The number of heat-related deaths has risen sharply in recent years — especially in certain hot spots in our region.
That’s according to a new research letter published in the Journal of the American Medical Association this week. It found more than 21,000 people in the U.S. have died because of heat over the last quarter-century.
Almost half those deaths happened in four states: Arizona, Nevada, California and Texas. Researcher Jeffrey Howard, an associate professor of public health at the University of Texas in San Antonio, said these numbers really started going up in 2016, when there were 824 deaths. By 2023, there were 2,325 — a record high.
“I expected we might see an upward trend,” Howard said. “I didn't know that it would be so dramatic.”
He said this increase could be due to better reporting, but the extreme temperatures that come with climate change exacerbate conditions like heart disease.
“I'm not sure that people have a full understanding of how quickly heat can affect you,” he said.
Economic conditions also could factor into the high numbers.
“Some people don't have this ready access to air conditioning, for example, some people work outside, some people are unhoused, and they just have greater exposure,” he said.
Global warming isn’t going away anytime soon, Howard said, so it’s on humans to prevent these deaths. He encourages local authorities to spread awareness of the symptoms of heat illness and invest in public hydration and cooling centers.
This story was produced by the Mountain West News Bureau, a collaboration between Wyoming Public Media, Nevada Public Radio, Boise State Public Radio in Idaho, KUNR in Nevada, KUNC in Colorado and KANW in New Mexico, with support from affiliate stations across the region. Funding for the Mountain West News Bureau is provided in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
