Phoenix sets all-time record again for heat-associated deaths after scorching summer
As of Wednesday, there have been 569 confirmed deaths caused by excessive heat in the Phoenix area according to data from the Maricopa County Department of Public Health, with 60 more deaths still under investigation.
Phoenix Heat Relief Network responding to record heat wave
FILE – Phoenix Emergency Management Director Brian Lee explains how the city's Heat Relief Network is responding to the scorching heat in Arizona by providing resources to community members.
PHOENIX – Residents of the hottest metropolitan area in the U.S. have suffered another record for heat-related deaths this year.
As of Wednesday, there have been 569 confirmed deaths caused by excessive heat in the Phoenix area, according to data from the Maricopa County Department of Public Health (MCDPH), with 60 more deaths still under investigation.
PHOENIX BECOMES FIRST MAJOR US CITY TO AVERAGE OVER 100 DEGREES IN A MONTH
FILE -- A sign reading 'Today's High: 115' is posted in South Mountain Park amid the city's worst heat wave on record on July 25, 2023 in Phoenix, Arizona.
(Mario Tama / Getty Images)
The staggering number of deaths reported this year is already 33% higher than last year’s record of 435 deaths. It also marks the seventh consecutive year of record heat-related deaths since the county began tracking in 2006.
The 50 to 64 age group remains the most affected by the heat, with 29% of deaths. Outdoor locations accounted for 74% of deaths.
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FILE -- Firefighters and paramedics from Phoenix Fire Station 18 wheel a resident to an ambulance from a bus stop during a heat wave in Phoenix, Arizona, on Thursday, July 20, 2023.
(Caitlin O'Hara/Bloomberg / Getty Images)
Earlier this summer, Phoenix spent nearly all of July with high temperatures at or above 110 degrees, smashing their record for consecutive 110-degree days at 31. When factoring both the high and low temperatures, the average temperature in July reached 102.74 – making Phoenix the first major city in the U.S. ever to average 100 degrees or more for a month.
"Even with extreme heat like we saw this summer, these deaths are preventable," Dr. Rebecca Sunenshine, medical director for MCDPH, said back on Oct. 19. "This tragic record reminds us that as a community, we have more work to do to prevent these deaths."
Overall, it was their hottest meteorological summer on record, with an average high temperature of 109.2 degrees, breaking the previous record of 108.5 degrees set in 2020.
"Maricopa County residents and visitors should continue to practice heat safety and check on neighbors, even this late in the season, because heat illness and deaths can occur all the way into November due to rising temperatures," Sunenshine added. "It’s not just extreme heat days that can turn into a tragedy."