Excessive Heat — Southern Hidalgo County, Texas

2019-06-23 · Southern Hidalgo County, Texas

Event narrative

A New York Times article described potential heat-related deaths, as provided by United States Border Patrol (USBP), during the afternoon of June 23, 2019, in the brush inside the levee along the Rio Grande south of McAllen. One woman (age unknown but assumed to be in her 20s) and three children (two infants and a toddler) were pronounced dead when found that evening. Between 3 and 4 PM CDT, the heat index at McAllen/Miller Airport, less than 10 miles north of the location of the bodies and the most relevant proxy location, reported more than an hour of heat index of 118 degrees. Excessive heat is defined as values 116 or higher in the region.

Wider weather episode

More than a week of excessive heat across the Rio Grande Valley was a likely culprit in at least four deaths of undocumented immigrants who perished from heat stroke or severe heat exhaustion as well as dehydration in brush just south of McAllen, Texas, on June 23rd. The heat was the result of persistent atmospheric high pressure centered over central Texas, with low level southerly flow providing enhanced tropical moisture via exceptional dew point temperatures, even during the afternoon. The period of excessive heat was from June 17 through 24, so more fatalities may have occurred in the Rio Grande Valley during this time.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 855043. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.