Excessive Heat — Baboquivari Mountains, Arizona

2020-07-10 to 2020-07-13 · Baboquivari Mountains, Arizona

Event narrative

Very hot temperatures 6 to 18 degrees above normal occurred in the lower elevations of southeast Arizona, causing the High Heat Risk category to be reached July 10 through July 13. A number of daily high temperature records were tied or broken. Safford Airport recorded its highest temperature ever of 115 degrees on July 11 and set new daily record highs of 111 on July 10 and 112 on July 12. Tucson International Airport set a new daily high temperature record of 113 on July 12, which was just one degree shy of the all time hottest temperature for July. The Tucson Airport also recorded its highest minimum temperature ever when it only dropped to 89 degrees on July 13. On July 11 new record highs included 113 degrees at Duncan, 110 at Fort Thomas, 109 at Willcox and 103 at Sierra Vista. On July 12 new record highs included 115 degrees (tie) at Ajo, 113 at Picacho, 112 at Fort Thomas, 110 at Nogales Airport, San Simon and Willcox, 109 at McNeal and 108 at San Manuel. On July 13 new record highs included 114 degrees at Fort Thomas, 113 (tie) at Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, 109 at Green Valley (tie) and Willcox and 107 at San Simon (tie) and Tombstone. The Pima County Medical Examiner confirmed that heat was the primary cause of death for three adult males, one near Kino Springs on the 10th, another 10 miles west of Douglas on the 11th, and a third near Sweetwater in the western part of the Tohono O'odham Nation on the 13th.

Wider weather episode

Very hot temperatures were experienced in southeast Arizona from July 10th through July 13th. Many locations exceeded 110 degrees and set new daily record high temperatures. The Pima County Medical Examiner confirmed that heat was the primary cause of death for three adult males, one on the western reaches of the Tohono O'odham Nation, one west of Douglas and one near Kino Springs.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 912446. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.