Excessive Heat — Ripley, Missouri

2011-07-19 to 2011-07-24 · Ripley, Missouri

Wider weather episode

A large and strong high in the upper levels of the atmosphere drifted slowly east from the central Plains across the Lower Ohio Valley. This strong upper-level high brought six consecutive days of dangerously high heat and humidity. The peak heat index at Poplar Bluff was 105 degrees on the 19th, 109 on the 20th, 110 on the 21st, 22nd, and 23rd, and 113 on the 24th. The peak heat index at Cape Girardeau was 105 degrees on the 19th, 103 on the 20th, 106 on the 21st, 109 on the 22nd, 105 on the 23rd, and 109 on the 24th. Low temperatures were from 73 to 78 each night. The actual high temperature at Poplar Bluff reached 100 degrees on the 21st, otherwise highs were in the mid to upper 90's. In Ripley County, a 62-year-old man who had been living in a camper was found dead. The camper had a fan but no air conditioning. There were at least a couple dozen instances of roads buckling due to the heat. One street buckled in Cape Girardeau, and another buckled in Jackson. The damaged areas were cordoned off. The state highway department reported about five instances of roads buckling in Cape Girardeau County and one in Perry County. A few of them were on Interstate 55. About 15 cases of buckled concrete were seen on U.S. Highway 60 and Missouri Highway 25. The buckling occurred at joints in the road where slabs of asphalt or concrete come together. Intense heat caused the slabs to expand and push against each other. Cooling centers were opened in many places, including Marble Hill, Poplar Bluff, Cape Girardeau, Van Buren, Charleston, New Madrid, Perryville, Doniphan, Sikeston and Dexter. A couple of large manufacturing plants closed early or allowed extra long breaks to allow employees to cope with the heat.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 321702. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.