Arizona, 2022

Heat in Arizona, September 5 to 6, 2022

September 5 to 6, 2022 · NWS TWC · 2 events in 2 counties and zones

Hot temperatures 4 to 6 degrees above normal were experienced across Pima County on September 5 and 6. The Pima County Medical Examiner confirmed that heat was the primary cause of death for one individual found in the desert on the Tohono O'odham Nation and was a contributing factor for one individual in Marana.

Where it happened

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The toll

Deaths
2
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
2

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.

Hot temperatures 4 to 6 degrees above normal were experienced across Pima County on September 5 and 6. The Pima County Medical Examiner confirmed that heat was the primary cause of death for one individual found in the desert on the Tohono O'odham Nation and was a contributing factor for one individual in Marana.

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

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Event by event

2 heat. Local standard time, as filed.

Heat, Tohono O Odham Nation

When
September 5, 10:00 AM MST to 8:00 PM MST
Where
Tohono O Odham Nation forecast zone
Deaths
1 direct, 0 indirect
Reported by
County Official
Coordinates
32.501, -111.567 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Hot high temperatures around 105 degrees, or 4 to 6 degrees above normal, occurred on September 5 causing the Moderate Heat Risk category to be reached. The Pima County Medical Examiner confirmed that heat was the primary cause of death for one individual found in the desert near Route 1 in the far western part of the Tohono O'odham Nation.

Heat, Tucson Metro Area

When
September 6, 11:00 AM MST to 7:00 PM MST
Where
Tucson Metro Area forecast zone
Deaths
0 direct, 1 indirect
Reported by
County Official
Coordinates
32.097, -111.790 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Hot high temperatures 101 to 103 degrees, or 4 to 6 degrees above normal, occurred on September 6 causing the Moderate Heat Risk category to be reached. The Pima County Medical Examiner confirmed that heat was a contributing factor in the death of one individual found in their Marana home. Heart disease was a complicating factor in this fatality.

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.

EventDateAgeSexWhereKind
Heat, Tohono O Odham Nation2022-09-0518MaleOutside/Open AreasDirect
Heat, Tucson Metro Area2022-09-0673FemaleMobile/Trailer HomeIndirect

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

More

Every storm in Arizona in 2022Every state in 2022This day in weather historyWarnings in Arizona, September 2022

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 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 1058367, 1141406.