Heat in Wisconsin, April 15 to 18, 2002

Name: Heat in Wisconsin, April 15 to 18, 2002
Start: 2002-04-15T13:00
End: 2002-04-18T15:00
Location: Wisconsin

April 15 to 18, 2002 · NWS MKX · 20 events in 20 counties and zones

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 20 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: 1
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 20

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 MKX wrote it up.

An out-of-season heat wave affected south-central and southeast Wisconsin thanks to a very warm, moist airmass which settled in for the 4-day period of April 15-18. Maximum afternoon temperatures were mostly in the mid 80s to lower 90s, and overnight lows in the 60s, or about 30 to 35 degrees above normal! Specifically, Milwaukee's Mitchell Field (Milwaukee Co.) topped out at 88, 86, 82, and 88 for the four days. In Madison (Dane Co.), maximum readings were 87, 86, 78, and 85. On the 15th, the Janesville Airport (Rock Co.) and West Allis (Milwaukee Co.) peaked at 91. On the 16th, Burlington (Racine Co.) and West Allis topped out at 90. On the 17th, an 85 was observed at West Allis, Mt. Mary College (Milwaukee Co.), and Racine (Racine Co.). On the 18th, Burlington had high honors with 91. Surface dewpoints were in the 60 to 65 degree range. Southwest winds gusted to 25 to 35 mph during the daytime hours of this 4-day period. A 50-year-old male died (direct death - Milwaukee County medicaly examiner classification) in a community-based residential home In Milwaukee County about 1600CST on April 16th. Although the heat index in Milwaukee County on April 16th was only in the upper 80s to lower 90s, the early-season nature and length of this heat wave was sufficient to adversly affect one individual.

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 Milwaukee, WI wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Apr 14, 1:55 PM CST, 23 hours 5 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Apr 14, 1:55 PM CST, 23 hours 5 minutes before

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The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

20 heat. Local standard time, as filed.

Heat, Dane

When: April 15, 1:00 PM CST to April 18, 3:00 PM CST
Where: Dane forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 43.067, -89.418 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heat, Jefferson

When: April 15, 1:00 PM CST to April 18, 3:00 PM CST
Where: Jefferson forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 43.021, -88.776 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heat, Waukesha

When: April 15, 1:00 PM CST to April 18, 1:00 PM CST
Where: Waukesha forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 43.018, -88.304 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heat, Milwaukee

When: April 15, 1:00 PM CST to April 18, 1:00 PM CST
Where: Milwaukee forecast zone
Deaths: 1 direct, 0 indirect
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 43.022, -87.929 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heat, Green

When: April 15, 1:00 PM CST to April 18, 1:00 PM CST
Where: Green forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 42.680, -89.602 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heat, Rock

When: April 15, 1:00 PM CST to April 18, 1:00 PM CST
Where: Rock forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 42.671, -89.072 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heat, Walworth

When: April 15, 1:00 PM CST to April 18, 1:00 PM CST
Where: Walworth forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 42.669, -88.542 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heat, Racine

When: April 15, 1:00 PM CST to April 18, 1:00 PM CST
Where: Racine forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 42.730, -87.812 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heat, Kenosha

When: April 15, 1:00 PM CST to April 18, 1:00 PM CST
Where: Kenosha forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 42.573, -87.840 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heat, Marquette

When: April 15, 1:00 PM CST to April 18, 3:00 PM CST
Where: Marquette forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 43.820, -89.399 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heat, Green Lake

When: April 15, 1:00 PM CST to April 18, 3:00 PM CST
Where: Green Lake forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 43.800, -89.045 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heat, Fond du Lac

When: April 15, 1:00 PM CST to April 18, 3:00 PM CST
Where: Fond du Lac forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 43.754, -88.488 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heat, Sheboygan

When: April 15, 1:00 PM CST to April 18, 3:00 PM CST
Where: Sheboygan forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 43.756, -87.800 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heat, Sauk

When: April 15, 1:00 PM CST to April 18, 3:00 PM CST
Where: Sauk forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 43.427, -89.948 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heat, Columbia

When: April 15, 1:00 PM CST to April 18, 3:00 PM CST
Where: Columbia forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 43.467, -89.334 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heat, Dodge

When: April 15, 1:00 PM CST to April 18, 3:00 PM CST
Where: Dodge forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 43.416, -88.707 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heat, Washington

When: April 15, 1:00 PM CST to April 18, 3:00 PM CST
Where: Washington forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 43.369, -88.231 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heat, Ozaukee

When: April 15, 1:00 PM CST to April 18, 3:00 PM CST
Where: Ozaukee forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 43.403, -87.891 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heat, Iowa

When: April 15, 1:00 PM CST to April 18, 3:00 PM CST
Where: Iowa forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 43.001, -90.135 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heat, Lafayette

When: April 15, 1:00 PM CST to April 18, 3:00 PM CST
Where: Lafayette forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 42.661, -90.132 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

The people who died

As the offices recorded each death: direct deaths were caused by the weather itself, indirect ones by something it set in motion.

Event	Date	Age	Sex	Where	Kind
Heat, Milwaukee	2002-04-16	50	Male	Permanent Home	Direct

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 Wisconsin in 2002 Every state in 2002 This day in weather history Warnings in Wisconsin, April 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 2026-10-01. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5296457, 5296458, 5296459, 5296460, 5296461, 5296462, 5296463, 5296464, 5296465, 5296466, 5296467, 5296468, 5296469, 5296470, 5296471, 5296472, 5296473, 5296474, 5296475, 5296476.