Excessive Heat — Tonopah Desert, Arizona

2023-07-11 to 2023-07-22 · Tonopah Desert, Arizona

Event narrative

A 73-year-old man went on a bike ride in the Sun City Festival area around 1130MST on the 16th before experiencing a flat tire about an hour into his ride. He then called his wife and agreed to walk and meet her at a nearby fire department on Wagner Complex Drive so she could pick him up. His wife then called 911 after he didn't show up. Police and Buckeye Fire Department searched for the man and found his body in the desert less than a mile from the meeting location where he was planning to meet his wife. The Maricopa County Office of the Medical Examiner determined that his death was due to the heat. Temperatures during the early afternoon hours in this area were around 107-110 degrees.

Wider weather episode

A very strong ridge of high pressure strengthened over the Desert Southwest during the middle part of the month, resulting in well above normal temperatures and excessive heat conditions. Afternoon high temperatures in Phoenix during this time period ranged between 111-119 degrees, tying or breaking daily record highs on the 13th through the 15th as well as the 17th through the 20th. Record warm low temperatures were also set on the 12th through the 14th and the 16th through the 22nd. The warmest low temperature occurred on the 19th when Phoenix Sky Harbor only got down to 97 degrees, breaking the previous all-time record warm low of 96 degrees set in 2003. According to the Maricopa County Department of Public Health, 232 heat-associated fatalities occurred during this heat wave. One of the fatalities that occurred during this time include an elderly man who succumbed to the heat on the 16th in the Sun City Festival area after experiencing a flat tire during his bike ride. During the middle of July, morgue capacity quickly went from 64% to 94% due to the heat, resulting in temporary morgue operations being set up. Maricopa County daily heat related emergency department visits peaked on July 19th at 147. In addition to the heat fatalities that occurred in Maricopa County, seven heat-associated fatalities were also reported in La Paz County during this time.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1217185. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.