Up to six heat-related deaths in Phoenix metropolitan area, dozens more under investigation

PHOENIX – In the sweltering metropolis of Phoenix, at least six people have died from heat-related causes so far this year, the Maricopa County Health Department announced this week. Temperatures there reached 46 degrees Celsius this week.

Another 87 deaths are currently being investigated for possible heat-related causes through last Saturday, public health officials said in the latest weekly update of their online Information about heat monitoring.

In Phoenix, temperatures reached 115 °F (46 °C) on Thursday and Friday, making those days the hottest of 2024 so far. The metropolitan area continued to experience sweltering heat despite a heat warning under a high pressure dome, with some humidity and a slight cooling possible over the weekend.

A heat wave baked most of the United States on Friday, with numerous areas Record temperatures are expected.

“We could see a little rain in the next few days, as there’s a 30 percent chance of rain in Phoenix,” said National Weather Service meteorologist Ryan Worley. “There could be a slight cooldown to around 43 degrees, but temperatures should start to rise again next week.”

Maricopa County in the Sonoran Desert experienced a breathtaking 645 heat-related deaths last year, about 50% more than the 425 confirmed for 2022.

Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs said An emergency in 2023, after the Phoenix metropolitan area announced a 31-day series temperatures of at least 110 degrees F (43.3 degrees C).

Maricopa County, the hottest metropolitan area in the United States, is one of the few counties that provides regularly updated and easily accessible data on heat-related deaths.

The Office of the Medical Examiner in Pima County, home to Arizona’s second-largest city, Tucson, added a dashboard this year to track heat deaths there. So far this year, there have been at least five heat-related deaths in Pima County and three more in rural counties that contracted Pima Forensic Services.

Last year in Pima County 176 heat-related deaths and another 51 such deaths in five other rural counties under the care of the coroner.