Excessive Heat — Tonopah Desert, Arizona
July 16, 2023 · NOAA Storm Events record
Event narrative (NOAA)
A 73-year-old man went on a bike ride in the Sun City Festival area around 1130MST on the 16th before experiencing a flat tire about an hour into his ride. He then called his wife and agreed to walk and meet her at a nearby fire department on Wagner Complex Drive so she could pick him up. His wife then called 911 after he didn't show up. Police and Buckeye Fire Department searched for the man and found his body in the desert less than a mile from the meeting location where he was planning to meet his wife. The Maricopa County Office of the Medical Examiner determined that his death was due to the heat. Temperatures during the early afternoon hours in this area were around 107-110 degrees.
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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.