A rather cool and uneventful summer along the East Coast of the United States (with a more average heat pattern occurring in the Midwest/Great Lakes regions) changed abruptly when a ridge of high pressure centered off the coast of South Carolina strengthened in late July.
It began in early August for areas of the Midwest and western Great Lakes before spreading eastward and intensifying.
It waned in most areas by the middle of the month, and although fairly short in duration compared with some other continental heat waves, it was very intense at its peak.
Even in Nova Scotia, surrounded by the relatively cool waters of the Atlantic Ocean, temperatures still broke 35 °C (95 °F) in some locations.
National Football League offensive tackle Korey Stringer suffered a heat stroke during the second day of the Minnesota Vikings preseason training camp and died as a result of complications on August 1, 2001.