The Maricopa County Medical Examiner says admissions for suspected heat-related death cases have now started to slow down after a surge in late June and early July.
Maricopa County is looking into 396 possible heat-related deaths so far this year, according to the county public health department. 27 heat deaths have been confirmed. Those numbers are about 10% higher than they were at the same point last summer.
“It’s a little difficult to compare to last summer because the surge started earlier this year,” Maricopa County chief medical examiner Dr. Jeff Johnston told KJZZ News.
This June was Phoenix’s hottest on record, with temperatures averaging 5.6 degrees above normal. July temperatures so far have averaged 6.1 degrees hotter than normal, according to the National Weather Service.
But Johnston notes drug use and homelessness are also major factors driving up heat-related deaths.
“Certainly it’s getting hotter, but there’s also I think this post-pandemic effect of just having more vulnerable people,” Johnston said.
Among heat deaths confirmed so far this year, more than half have involved drug use and nearly 40% have been among people experiencing homelessness, county data shows.
The number of heat deaths in the county has risen to a new record every year since 2016. Johnston said the last two summers have been particularly overwhelming for his office
“[Summer of 2022] was a real surprise for us, we had never really seen that level of admissions surge. The second year, [2023] was still a bit of a surprise, just because it was so much more intense than the first one,” Johnston said.
Johnston said this summer has been similar to the last two, but he said it’s too soon to tell if 2024 will break yet another record for heat deaths.
-
Temperatures in Phoenix have been well above-average for the first week of October, but the weather is about to take a turn. Are we finally done with triple-digits for the year? -
he event, called PhiusCon, is being put on by a nonprofit called Phius, which certifies professionals in its passive building standard. This is the first time in the conference’s more than two-decade history that it’s taking place in the Southwest. -
Nearly 30 people have died from heat stroke in the Mexican state south of Arizona this year. -
What is the purpose of these so-called military-style workouts in collegiate or professional sports? Why are they prominent today? -
The department’s first e-bike teams were deployed last month to enable rescue teams to get to rural areas with rugged terrain more quickly. The e-bikes can carry medical supplies and rescue equipment to allow firefighters to provide necessary care and manage rescue operations while waiting for additional crews.
