El Paso Heat Deaths Hit Record
El Paso sits on the far west corner of Texas, across the border from Mexico. The city has 890,000 residents, and is one of the hottest cities in America. The average maximum temperature from the start of June through the end of August is just shy of 100 degrees F. That does not include the “heat index,” which makes the city feel hotter.
Last year, 39 deaths were directly or indirectly caused by heat. That was up from 26 in 2023. Climate scientists say the two years were the hottest on record.
The primary cause is what it is in all America’s hottest cities. Inside Climate News reports, “Climate change is increasing the risks of extreme heat. The average annual temperature in El Paso has increased 5.7 degrees Fahrenheit since 1970, according to the nonprofit Climate Central.”
A Problem For America’s Cities
These cities were not prepared for such high temperatures day after day. They have no plans for how to house the homeless or provide air conditioning for people who are too poor to provide it themselves.
What large cities can do for residents during extremely hot days is limited. They cannot afford to buy and install thousands of air conditioners. If they could, the local grid might not be able to handle the need for electricity during peak hours.
The extremely hot summer problem has become a challenge across much of America. Even New York City had a string of days when the heat index was above 100 degrees F. New York has over eight million residents. In some parts of the city, as many as 25% of people live below the poverty line. It is a stretch for many to pay for housing at all.
The heat death challenge in the US is one that can be tracked and one that has no solution.
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