The number of heat-related deaths in Maricopa County this summer is on track to be lower than it has been for the last two years.
The Maricopa County Department of Public Health has confirmed 35 heat-related deaths so far this year. Three hundred sixty-nine more deaths remain under investigation. Those numbers still point to a major public health challenge. But the numbers are about 23% lower than what had been reported at the same point last summer.
“With this many cases still under investigation and it only being mid-August, there's a lot that could still happen,” said Maricopa County Public Health chief medical officer Dr. Nick Staab.
But Staab called the possible decrease from last year an encouraging sign.
Heat-related deaths have skyrocketed in Maricopa County over the last decade. In 2014, the county confirmed 61 heat deaths. Six hundred eight deaths were confirmed in 2024.
But 2024 was the first year in a decade when the county reported a slight year-over-year decrease in deaths, in spite of record-breaking temperatures.
Temperatures this summer have been cooler than last year, but this summer is still likely to be one of the hottest ever recorded in the Valley. Staab said the possibility of another year-over-year drop in deaths suggests city and county efforts to expand access to cooling centers are paying off.
“The more that people know that cooling centers are available and that folks who need them are being referred can access them, whether that means getting transportation to a heat relief site or just having the extended hours that have been provided over the last couple summers, I think that that is a useful tool and we're seeing it bear out in lower numbers,” Staab said.
At a press conference in May, Dr. Eugene Livar, Arizona’s chief heat officer, noted that last year, Arizona saw nearly 6,000 heat-related emergency room visits statewide — a record. But he said last year’s slight decrease in deaths could be connected with the increase in people going to the hospital.
“While an increase in heat-related illness may sound negative on the surface, it’s a sign that individuals are seeking early help and we are likely preventing heat-related deaths,” Livar said.
Dr. Frank LoVecchio works in the emergency department at Valleywise Health in Phoenix. After the extreme heat of the last two summers, LoVecchio said he thinks the Valley’s first responders and hospitals have gotten better at treating heat illnesses.
“I think it’s become our new normal, unfortunately, where we know as the temperatures rise that we’re more likely to get visits,” LoVecchio said. But, he added, “We’re getting more protocolized, we’re getting a better understanding of who needs to stay, who needs to get admitted, who needs to get IV fluids a little bit more aggressively.”
The Phoenix Fire Department last year adopted a new protocol for some heat-related emergencies, wrapping some patients in ice-filled body bags while they are transported to a hospital. The department reports it used the rapid cooling technique more than 300 times last year. LoVecchio said he’s certain the procedure is helping to save lives.
Maricopa County typically does not release its final reports on annual heat-related death data until spring of the following year.
EDITOR'S NOTE: This story has been updated to correct the percentage difference between heat-related deaths under investigation last summer compared to this summer.
