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woman ‘died after thieves stole air-conditioner’
Police have reported an increase in the number of air conditioning units being stolen throughout Texas
A US woman who reported that her air-conditioning unit had been stolen later died of heat exhaustion, officials in the state of Texas have confirmed.
Dolores Grissom, 79, died in her home in Oak Cliff two days after telling police her unit had been stolen.
The news comes as parts of Texas are experiencing their 39th consecutive day of temperatures above 100F (38C), with 13 deaths in Dallas County alone.
The National Weather Service has issued heat advisories for parts of 14 states.
Heat deaths Dallas County Medical Examiner’s Office reported this week that the death of Dolores Grissom, whose body was discovered on 16 July, was in fact heat-related.
Police in Oak Cliff said they had received increased reports of air-conditioning units being stolen during the past month, as Texas continues to smoulder under the blistering heatwave.
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I can’t remember any year with the magnitude and length of this heatwave”
Jack Hayes National Weather Service
July was the hottest month ever recorded in Texas and the third driest in the state, according to the National Weather Service.
On Thursday the city of Dallas marked its 34th consecutive day of temperatures topping 100F, while Waco saw its 42nd straight day.
Electricity usage in the state has set records for three days this week, and forecasters said temperatures were expected to stay above 100F during the weekend.
Deaths related to the hot weather have also been reported in Missouri, Florida, and Georgia.
Other states, like Kansas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Tennessee, and Louisiana, have also felt the full force of the hot weather, with temperatures reaching as high as 110F during the past week.
Little Rock in Arkansas hit an all-time record high of 114F on Wednesday and experienced temperatures well above 100F on Thursday.
“I can’t remember any year with the magnitude and length of this heatwave,” Jack Hayes, director of the National Weather Service, told MSNBC News.
“One thing that really causes this to stand out is the night time lows are much higher in this outbreak,” he said, adding that it puts an “additional overnight strain on everything”.
Cooling shelters have opened up across the south with tens of thousands experiencing power outages because of the heat.
We in the UK are having a moan that it is a bit blowy and dull for August. I am so glad to be here and not suffering like that.
Shadow, same sort of thing happened here in Canada back in 1999 – we had 9 ice storms in a row which took down electricity pylons like matchsticks due to the weight of the ice on the power lines. Both Ottawa and Montreal were without electricity for a couple of weeks – in outlying areas, for 3 months. Men were going around stealing power generators and then re-selling them at exorbitant prices. This was wintertime too. Many people died.
illgner :). We Brits are always moaning about our weather aren’t we?. Cant have a cup of tea without bringing the weather forecaste in!. America is going through a rotten time and as far as i know the heat wave shows no sign of ending. It’s the elderly and infirmed that have my sympathy. Thank you for your comment.
jojo. I dont know what is going on with the weather these days?. It creepy to say the least. I thought you were from the States? lol, yep, i did read your profile but that was ages ago when we all moved on to this new site. Do you think it’s old age?? lol. Thanks jojo for your comment. :).