Heat — Cameron, Texas

2009-06-12 · Cameron, Texas

Event narrative

A man was found dead in a parking lot near a restaurant in downtown Harlingen during the afternoon of June 12th. Residents believed the man to be homeless, and the suspected cause of death was heat stroke. The man was pronounced dead at 5:50 PM CDT but may have died a few hours earlier during the peak of the heat. Heat index values at the Harlingen/Valley International Airport peaked at 107 during the afternoon, and at 112 at McAllen/Miller Airport in Hidalgo County. It is quite possible that where the fatality occurred, in a more urban setting, heat index values could have been at or very near local advisory criteria, which is 111 during the afternoon.

Wider weather episode

Strong high pressure above the surface, combined with a weak front approaching North Texas, helped import higher than average surface dew points into the Lower Rio Grande Valley, along with air temperatures a few degrees above normal. Heat index values rose to 107 at the Harlingen/Valley Airport and 112 at McAllen/Miller Airport. While the value of 107 is just under local advisory criteria, conditions where a fatality occurred may have been closer to the 111 benchmark.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 186478. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.