Maricopa County has seen an increase in confirmed and unconfirmed heat-related deaths compared to this time last year. Officials say this is due to abnormally warm temperatures this spring.
The county has confirmed 16 heat-related deaths so far. That’s 13 more than at this point last year. Additionally, there are 192 deaths under investigation for heat-related causes, which is also an increase from this time last year.
Sonia Singh, a communications manager for Maricopa County, says that’s because the heat season had an early start.
“We had higher temperatures pop up earlier than normal in the year, so we did unfortunately have some deaths confirmed that occurred in March,” Singh said. “That is relatively early for that to get started.”
The National Weather Service reported that this spring was Phoenix’s hottest on record. The county’s official heat season doesn’t end until Sept. 30.
Singh says it’s important for people to know how to take care of themselves and others in the coming months. This includes taking frequent breaks in shaded areas, checking in on neighbors and learning if personal medications can contribute to heat stress.
“Check on friends, check on neighbors, especially those who are maybe older adults living alone, make sure that their air conditioning is working, it's on, and it's turned down cool enough,” Singh said. “If we all look out for each other, both in taking care of ourselves and taking care of people around us, we can help prevent many of these heat deaths, if not all of them.”
A map of free places to cool off and hydrate can be found at maricopa.gov/heat. Calling 211 can also connect you to an operator who will guide you to the nearest help.
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Phoenix remains under an extreme heat warning through the weekend. By Sunday, this warning will have lasted 18 consecutive days, making it the second-longest extreme heat warning ever for the Valley.
