Heat — South Central Utah, Utah

2013-07-01 to 2013-07-04 · South Central Utah, Utah

Event narrative

Hot temperatures contributed to the deaths of three hikers in southern Utah. On July 3, an elderly couple from California received permits to hike The Wave, a popular destination in far southern Utah. Both victims were found on the morning of July 4, and it is believed that they died during the afternoon of the 3rd, when temperatures were close to 100 degrees.

The third victim, a 35-year-old female from Denver, passed away on the 4th of July. She was hiking with a friend near Spooky Gulch in the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. The two women became lost for a couple hours, before other hikers found them and helped them back toward the trailhead. The victim was struggling in the heat and ran out of water near the trailhead, so her friend ran to find help. When she returned, the victim had no pulse, and all efforts to revive her were unsuccessful.

Wider weather episode

A widespread and long-lasting heatwave developed across the western United States at the end of June and continued into the first week of July. Near the end of this heatwave, a few heat-related deaths occurred in southern Utah.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 469328. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.