Summer Heat Causes Hundreds Of US Deaths

It has been predicted that the summer of 2024 will be the hottest on record. The previous record was set last year. There is no reliable number of how many people are killed by heat in the US. Cities and states keep records differently. However, what is certain is that the figure is in the hundreds and, very likely, the thousands of deaths.

New data show that in the Phoenix metro alone, 664 people have died from the heat so far this year. Not every death from heat is recorded as such. Some are from heat-related diseases like heart attacks. 

Temperatures Over 110 Degrees F

There have certainly been many deaths in areas with high temperatures above 110 degrees F for several days this summer. Las Vegas and several other cities across America’s West are among these. 

Air Conditioning

Air conditioning is the primary protection against extreme heat. However, it is only sometimes available to people with little or no income. Most of the heat deaths among Americans are probably among the poor. There is no reason to think this will change. Air conditioners cost money, and the cost of the electricity to run them is rising as the demand grows because of heat, Bitcoin mining, and AI server farms. Even the middle class may need help to afford it.

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