Heat in Virginia, July 22 to 23, 2002

Name: Heat in Virginia, July 22 to 23, 2002
Start: 2002-07-22T10:00
End: 2002-07-23T20:00
Location: Virginia

July 22 to 23, 2002 · NWS LWX · 14 events in 14 counties and zones

Another round of hot and humid weather occurred across Northern and Central Virginia on July 22nd and 23rd. Heat indexes rose to between 98 and 105 degrees both days.

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: 14

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.

Another round of hot and humid weather occurred across Northern and Central Virginia on July 22nd and 23rd. Heat indexes rose to between 98 and 105 degrees both days.

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 Jul 22, 10:00 AM EST, 0 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jul 22, 10:00 AM EST, 0 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BALTIMORE/WASHINGTON
1100 AM EDT TUE JUL 22 2002

AT 14Z CDFNT EXTENDED FM NW PA TO CENTRAL OH MOVING SE. FRONT WILL
APPROACH THE AREA LATE THIS AFTRN MOVING INTO THE AREA TNGT.

DYNAMICS REMAIN WELL N OF THE AREA AND BEST WIND FIELDS/SHEAR REMAIN
N OF THE AREA SO BEST CHC OF ORGANIZED SVR WX WILL BE TO OUR N.
HOWEVER...MODIFIED SOUNDING GIVES IAD AN LI OF -5C AND OVR 3000 J/KG
THIS AFTRN SO INSTABILITY WILL BE PRESENT. EXPECT SCT SHRA/TSRA TO
FORM IN THE INSTABILITY BY MID TO LATE AFTRN POSSIBLY ALG THE
PREFRONTAL TROF. WITH GOOD INSTABIILITY...A FEW PULSE SVR STORMS ARE
NOT OUT OF THE QUESTION LATE THIS AFTRN INTO THIS EVE BUT AS STATED
ABOVE...THE BEST CHC OF ORGANIZED SVR WILL BE TO OUR N. PCP H20 IS
NEARLY 2.00 INCHES OVR THE AREA SO STORMS COULD PRODUCE SOME VERY
HEAVY RAIN. HOWEVER...STORMS SHOULD BE MOVING ALG AT LEAST 15 KTS SO
DONT EXPECT ANY ONE STORM TO STAY OVR ANY ONE LOCATION FOR VERY
LONG SO NO FFA ATTM BUT LOCALIZED FLOODING IN LOW LYING AND POOR
DRAINAGE AREAS CERTAINLY POSSIBLE.

12Z IAD SOUNDING GIVES A MAX TEMP OF 97F. WITH PLENTY OF SUNSHINE
OVR THE AREA NOW AND SW FLOW...TEMPS SHOULD RISE RAPIDLY LATE THIS
MORNING AND THIS AFTRN. WILL WIDEN THE RANGE A BIT TO ACCOUNT FOR A
FEW SPOTS POSSIBLY REACHING THE UPR 90S. ALSO BUMPED UP TEMPS IN THE
DOWNSLOPE AREAS OF THE WRN RIDGES. THEY WERE JUST AS HOT AS ERN
AREAS YDA AND IT SHOULD BE THE SAME CASE AGAIN THIS AFTRN.

WITH DWPTS AROUND 70 AND TEMPS AT LEAST 95F HEAT INDICES WILL ONCE
AGAIN BE IN THE ADVY RANGE OVR ENTIRE AREA EXCEPT HIGHLAND AND
PENDLETON CO. HAVE EXPANDED THE ADVISORY FOR THE AFTRN HOURS.

NO CHGS 2ND PD OR BEYOND.

.LWX...
DC...HEAT ADVISORY UNTIL 6 PM TODAY FOR ZONE DCZ001.
MD...HEAT ADVISORY UNTIL 6 PM TODAY FOR ZONES
     MDZ002>007...MDZ009>011...MDZ013>014...MDZ016>018.
VA...HEAT ADVISORY UNTIL 6 PM TODAY FOR ZONES
     VAZ025>031...VAZ036>042...VAZ050>057.
WV...HEAT ADVISORY UNTIL 6 PM TODAY FOR ZONES WVZ048>053...WVZ055.

WALSTON

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

14 heat. Local standard time, as filed.

Heat, Loudoun

When: July 22, 10:00 AM EST to July 23, 8:00 PM EST
Where: Loudoun forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

Heat, Fairfax

When: July 22, 10:00 AM EST to July 23, 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, Arlington / Alexandria / Falls Church

When: July 22, 10:00 AM EST to July 23, 8:00 PM EST
Where: Arlington / Alexandria / Falls Church forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 38.855, -77.106 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heat, Prince William / Manassas

When: July 22, 10:00 AM EST to July 23, 8:00 PM EST
Where: Prince William / Manassas forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

Heat, Fauquier

When: July 22, 10:00 AM EST to July 23, 8:00 PM EST
Where: Fauquier forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

Heat, Rappahannock

When: July 22, 10:00 AM EST to July 23, 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, Culpeper

When: July 22, 10:00 AM EST to July 23, 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, Stafford

When: July 22, 10:00 AM EST to July 23, 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: July 22, 10:00 AM EST to July 23, 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 / Fredericksburg

When: July 22, 10:00 AM EST to July 23, 8:00 PM EST
Where: Spotsylvania / Fredericksburg 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: July 22, 10:00 AM EST to July 23, 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: July 22, 10:00 AM EST to July 23, 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, Albemarle / Charlotttesville

When: July 22, 10:00 AM EST to July 23, 8:00 PM EST
Where: Albemarle / Charlotttesville forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 38.029, -78.477 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heat, Nelson

When: July 22, 10:00 AM EST to July 23, 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

Every storm in Virginia in 2002 Every state in 2002 This day in weather history Warnings in Virginia, 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: 5308225, 5308226, 5308227, 5308228, 5308229, 5308230, 5308231, 5308232, 5308233, 5308234, 5308235, 5308236, 5308237, 5308238.