Heat-Related Emergency Room Visits Soar In Texas, Louisiana

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The CDC recently issued new data on emergency room visits due to heat illness. The figures were shocking. Titled “Heat-Related Emergency Department Visits — United States, May–September 2023,” its authors pointed out, “During the 2023 warm-season months (May–September), rates of emergency department visits for heat-related illness substantially increased across several U.S. regions compared with previous years, especially among males and adults aged 18–64 years.”

Hottest Place In The World? –120 Degrees F

The data supports local trends. For example, over 600 people died during the summer heatwave in Maricopa County, which includes Phoenix. Over that period, Phoenix had 54 days when temperatures topped 110 degrees. Asphalt surface temperatures were so hot they were dangerous to walk on.

Texas And Florida Heat Waves

So far, heat waves have come early, particularly in the southwest, Texas, and Florida, where record levels have been high for several days. And the hottest three months of summer are still days away.

Where were heat wave emergency room visits the highest last summer? According to the CDC, the “ highest rate was reported by Region 6, which includes Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas.” For these measures, the US is divided into nine regions. The states with the lowest rates were Region 2, which included New York and New Jersey.

The 2024 summer season is about to start; odds are, it will be much worse than last year.