Heat, Santa Cruz County
- When
- May 20, 1:00 PM MST to May 26, 10:00 PM MST
- Where
- Santa Cruz County forecast zone
- Deaths
- 1 direct, 0 indirect
- Reported by
- NEWSPAPER
Heat in Arizona, May 20 to 26, 2005
A strong high pressure ridge across Arizona caused extreme heat across the desert Southwest. The heat was extreme from May 20, 2005 until May 26, 2005, with the hottest days being May 20th thru 23rd.
The toll
- Deaths
- 12
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- None recorded
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 4
Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.
What happened
The episode as NWS TWC wrote it up.
A strong high pressure ridge across Arizona caused extreme heat across the desert Southwest. The heat was extreme from May 20, 2005 until May 26, 2005, with the hottest days being May 20th thru 23rd. Throughout this heat wave several bodies, some identified and some not, where found in the desert, all were believed to have died as a result of the extreme heat.Below is a table of the temperatures for several stations across Southeast Arizona during the above mentioned period: TUS DUG OLS Sells O.P. Ajo P.P.May 20th 105 101 101 106 106 M 107 May 21st 107 103 103 107 105 M 109May 22nd 109 105 106 M 108 110 110 May 23rd 105 102 101 M 107 103 109May 24th 102 98 97 100 99 97 106 May 25th 101 95 95 100 101 101 103May26th 101 94 93 102 103 104 105TUS = Tucson International Airport ASOSDUG = Douglas / Bisbee International Airport ASOSOLS = Nogales International Airport ASOSO.P. = Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument Cooperative ObserverP.P. = Picacho Peak State Park Cooperative ObserverSells= Sells Fire Station Cooperative ObserverAjo = Ajo Cooperative Observer M= Missing Data
Event by event
4 heat. Local standard time, as filed.
Heat, Tohono Oodham Nation
- When
- May 20, 1:00 PM MST to May 26, 10:00 PM MST
- Where
- Tohono Oodham Nation forecast zone
- Deaths
- 8 direct, 0 indirect
- Reported by
- NEWSPAPER
Heat, Cochise County
- When
- May 20, 1:00 PM MST to May 26, 10:00 PM MST
- Where
- Cochise County forecast zone
- Deaths
- 2 direct, 0 indirect
- Reported by
- NEWSPAPER
Heat, Tucson Metro/Marana/Green Valley
- When
- May 20, 1:00 PM MST to May 26, 10:00 PM MST
- Where
- Tucson Metro/Marana/Green Valley forecast zone
- Deaths
- 1 direct, 0 indirect
- Reported by
- NEWSPAPER
The people who died
As the offices recorded each death: direct deaths were caused by the weather itself, indirect ones by something it set in motion.
| Event | Date | Age | Sex | Where | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Heat, Santa Cruz County | 2005-05-20 | 22 | Male | Outside/Open Areas | Direct |
| Heat, Tohono Oodham Nation | 2005-05-22 | Male | Outside/Open Areas | Direct | |
| Heat, Tohono Oodham Nation | 2005-05-23 | Outside/Open Areas | Direct | ||
| Heat, Tohono Oodham Nation | 2005-05-21 | 35 | Female | Outside/Open Areas | Direct |
| Heat, Tohono Oodham Nation | 2005-05-23 | Male | Outside/Open Areas | Direct | |
| Heat, Tohono Oodham Nation | 2005-05-21 | Male | Outside/Open Areas | Direct | |
| Heat, Tohono Oodham Nation | 2005-05-25 | 48 | Male | Outside/Open Areas | Direct |
| Heat, Tohono Oodham Nation | 2005-05-26 | Outside/Open Areas | Direct | ||
| Heat, Tohono Oodham Nation | 2005-05-26 | Outside/Open Areas | Direct | ||
| Heat, Cochise County | 2005-05-22 | 19 | Male | Outside/Open Areas | Direct |
| Heat, Cochise County | 2005-05-21 | 27 | Male | Outside/Open Areas | Direct |
| Heat, Tucson Metro/Marana/Green Valley | 2005-05-26 | Male | Outside/Open Areas | Direct |
What these are
- Heat
- Heat below excessive heat criteria that still caused deaths, injuries or significant impacts.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
The same day elsewhere
- Avalanche in Colorado, May 20, 2005
- Flash Flood and Hail in Mississippi, May 20, 2005
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Georgia, May 20, 2005
- Damaging Wind in South Carolina, May 20, 2005
- Tornado in North Carolina, May 20, 2005
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Georgia, May 20, 2005
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Montana, May 20, 2005
- Tornadoes and Flash Flooding in North Dakota, May 20 to 21, 2005
- Damaging Wind in Tennessee, May 20, 2005
- Damaging Wind in Alabama, May 20, 2005
- Tornado in Virginia, May 20, 2005
- Hail and Damaging Winds in South Carolina, May 20, 2005
More
Every storm in Arizona in 2005Every state in 2005This day in weather historyWarnings in Arizona, May 2005
Sources
NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-10-01. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5446988, 5446989, 5446990, 5446991.