Excessive Heat — Southern Sacramento Valley, California

2017-06-18 to 2017-06-23 · Southern Sacramento Valley, California

Event narrative

The Sacramento County Coroner reported a total of 6 heat related deaths in the county. One victim was a 88-year-old woman found outside her home in Elk Grove on June 16th. She had been doing yard work. Her air conditioner was on inside her residence. Another decedent was a 36 year old male found collapsed behind his residence in the city of Sacramento on June 19th. Cause of death was hyperthermia due to environmental heat exposure in combination with acute methamphetamine intoxication. He died at Sutter Medical Center. Another decedent was a 53 year old male found unresponsive on Two Rivers Trail at N. 7th Street in the city of Sacramento on June 21st. Cause of death was hyperthermia due to environmental heat exposure in combination with acute methamphetamine intoxication. He died at Sutter Medical Center. Another decedent was a 56 year old male that collapsed in his home on June 22nd in the city of Sacramento. it is unknown if his air conditioner was broken, but no air was on when he was found. He'd made statements to family that he was hot, but refused to accept help. He died at Kaiser Hospital ' South. Another decedent was an 89 year old female with extensive medical history that was found unresponsive in her home on June 20th in the city of Sacramento. Decedent had an air conditioner. It is unknown if it was broken or just turned off. She died after an extended stay at Kaiser Hospital ' South from heat stroke. Another decedent was an 83 year old female with extensive medical history that was found unresponsive on June 20th in her home in the city of Sacramento. She had air conditioning, but it was turned off. She died at after an extensive stay at Sutter Medical Center. Cause of death was hyperthermia due to heat stroke.

An Excessive Heat Warning was in effect for the area through the period. High temperatures in downtown Sacramento were 106 on the 18th (record), 107 on the 19th (record), 106 on the 20th, 106 on the 21st, and 108 on the 22nd (record).

Wider weather episode

High pressure ridging brought an unusually long and strong heat wave for the month of June, with a remarkable 24 new record high temperatures and 16 record high minimum temperatures being set in the area. At the peak of the heat wave on the 21st, Redding reached 112, Red Bluff 113, Marysville 112, downtown Sacramento 108 and Stockton 108. A heat related fatality was reported in Sacramento County, two in Glenn County, as well as multiple people hospitalized due to the heat. There were nine cooling centers opened at the peak of the heat event in Sacramento County. Several power outages were reported at a hospital in Sacramento, and one roadway may have had damage due to the heat.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 700054. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.