Excessive Heat in Upper San Pedro River Valley, Arizona

Very hot temperatures of 4 to 8 degrees above normal caused the Major Heat Risk category to be reached July 3-8. Record highs of 104 degrees on July 7 and 102 on July 8 occurred in Sierra Vista. The hottest temperature was 108 at Cascabel on July 3, 6 and 7. The Pima County Medical Examiner determined that heat was the primary cause of death for one individual found in the desert north of Whetstone on July 4 and for another found on July 8 in their Benson home with an A/C unit that had been turned off. On July 7, heat was found to be a contributing factor for an elderly individual with heart disease found in his front yard in Tombstone, who then died at a nearby hospital.

Persistent strong high pressure aloft created an extended period of very hot temperatures in early July across the lower elevations of southeast Arizona. High temperatures were 5 to 14 degrees above normal causing the Major Heat Risk category to be reached and several record high temperatures to be established. A total of 13 heat-related fatalities were reported by the Pima County Medical Examiner.