Heat in Oklahoma, July 1 to 7, 1996

High temperatures topped the century mark in central Oklahoma through the first week of July. On July 1, the high in Oklahoma City (at OKC) reached 102 degrees, then 104 on the 2nd, 103 on the 3rd, 105 on the 4th, 108 on the 5th, 110 on the 6th, and 106 on the 7th. During this prolonged period of hot temperatures, 7 deaths were attributed to the excessive heat. All of the victims were elderly and all but one were in their homes without air conditioning. The first fatality was an 80-year-old woman who was found the morning of July 4th in her unairconditioned home in Chandler in Lincoln County. The second fatality was a 66-year-old man in Woodward in Woodward County. This man was also in his home and his evaporative cooler had stopped working. The third death was a 67-year-old man who was found in his home in Cushing in Payne County on July 5th. His air conditioner was not working when he was found. The fourth victim, an 87-year-old woman, was found on July 7th in her unairconditioned home in northeast Oklahoma City in Oklahoma County. The fifth fatality was an 87-year-old man who was found in his apartment in downtown Oklahoma City on July 8th. The sixth heat-related death was a 71-year-old man who was found in his apartment in Ardmore in Carter County on July 8th. The seventh and last death that was attributed to the excessive heat was that of an 89-year-old man who had wandered away from a nursing home in Carnegie in Caddo County. The man was found on July 4th in a field on the edge of town and had died from exposure to the heat.