The toll of heat-associated deaths in Arizona’s most populous county—still being tallied after the area’s hottest summer ever recorded—has soared over 360, alarming public health officials who say the final count will surely set a new record.
The toll of heat-associated deaths in Arizona’s most populous county—still being tallied after the area’s hottest summer ever recorded—has soared over 360, alarming public health officials who say the final count will surely set a new record.
Maricopa County, the hottest metropolitan area in the U.S. and home to Phoenix, reported this week that 361 heat-associated deaths have been confirmed this year as of Oct. 7. Another 238 deaths remained under investigation.
As of the same time last year, 331 heat-associated deaths had been confirmed, with another 126 deaths still being studied. No other major metropolitan area in the U.S. has reported such high figures or spends so much time tracking and studying them.
«It definitely looks like we’ll see more deaths than last year and maybe even more than 500,» said Dr. Rebecca Sunenshine, medical director for Maricopa County Public Health.
