Public health officials in Arizona's most populous county on Wednesday reported they confirmed a staggering 645 heat-associated deaths last year.
Patrons are warned about the heat at the Desert Botanical Garden entrance, Aug. 2, 2023, in Phoenix. Public health officials in Arizona's most populous county on Wednesday reported they confirmed a staggering 645 heat-associated deaths last year -- more than 50 per cent higher than 2022 and another consecutive annual record in arid metro Phoenix.
The heat-associated deaths confirmed in 2023 represented a huge jump from 2022, when there were 425 such deaths. There were 339 heat-associated deaths confirmed in 2021. Last summer, Phoenix experienced the hottest three months since record-keeping began in 1895, including the hottest July and the second-hottest August. The daily average temperature of 97 F in June, July and August passed the previous record of 96.7 F set three years ago.In recognition of the growing problem of heat associated deaths, Arizona's department of public health last week named a physician as the first statewide heat officer in the nation to address extreme environmental heat.
Phoenix, the hottest big city in the United States, also has an office of heat response and resiliency that aims to protect people and help them cope with the hot weather through programs like cooling stations and increased tree planting. That county public health department also released the results of an evaluation of the cooling and respite centres that operated around the county last year.
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