR MAY MIX DOWN WITH THE WRLY WIND.

UPR LEVEL RIDGING OVER THE FA TDY THROUGH TNGT. A COLD FRONT/TROF
APCHS ON TUES. THE UPR SPT MOVES THRU THE FA BY MIDDAY. I/LL FCST
CHC POPS FOR RW/TRW FOR TUES. MDL GUID LOOKS TOO WARM FOR TUES.

FAIR WX TUES NGT/WED AS HIGH PRES BUILDS IN FROM THE W.

MARINE...WINDS AND SEAS SHOULD REMAIN QUIET NEXT FEW DAYS.

CT...HEAT ADVISORY THROUGH THIS EVENING CTZ005>009.
NY...HEAT ADVISORY THROUGH THIS EVENING NYZ067>078-080.
NJ...HEAT ADVISORY THROUGH THIS EVENING NJZ002>006-011.
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

6 heat. Local standard time, as filed.

Heat, Bergen

When: July 29, 12:00 PM EST to July 31, 11:59 PM EST
Where: Bergen forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

Heat, Essex

When: July 29, 12:00 PM EST to July 31, 11:59 PM EST
Where: Essex forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

Heat, Hudson

When: July 29, 12:00 PM EST to July 31, 11:59 PM EST
Where: Hudson forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 40.731, -74.076 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heat, Union

When: July 29, 12:00 PM EST to July 31, 11:59 PM EST
Where: Union forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

Heat, Western Passaic

When: July 29, 12:00 PM EST to July 31, 11:59 PM EST
Where: Western Passaic forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 41.034, -74.300 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heat, Eastern Passaic

When: July 29, 12:00 PM EST to July 31, 11:59 PM EST
Where: Eastern Passaic forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 41.034, -74.300 (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.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in New Jersey in 2002 Every state in 2002 This day in weather history Warnings in New Jersey, 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: 5301702, 5301703, 5301704, 5301705, 5301706, 5301707.