Excessive Heat in Virginia, January 31, 2002

Name: Excessive Heat in Virginia, January 31, 2002
Start: 2002-01-31T10:00
End: 2002-01-31T18:00
Location: Virginia

January 31, 2002 · NWS RLX · 2 events in 2 counties and zones

Afternoon temperatures reached well into the 70s. Breaks Interstate Park had 76 degrees, while Clintwood recorded 74 degrees.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 2 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

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The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 2

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 RLX wrote it up.

Afternoon temperatures reached well into the 70s. Breaks Interstate Park had 76 degrees, while Clintwood recorded 74 degrees.

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 Charleston, WV wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Jan 31, 2:37 AM EST, 7 hours 23 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jan 31, 2:37 AM EST, 7 hours 23 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLESTON WV
237 AM EST THU JAN 31 2002

THRU SAT...

MASS FIELDS IN DECENT AGRMNT WITH LARGE SCALE DOMINATING.  AVN IS
FASTER W FRONT FRI.

CLASSIC WARM FRONT SITUATION THIS AM...FRONT THROUGH MOST OF AREA
JUST ABOVE SFC DAWN BUT WL TAKE MIXING AFT DAWN TO GET IT TO THE SFC
ESP HTS-CRW N.  25KTS INCRSG TO 40 KT AT H92 SHULD DO ADEQ JOB OF
MXG THNGS OUT.  FAR SRN CTYS WL START W SS...CRW-HTS CORRIDOR SHULD
SEE LOW CRUD MIX OUT BY MID MORNING LATEST...WILL TAKE A LITTLE
LONGER UP N...ESP MTNS.

WV OVR WRN OK ATTM MVS UP THRU OH THIS EVE...PUSHES FRONT OR AT
LEAST SHRA INTO SE OH CTYS.  MOIST/INST AXIS CULD SUPPORT TS THERE
THIS EVE AND MAY ADD TO XTRM NW CTYS.  OTRWS EXCEPTIONALLY WARM WARM
SECTOR NIGHT WITH FRONT RETREATING BACK THRU OH A LITTLE AGAIN
BEFORE CABOOSE WV PUSHES FRONT INTO AREA TWD DAWN AND QUICKLY THRU
AREA FRI.

EVENTS TAKE PLACE QUICKLY ON FRIDAY...THINK TIMING IS SUCH THAT TS
DVPS E OF MTNS DRG AFTN ALTHO GUD UPPR DIV W RR.  QUICK SHRA/SN IN
NW FLO EVENT FRI AFTN...OVR ALL EXC MTNS FRI NGT...CHC SHSN THERE
UNTIL ALMOST DAWN.  UPSLOPE FLO GIVES WAY TO BUILDING HIGH SAT.

W STRNG WARM SECTOR FLO...WL LEAN TWD HIER MAV NMBRS S THIS AFTN BUT
HEDGE BETS A LITTLE UP N...HIGHS THERE A FUNCTION OF WHEN LOW CLOUDS
BURN OFF.  NMBRS A LITTLE CLSR BEYOND THAT AND WONT STRAY TOO FAR.
PREFER MAV POPS THRU FRI (LOWER TDY AND HIER TNGT/FRI).

XTNDD: SAT NGT ON...CLIPPER SYSM SAT AFTN INTO SUN IS MAIN FOCUS.
SRN STREAM POISED TO THROW A DECENT CI CANOPY SAT NGT ACR SRN
XCTNS.  GVN WRLY FLO ALOFT STILL DEBATABLE HOW FAR N IT PROGRESSES.
AVN ILLUSTRATING GUD RUN TO RUN CONTINUITY VIA DPROG/DT WITH NXT WX
MAKER.  WL ADD MENTION OF SHSN ACR MUCH OF SERN OH SUN AFT...WITH
ENTIRE AREA COME SUN NGT.  THESE FEATURES TEND TO BRING A QUICK
BURST OF SNFL TO CWA.  H8 MSTR AND OROGRAPHIC INDUCED CLDS PERSIST
INTO MON MRNG AS FLO IS SLO TO VEER W/SW...THEREFORE MCLDY SEEMS
APPROPRIATE SUN THRU MUCH OF MON.

.RLX...
WV...NONE.
VA...NONE.
KY...NONE.
OH...NONE.

.END/TRM/99

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

2 excessive heat. Local standard time, as filed.

Excessive Heat, Buchanan

When: January 31, 10:00 AM EST to 6:00 PM EST
Where: Buchanan forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 37.267, -82.036 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Excessive Heat, Dickenson

When: January 31, 10:00 AM EST to 6:00 PM EST
Where: Dickenson forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 37.126, -82.350 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

Excessive Heat: Heat at or above the local excessive heat warning criteria, or heat that caused deaths.

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

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Virginia in 2002 Every state in 2002 This day in weather history Warnings in Virginia, January 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: 5278241, 5278242.