Excessive Heat — Upper San Pedro River Valley, Arizona
July 3, 2023 · NOAA Storm Events record
Event narrative (NOAA)
Very hot temperatures of 4 to 8 degrees above normal caused the Major Heat Risk category to be reached July 3-8. Record highs of 104 degrees on July 7 and 102 on July 8 occurred in Sierra Vista. The hottest temperature was 108 at Cascabel on July 3, 6 and 7. The Pima County Medical Examiner determined that heat was the primary cause of death for one individual found in the desert north of Whetstone on July 4 and for another found on July 8 in their Benson home with an A/C unit that had been turned off. On July 7, heat was found to be a contributing factor for an elderly individual with heart disease found in his front yard in Tombstone, who then died at a nearby hospital.
Other notable excessive heat events in Arizona
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.