The heatwave in the United States has resulted in a rising death toll, with experts suspecting that the figures reported may be significantly underestimated. According to medical examiners, at least 147 people have died in just five counties due to the extreme heat. However, these numbers are believed to be far lower than the actual count of lives lost to the scorching temperatures.
The reported deaths occurred in three states that experienced the worst of this summer’s relentless heat. As of early August, there were 64 deaths in Pima County, Arizona, 39 in Maricopa County, Arizona, 26 in Clark County, Nevada, 11 in Webb County, Texas, and seven in Harris County, Texas.
Although heat-related deaths have also been reported in California, parts of the South, and the Midwest, the tolls in these areas have not been as high as in the five counties mentioned. Maricopa County, home to Phoenix, has officially recorded at least 39 deaths related to the heat, with an additional 312 deaths under investigation for possible heat-related causes.
The fatalities occurred during a period of record-breaking temperatures at the end of June and throughout July in many parts of the South and Southwest. Phoenix, in particular, experienced the hottest month ever recorded in any US city, with 31 consecutive days reaching or exceeding 110 degrees Fahrenheit from June to July.
The death toll from extreme heat has surpassed that of tornadoes and flooding combined. Scientists predict that heatwaves will continue to worsen due to the climate crisis, yet there are still many regions that do not accurately or consistently report heat-related deaths.
David S. Jones, a physician and historian at Harvard University, believes that the reported numbers are likely underestimates. He expressed his confusion over the low death counts, citing past instances where even less severe heatwaves in the US have claimed hundreds of lives. Jones suspects that the current mortality reports for the summer of 2023 in the US are significantly below the actual count, though there is no concrete evidence to support this claim.
Jones mentioned that the lower death tolls in the South could be attributed to people being more accustomed to the heat and having greater access to air conditioning. However, he emphasized that determining the cause of death is a complex process. Medical examiners must identify a single cause, and in some cases, these officials may lack medical backgrounds.
Epidemiologists have highlighted that extreme heat acts as a risk multiplier and can be a significant contributing factor in cases where it is not immediately clear that heat was the direct cause of death. A study conducted in 2020 discovered that heat-related deaths were underestimated in 297 of the most populous US counties, with mortality records often neglecting other potentially heat-related causes, such as heart attacks.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates heat-related deaths by analyzing death certificates that list heat as a primary or contributing cause. The CDC states that approximately 700 people die from heat annually. However, the National Weather Service recorded only 148 heat-related deaths last year, with a 10-year average of 153 deaths and a 30-year average of 168 deaths.
Comparatively, European countries experienced significantly higher heat-related mortality rates during last summer’s scorching heatwave, resulting in nearly 62,000 deaths.
Jones proposed a couple of explanations for the inconsistency in statistics between the US and Europe. It could be a case of underreporting in the US or the heat being more lethal in Europe due to the lack of widespread air conditioning. He also noted that the US faces challenges in obtaining rapid and comprehensive health data, with variations in reporting speed and accuracy at city and state levels.
These numbers emphasize the seriousness of extreme heat as a health risk. Heat-related deaths surpass those caused by any other weather-related disaster in the US. The climate crisis continues to exacerbate the lethality of these extreme events, as demonstrated by the exceptionally hot temperatures experienced this summer.
