A minimum of six individuals have died from heat-related causes up to now this yr within the Phoenix metropolitan space, the place temperatures this week reached 115 levels Fahrenheit (46 Celsius), the county Division of Public Well being reported this week. from Maricopa.
One other 87 deaths are below investigation for attainable heat-related causes as of final Saturday, public well being officers stated in the latest weekly replace to their on-line warmth monitoring data.
Phoenix reached 115 levels F (46 C) on Thursday and Friday, making them the most well liked days of 2024 up to now. The metropolitan space continued to swelter by means of an extreme warmth warning below a excessive stress dome, with some humidity and a slight chill attainable over the weekend.
A warmth wave swept throughout many of the United States on Friday, with quite a few areas anticipated to expertise record-breaking temperatures.
“We might even see some rain within the subsequent few days as a result of there’s a 30% likelihood for Phoenix,” stated Nationwide Climate Service meteorologist Ryan Worley. “There might be a slight cool right down to about 110 levels, however temperatures ought to rise once more subsequent week.”
Positioned within the Sonoran Desert, Maricopa County recorded a staggering 645 heat-related deaths final yr, about 50% greater than the 425 confirmed for 2022.
Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs declared a state of emergency in 2023 after the Phoenix metropolitan space skilled a 31-day streak of temperatures reaching no less than 110 levels F (43.3 levels C).
Maricopa County, the most well liked massive metropolitan space within the U.S., is among the many few jurisdictions that present frequently up to date knowledge on heat-related deaths that’s simply accessible to the general public.
The Medical Examiner’s Workplace in Pima County, residence to Tucson, Arizona’s second-most populous metropolis, this yr added a dashboard to trace warmth deaths there. To date this yr, there have been no less than 5 heat-related deaths in Pima County, plus three extra in rural counties that contract with Pima for forensic providers.
Final yr in Pima County there have been 176 heat-related deaths and one other 51 such deaths within the 5 further rural counties managed by the health worker.