Excessive Heat — Crawford, Wisconsin

2011-07-17 to 2011-07-20 · Crawford, Wisconsin

Event narrative

An elderly lady lost her life when the air conditioning failed in her mobile home. Her body was found on the 20th with the date of her death unknown. For an extended period between the 17th and 20th, afternoon heat indices routinely topped out between 110 and 115 with overnight low temperatures remaining above 75 degrees. The highest recorded heat index was 116 in Prairie du Chien on the 19th when the dew point hit 82.

Wider weather episode

Warm and humid air invaded western Wisconsin on July 17th and remained in place for the next three days. Two people perished as a result of the excessive heat and at least eight other were treated for heat related illnesses. During this stretch, afternoon heat indices routinely topped out between 110 and 120. Little relief occurred at night, as overnight lows remained in the 70s. Most of the counties across western Wisconsin opened cooling centers.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 326715. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.