Extreme Heat Blamed on Dozens of Deaths in Recent Weeks

July is off to a deadly start as the mercury continues to soar. Unfortunately, the worst of the summer season is still ahead. Here is a look at the heat wave that has gripped the nation in recent weeks and how many deaths have been blamed on the searing temperatures.

Extreme Heat Responsible for Dozens of Deaths in the U.S.

A historically hot start to the summer is now responsible for at least 37 fatalities across the U.S. in July alone. Officials warn that this number is likely to be a severe underestimate due to the amount of time that it takes for authorities to assign a death to the heat.

Extreme heat is known as being the deadliest weather event in the U.S. While it does not grab the headlines like a hurricane landfall or tornadic event, extreme heat is responsible for more deaths each year.

The majority of this year's deaths have happened in the western U.S. This part of the country saw several all-time high temperature records fall over the last week after a heat dome set up over the region and refused to budge for days.

The medical examiner office in Santa Clara County confirmed that heat is being investigated as a factor in the deaths of at least 19 individuals. Three of these people reportedly were a part of the unhoused population without access to cooling. Nine of the 19 fatalities happened in people over the age of 65.

It is not unusual for the elderly or unhoused to see a higher death rate in times of heat. Other at-risk populations include children, pregnant women, outdoor workers, and those with underlying medical conditions.

Elsewhere on the West Coast, officials in Oregon reported at least 10 likely heat fatalities. Six of these tragedies happened in Multnomah County, home to the large metropolitan area of Portland. The Rose City saw the mercury break daily high records for five days in a row last week. Three of these days saw temperatures soar into the triple digits, a rarity in this corner of the Pacific Northwest.

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