Extreme Heat Responsible for More Deaths Each Year
Alexis Thornton
Last weekA new report from the American Medical Association (AMA) journal JAMA is raising the alarm bell about the prevalence of heat-related deaths in the U.S. Here is what the research is telling scientists and climatologists.
Fatalities Blamed on Heat Surging in the U.S.
Heat-related deaths in the U.S. have surged 117% since 1999. The latest JAMA report details that extreme heat was responsible for 2,325 deaths in the country last year. This number was the highest ever recorded, translating to an increase of 117% since 1999. When looking at the last two decades as a whole, there have been over 20,000 lives claimed by the heat.
Experts warn these numbers may be undercounted as it is difficult to get a handle on the true scope of heat-related illnesses and deaths. The increasing impacts of climate change have sent temperatures soaring in recent years.
Unlike natural disasters such as hurricanes and tornadoes, extreme heat does not get significant media coverage. As a result, people tend to downplay the dangers of heat, not realizing how deadly it can be. This is why heat is known as the silent killer. In addition, it is also more likely that illnesses and deaths that come at the hands of heat are often categorized as different type of medical issues.
While it may be easier to directly blame a hurricane strike on a death, it is harder to pinpoint heat as the culprit. This is because heat can often aggravate other types of medical conditions, including asthma and heart disease. This is also why experts warn that the exact toll of searing heat is not always captured in its entirety.
According to data from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the U.S. is being more impacted by extreme heat over the last 30 years. Warmer than average nights are also contributing to the global warming crisis.
Statistics from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) indicate that the year 2023 was the warmest year in recorded history on a global scale. The year was the fifth hottest on record for the contiguous U.S. The latest data from this year indicates that 2024 will end up being even toastier than 2023 on an international level.
What is also concerning to climate experts is that daily record high temperatures have been outpacing daily record low readings over the last few decades. So while there are still a few daily record lows set now and then, these numbers are being greatly outpaced by the new record high readings.
Heat waves are also becoming longer in recent years. For instance, the average heat wave season in the U.S. during the 1960s was about 24 days. This compares to an average heat wave season of 72 days so far over the last four years. The frequency of these heat waves are also increasing, giving communities less time to recover from the extreme temperatures.