Arizona, 2023

Heat in Arizona, September 8, 2023

September 8, 2023 · NWS TWC · 1 event in 1 county or zone

Hot temperatures around 10 degrees above normal caused 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 in southern Cochise County.

Where it happened

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The toll

Deaths
1
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
1

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 around 10 degrees above normal caused 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 in southern Cochise County.

The radar

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

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Event by event

1 heat. Local standard time, as filed.

Heat, Eastern Cochise County Below 5000 Feet

When
September 8, 11:00 AM MST to 7:00 PM MST
Where
Eastern Cochise County Below 5000 Feet forecast zone
Deaths
1 direct, 0 indirect
Reported by
County Official
Coordinates
31.880, -109.751 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Hot temperatures around 10 degrees above normal caused the Moderate Heat Risk category to be reached in southeast Cochise County where temperatures topped out around 100 degrees. The Pima County Medical Examiner determined heat to be the primary cause of death for one individual found in the desert northeast of Douglas.

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, Eastern Cochise County Below 5000 Feet2023-09-0820MaleOutside/Open AreasDirect

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 2023Every state in 2023This day in weather historyWarnings in Arizona, September 2023

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: 1141656.