Heat, Arlington
- When
- August 22, 10:00 AM EST to 8:00 PM EST
- Where
- Arlington forecast zone
- Reported by
- AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
- Coordinates
- 38.855, -77.106 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heat in Virginia, August 22, 2002
High temperatures rose into the mid 90s on the 22nd. With dew points in the lower to mid 70s, heat index values soared to near 105 degrees during the afternoon.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it; 19 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
The toll
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- None recorded
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 22
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 temperatures rose into the mid 90s on the 22nd. With dew points in the lower to mid 70s, heat index values soared to near 105 degrees during the afternoon.
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 22, 9:20 AM EST, 40 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Aug 22, 9:20 AM EST, 40 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BALTIMORE/WASHINGTON
1020 AM EDT THU AUG 22 2002
LOW CLOUDS FM SE FLOW OVRNGT ARE SLOWLY DISSIPATING. VEIL OF THICK
CS MOVING THRU THE AREA LATE THIS MORNING. EXPECT THIS TO THIN OUT
THIS AFTRN. THE INCREASING SUNSHINE COMBINED WITH S FLOW AND 850MB
TEMPS WARMING TO +20C SHOULD RESULT IN AFTRN MAX TEMPS 94 TO 99 E OF
THE WRN RDGS. WILL MAKE SOME MINOR ADJUSTMENTS TO TEMPS.
HATE TO BACK OFF ON WARNINGS THAT ARE IN EFFECT. DOING THAT IS THE
EQUIVALENT TO PULLING TEETH. HOWEVER...AFTER MUCH DISCUSSION AMONG
FORECASTERS HERE IN THE OFFICE...HAVE DECIDED TO DOWNGRADE HEAT
WARNINGS IN THE CITIES TO HEAT ADVISORIES. MAX TEMP OF 98F AND A
DWPT AROUND 70 YIELDS A HEAT INDEX OF 105. HOWEVER...THE DEFINITION
OF A WARNING IS HEAT INDICES 106 OR HIGHER FOR 3 CONSECUTIVE HOURS
FOR TWO DAYS AND A MIN HEAT INDEX OF 80 AT NIGHT. WE MAY BRIEFLY HIT
105 OR 106 FOR AN HOUR TDA BUT I DONT FEEL WE WILL GET THE THREE
HOURS NEEDED FOR A WARNING AND THE SAME GOES FOR FRIDAY.
NEXT THING TO CONSIDER IS CONVECTIVE POTENTIAL THIS AFTRN. 06Z ETA
DOES SHOW A LEESIDE TROF SETTING UP OVR THE AREA THIS AFTRN WITH
SOME WEAK CONVERGENCE ALG IT. IN ADDITION...MODIFIED 12Z IAD
SOUNDING YEILDS A CAPE OF 1200 J/KG AND AN LI OF -3 SO THERE WILL BE
SOME INSTABILITY. HOWEVER...SOUNDING IS CAPPED AND THERE ARE NO
DYNAMICS. OROGRAPHIC LIFT MAY BE ENOUGH TO TRIGGER AN ISOLD CELL OR
TWO OVR THE MTNS BUT ONLY A 10% POP IS JUSTIFIED SO NO MENTION IN
THE ZNS ATTM. ANYTHING THAT DOES POP CAN BE HANDLED BY A NOWCAST.
.LWX...
DC...HEAT ADVISORY THROUGH FRIDAY FOR ZONE DCZ001.
MD...HEAT ADVISORY THROUGH FRIDAY FOR ZONES
MDZ002>007...MDZ009>011... MDZ013>014...MDZ016>018.
VA...HEAT ADVISORY THROUGH FRIDAY FOR ZONES
VAZ025>031...VAZ036>042... VAZ050>054...VAZ055>057.
WV...HEAT ADVISORY THROUGH FRIDAY FOR ZONES WVZ048>053...WVZ055.
WALSTONThe radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
22 heat. Local standard time, as filed.
Heat, Fairfax
- When
- August 22, 10:00 AM EST to 8:00 PM EST
- Where
- Fairfax forecast zone
- Reported by
- AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
- Coordinates
- 38.841, -77.291 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heat, Prince William
- When
- August 22, 10:00 AM EST to 8:00 PM EST
- Where
- Prince William forecast zone
- Reported by
- AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Heat, Stafford
- When
- August 22, 10:00 AM EST to 8:00 PM EST
- Where
- Stafford forecast zone
- Reported by
- AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
- Coordinates
- 38.421, -77.457 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heat, King George
- When
- August 22, 10:00 AM EST to 8:00 PM EST
- Where
- King George forecast zone
- Reported by
- AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
- Coordinates
- 38.274, -77.156 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heat, Spotsylvania
- When
- August 22, 10:00 AM EST to 8:00 PM EST
- Where
- Spotsylvania forecast zone
- Reported by
- AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
- Coordinates
- 38.244, -77.558 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heat, Orange
- When
- August 22, 10:00 AM EST to 8:00 PM EST
- Where
- Orange forecast zone
- Reported by
- AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
- Coordinates
- 38.246, -78.013 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heat, Greene
- When
- August 22, 10:00 AM EST to 8:00 PM EST
- Where
- Greene forecast zone
- Reported by
- AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
- Coordinates
- 38.298, -78.467 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heat, Madison
- When
- August 22, 10:00 AM EST to 8:00 PM EST
- Where
- Madison forecast zone
- Reported by
- AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
- Coordinates
- 38.414, -78.279 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heat, Culpeper
- When
- August 22, 10:00 AM EST to 8:00 PM EST
- Where
- Culpeper forecast zone
- Reported by
- AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
- Coordinates
- 38.486, -77.956 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heat, Rappahannock
- When
- August 22, 10:00 AM EST to 8:00 PM EST
- Where
- Rappahannock forecast zone
- Reported by
- AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
- Coordinates
- 38.685, -78.159 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heat, Fauquier
- When
- August 22, 10:00 AM EST to 8:00 PM EST
- Where
- Fauquier forecast zone
- Reported by
- AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Heat, Loudoun
- When
- August 22, 10:00 AM EST to 8:00 PM EST
- Where
- Loudoun forecast zone
- Reported by
- AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Heat, Clarke
- When
- August 22, 10:00 AM EST to 8:00 PM EST
- Where
- Clarke forecast zone
- Reported by
- AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
- Coordinates
- 39.112, -77.997 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heat, Frederick
- When
- August 22, 10:00 AM EST to 8:00 PM EST
- Where
- Frederick forecast zone
- Reported by
- AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
- Coordinates
- 39.195, -78.213 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heat, Warren
- When
- August 22, 10:00 AM EST to 8:00 PM EST
- Where
- Warren forecast zone
- Reported by
- AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
- Coordinates
- 38.909, -78.207 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heat, Page
- When
- August 22, 10:00 AM EST to 8:00 PM EST
- Where
- Page forecast zone
- Reported by
- AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
- Coordinates
- 38.620, -78.484 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heat, Shenandoah
- When
- August 22, 10:00 AM EST to 8:00 PM EST
- Where
- Shenandoah forecast zone
- Reported by
- AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
- Coordinates
- 38.858, -78.571 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heat, Rockingham
- When
- August 22, 10:00 AM EST to 8:00 PM EST
- Where
- Rockingham forecast zone
- Reported by
- AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
- Coordinates
- 38.481, -78.872 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heat, Albemarle
- When
- August 22, 10:00 AM EST to 8:00 PM EST
- Where
- Albemarle forecast zone
- Reported by
- AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
- Coordinates
- 38.029, -78.477 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heat, Augusta
- When
- August 22, 10:00 AM EST to 8:00 PM EST
- Where
- Augusta forecast zone
- Reported by
- AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
- Coordinates
- 38.109, -78.974 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heat, Nelson
- When
- August 22, 10:00 AM EST to 8:00 PM EST
- Where
- Nelson forecast zone
- Reported by
- AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
- Coordinates
- 37.787, -78.887 (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
- Heat in Maryland, August 22, 2002
- Flash Flooding and Damaging Winds in Iowa, August 22 to 23, 2002
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Ohio, August 22, 2002
- Damaging Winds in Pennsylvania, August 22, 2002
- Flash Flood in Iowa, August 22, 2002
- Tornado in New York, August 22, 2002
- Flash Flooding and Flooding in Illinois, August 22, 2002
- Tornado and Flash Flood in Texas, August 22, 2002
- Hail in Texas, August 22, 2002
- Hail and Damaging Wind in Kansas, August 22 to 24, 2002
- Lightning Strike in Florida, August 22, 2002
- Heat in West Virginia, August 22, 2002
More
Every storm in Virginia in 2002Every state in 2002This day in weather historyWarnings in Virginia, 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: 5313858, 5313859, 5313860, 5313861, 5313862, 5313863, 5313864, 5313865, 5313866, 5313867, 5313868, 5313869, 5313870, 5313871, 5313872, 5313873, 5313874, 5313875, 5313876, 5313877, 5313878, 5313957.