Cold/Wind Chill — Galiuro and Pinaleno Mountains, Arizona

2022-02-02 to 2022-02-03 · Galiuro and Pinaleno Mountains, Arizona

Event narrative

A man hiking in the Pinaleno Mountains became lost on February 1. Several inches of snow fell on February 2 and coincided with wind chills around 10 degrees. Air temperatures dropped into the single digits overnight. Search teams were able to follow tracks in the snow but found the man deceased. The Pima County Medical Examiner determined that the cause of death was hypothermia.

Wider weather episode

Several inches of snow fell across the Pinaleno and Chiricahua mountains during the afternoon and evening hours of February 2. The snow was accompanied by wind chill temperatures around 10 degrees. After the snow ended, air temperatures dropped into the single digits with wind chills near 5 below zero by sunrise on February 3. The Pima County Medical Examiner confirmed that hypothermia was the primary cause of death for two individuals in the mountains.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1010838. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.