PHX Reporter

     No one was confirmed to have died from heat-associated illnesses in the week ending July 1, according to Maricopa County Morbidity Reports. 

     During that week, five people passed away and their deaths are under investigation to determine if they were caused by the heat. 

     So far this heat season, six people have died due to the heat and two others died due to heat-related causes. There are currently 40 other deaths being investigated. 

     Of the eight confirmed deaths, 50% happened to people who identified as White, with 25% of fatalities being Hispanic, and 13% of deaths occurred in those who were American Indian/Alaska Native or Asian/Pacific Islander. 

     The weekly report showed that 38% of the fatalities happened to people who were either between the ages of 35-49, or 75-year-old or older. People between the ages of 50 and 74 accounted for 26% of current heat-related deaths.

     Additionally, 50% 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. At this point in the year, there are currently 40 deaths under investigation with eight confirmed, while at the same time last year there were 92 deaths under investigation with 13 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 is bracing for an extended heat wave where temperatures are expected to hit 118 degrees. The record for longest stretch of extreme heat experienced in the area (18 days) could be broken in coming days, according to forecasters.

     There were 425 heat-associated deaths in Maricopa County 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.