Killer heat: Deaths mounting during record hot summer across the West
Oregon officials are investigating 10 possible heat-related deaths that happened between July 5 and July 11. Dozens of other deaths have been reported in Arizona and California during the summer’s record heat. Still, heat-related deaths aren’t limited to the West; Maryland has reported 6 deaths since June.
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FOX 10 Phoenix Anchor Ty Brennan talks to FOX Weather about the deadly heat baking Arizona with record-breaking high temperatures, even for July.
Unrelenting triple-digit temperatures across the West have claimed more than two dozen lives this past week in Arizona, California and Oregon, according to local medical examiners.
A heat dome has sent temperatures skyrocketing since the Fourth of July weekend. It has been hot enough to prevent emergency helicopters from flying in Southern California and bake cookies in Las Vegas.
After multiple days of record-breaking temperatures since July 5, the heat wave peaked on Monday and Tuesday in Oregon and Idaho.
The Oregon State Medical Examiner’s Office said it’s investigating 10 "potentially heat-related deaths" since the beginning of the heat advisory that started July 5.
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"Oregon State Medical Examiner’s Office has received reports of 10 potentially heat-related deaths since the beginning of the current heat advisory. At this time, none of the deaths can be confirmed as heat-related. This designation as a heat-related death is preliminary and further investigation may reveal a cause of death that’s unrelated to hyperthermia. The final determination of the cause of death may not be known for several months after the death."
The victims range in age from 27 to 87 years old and include eight men and two women.
On Tuesday, temperatures in Washington, Oregon and Idaho topped out in the low 100s, breaking decades-old records.
Portland hit 104 degrees, breaking the 1986 record of 96 degrees. Eugene and Salem, Oregon, reached a sweltering 106 degrees, breaking records set in 1926. Boise recorded a record daily high of 108 degrees on Tuesday, just 3 degrees short of the all-time record since record-keeping started in 1875.
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In Arizona, there has been no relief from the heat, and Excessive Heat Warnings remain in place this week. Even at night, low temperatures stayed in the high 80s and even the 90s during the recent heat wave.
With a string of recent record-hot summers, county officials in Arizona’s Pima and Maricopa counties launched public databases to track heat illness and death.
Maricopa County, which includes Phoenix, has reported eight new deaths under investigation for heat-related causes since June 6, bringing the total to 15 as of this report. For the past seven years, the Phoenix area has seen record-setting heath-caused deaths, according to the county dashboard.
Pima County, including Tucson, reported one new heat-related death in July and 26 fatalities in June.
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On July 5, the Mohave County Sheriff’s Office in Arizona reported a 4-month-old girl died after she was transported to the hospital from Lake Havasu suffering from a heat-related illness. The high was 120 degrees on the day of the baby’s death. An investigation into her death is ongoing.
People attempting to enjoy the outdoors and the beauty of the National Parks but unprepared for oppressive heat have become victims.
At least three hikers recently died at Grand Canyon National Park, where temperatures can top 120 degrees. On July 12, a father and daughter hiking Utah's Canyonlands National Park died after getting lost and running out of water. The high was 100 degrees at the time.
People gather beneath misters at a hotel during a long-duration heat wave which is continuing to impact much of California on July 10, 2024 in Death Valley National Park, California. The heat dome has driven extreme temperatures with at least 12 California cities breaking all-time heat records while numerous wildfires have been sparked around the state. (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images)
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A biker died last week while riding in California’s Death Valley National Park when the high was 128 degrees. Several other bikers in the group were treated for heat-related illness, according to the NPS.
More than a dozen deaths are being investigated for heat-related causes in Santa Clara County, California, since the first week of July, according to the Office of the Medical Examiner-Coroner.
Deadly heat has not only occurred in the West. The Maryland Department of Health reported the state’s first heat-related death of the year on June 5. Since June, five more deaths have occurred, with four happening in Prince George’s County.
Heat remains the No. 1 weather-related killer in the U.S., claiming an average of 183 lives in the U.S. each year based on the most data from 1994 to 2023.
A recent report in the journal Lancet stated that heat-related deaths worldwide are projected to jump by 370% for people over 65 by mid-century and by 1,537% by the next century.