Event narrative (NOAA)
US Border Patrol reported the death of one undocumented immigrant near the City of Hidalgo during the afternoon of December 7, due to hypothermia, as indicated by medical staff who discovered the bodies. Border Patrol Search Trauma and Rescue (BORSTAR) agents and other medics from McAllen attempted to revive an unresponsive victim prior to rushing to a nearby hospital. Unfortunately, the victim was pronounced dead upon arrival at the hospital. The sharp change of the season's first significant cold front after a record-shattering warm January through November likely contributed to the death by lack of acclimation. Just two days earlier, temperatures had been in the mid 80s; on the 7th, wind chills in the lower 30s were too much for migrants with limited clothing and shelter.
Other notable cold/wind chill events in Texas
Source: NOAA/NCEI Storm Events Database. Deaths and injuries are those NOAA classifies as direct. Damage is the reporting office's estimate at the time and is not inflation-adjusted. This is a catalogue record, not a forecast.