PHOENIX — More than 400 people have died due to heat related causes this summer -- and 199 more deaths are still being investigated by the Maricopa County Department of Public Health. If the number of heat deaths increases by just one, 2023 will break yet another heat record: the most heat deaths recorded since tracking began in 2006.
VERSIÓN EN ESPAÑOL: Cada año se rompe el récord de muertes por calor en el Condado Maricopa, el 2023 no es la excepción
The number for this year is 425, the same number as in 2022. That year's deaths broked a record; in fact, every year since 2016 has set a new record for heat deaths in the county, the public health department said in a press release.
“Even with extreme heat like we saw this summer, these deaths are preventable,” said Rebecca Sunenshine, he agency's medical director. “This tragic record reminds us that as a community, we have more work to do to prevent these deaths.”
But residents won’t know just how large of a record 2023 will set for a few months, according to the news release. It could take that long to complete the investigations and finalize the data.
The public health department classifies possible heat deaths in three ways: heat caused, heat related and under investigation. Heat caused indicates that heat was directly involved in causing the death. Heat related means heat was a factor, but not the direct cause. And those cases under investigation are deaths the Maricopa County Office of Medical Examiner suspects are heat associated.
In 2023, 226 heat caused deaths have been recorded, and 199 heat-related deaths have been recorded. 199 deaths are still under investigation. Of those who died this year, 29% were 50-64 years-old and 44% of those deaths were people experiencing homelessness.
From 2006 to 2015, 777 heat deaths were recorded. From 2016 to 2022, 1,801 heat-associated deaths were recorded – more than double the number of heat deaths recorded in a six year period than the nine years beforehand.
“Maricopa County residents and visitors should continue to practice heat safety and check on neighbors, even this late in the season, because heat illness and deaths can occur all the way into November due to rising temperatures,” Sunenshine said. “It’s not just extreme heat days that can turn into a tragedy.”
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Heat Beat
Here are several videos about Arizona's extreme heat and how you can stay safe during the state's summer months.