PHX Reporter

     There were 11 heat-associated deaths in the week ending June 24, according to Maricopa County Morbidity Reports. The medical examiner is investigating these deaths. 

     So far this heat season, five deaths were confirmed to have been caused by the heat, and one fatality was heat-related. The 43 other deaths are currently under investigation. 

     Of the six confirmed deaths, 33% were Hispanic or Latino, 50% were White and 17% Asian or Pacific Islander.

     The weekly report showed that 50% of the fatalities happened to people 75-year-old or older. People between the ages of 65 and 74 accounted for 17% of deaths, with 33% of fatalities occurring among those between the ages of 35 and 49. 

     Additionally, 60% of heat-related deaths happened to those considered homeless. 

     So far, in 2023, there have been less heat-associated deaths compared to the year before. This year, 43 deaths are under investigation, with 6 confirmed, while at that same time, in 2022, there were 75 deaths under investigation, with 6 confirmed. 

     Last year, the first heat-associated death also happened in March, one month earlier than in 2023. 

     The enhanced heat surveillance season usually begins in May and ends in October. 

     These reports are part of Maricopa County’s weekly Heat Surveillance reports, provided during the “heat season” each year.

     Maricopa County reported a total of 425 heat-associated deaths in 2022, a 25% increase from 2021. More than half of those 2022 deaths occurred in the month of July.

     Phoenix, which is the seat of Maricopa County, is considered the hottest city in the U.S. Records at Current Results, Phoenix is the only large U.S. city to suffer more than 100 days of 100-degree heat.

     Cooling and hydration stations in Maricopa County are open to the public throughout the heat season. For more information on heat, please visit http://heataz.org.