During the record hot summer in the West, the number of deaths rises

Sustained triple-digit temperatures in the West have claimed more than two dozen lives in Arizona, California and Oregon over the past week, according to local coroners.

A heat dome has been driving up temperatures since the Fourth of July weekend. It was so hot that rescue helicopters could no longer fly in Southern California and cookies could no longer be baked in Las Vegas.

After several days of record-breaking temperatures since July 5, the heat wave reached its peak in Oregon and Idaho on Monday and Tuesday.

The Oregon State Medical Examiner’s Office said it is investigating 10 “possibly heat-related deaths” since the heat warning began on July 5.

Heat kills more Americans than floods, tornadoes, hurricanes or lightning strikes

“The Oregon State Medical Examiner’s Office has received reports of 10 possible heat-related deaths since the current heat advisory began. At this time, none of the deaths can be confirmed as heat-related. This classification of heat-related death is preliminary and further investigation may reveal a cause of death not related to hyperthermia. The final determination of cause of death may not be known until several months after death.”

The victims are between 27 and 87 years old, including eight men and two women.

On Tuesday, temperatures in Washington, Oregon and Idaho reached just over 38 degrees Celsius, breaking decades-old records.

Portland reached 104 degrees, breaking the record of 96 degrees set in 1986. Eugene and Salem, Oregon, reached a sweltering 106 degrees, breaking records set in 1926. Boise recorded a daily record of 108 degrees on Tuesday, just 3 degrees below the all-time record since weather records began in 1875.

Every minute counts: What to do if you see a child locked in a hot car

The heat has not yet subsided in Arizona, and heat advisories remain in effect this week. Even at night, lows remained between 86 and 95 degrees Fahrenheit during the recent heat wave.

Due to a number of recent record-breaking hot summers, authorities in Pima and Maricopa counties in Arizona have set up public databases to track heat illnesses and deaths.

Maricopa County, which includes Phoenix, has reported eight new deaths under investigation for heat-related causes since June 6, bringing the total to 15 at the time of this report. According to the county’s dashboard, the Phoenix area has seen record-breaking heat-related deaths over the past seven years.

Pima County, including Tucson, reported one new heat-related death in July and 26 deaths in June.

New report: Record heat in Phoenix claims over 600 lives

On July 5, the Mohave County Sheriff’s Office in Arizona reported that a four-month-old girl had died after being brought to the hospital from Lake Havasu with heat-related illness. The day the baby died, temperatures reached 120 degrees. The investigation into her death is ongoing.

Victims of this heat were people who wanted to enjoy nature and the beauty of the national parks, but were not prepared for the oppressive heat.

At least three hikers have recently died in Grand Canyon National Park, where temperatures can reach 49 degrees Celsius.

Last week, a biker died while riding in Death Valley National Park in California when the high temperature was 58 degrees. Several other bikers in the group were treated for heat-related illnesses, according to the NPS.

According to the Office of the Medical Examiner-Coroner, more than a dozen deaths due to heat-related causes are under investigation in Santa Clara County, California since the first week of July.

Deadly heat isn’t just a problem in the West. The Maryland Department of Health reported the state’s first heat-related death of the year on June 5. Five more deaths have occurred since June, four of them in Prince George’s County.

Heat remains the No. 1 weather-related cause of death in the United States, claiming an average of 183 lives. US each year based on most data from 1994 to 2023.

A recent Report in the journal Lancet stated that heat-related deaths among those over 65 are expected to increase by 370% by mid-century and by 1,537% in the next century.