Heat — Clarke, Virginia

2003-06-30 · Clarke, Virginia

Wider weather episode

A 15-year-old-girl died of heat stroke on July 2nd while hiking on the Appalachian Trail along the Clarke and Loudoun County border. She was participating in a 13-day hiking trip with other students from Georgia, and she died on the 4th day of the hike. She complained of stomach pains and dizziness before collapsing. Emergency workers were unable to revive her after struggling to reach the remote section of trail where she collapsed. Temperatures were in the 70s on the day she died. However, on the first two days of her trek, highs reached into the upper 80s. On June 30th, the high temperature at Washington Dulles International Airport was 89 degrees.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 5372414. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.