PHX Reporter

The number of confirmed heat-related deaths in Maricopa County surged to 89 in the week ending Aug. 12, according to Maricopa County Morbidity Reports. 

Confirmed fatalities jumped up by 30 deaths from the week before. At this point in the summer, the number of heat-related deaths is well above the number of deaths at this time the year before, when 66 people were positively identified as passing away from the heat. 

A sweltering heat wave baked much of the area for 31 days, and this year has seen the most 115-degree days ever in a calendar year. Though temperatures have dipped slightly to below 110-degrees as a daytime high, the area is still under an excessive heat warning from the National Weather Service. 

Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs declared a Heat State of Emergency on Friday, Aug. 11. It increases funding for services for the rest of the summer, even though the hot season in Arizona began several months before. 

This large increase in fatalities is due to the Maricopa County coroner’s office completing investigations into the many possible heat-related deaths throughout the summer. There are currently 349 deaths still under investigation. 

In the week ending Aug. 12, there were fewer than 10 new possible heat-related deaths. This is a sharp decrease from the week before. The number of new possible deaths has fallen steadily since the middle of July. 

Despite the decreases, there are still nearly 100 more deaths under investigation than there were at the same time last year. 

Roughly 34 people passed away from a heat-related cause during the week. All of these deaths are under investigation by the coroner, as well as 349 other deaths that were potentially caused by the heat. 

Of the 89 confirmed deaths, 59% were white, 22% were Hispanic or Latino, 11% were Black or African American, 5%  American Indian/Alaska Native, and 4% were either Asian or Pacific Islander.

The weekly report showed that people between the ages of 50 and 64 were the most vulnerable to the heat, accounting for 34% of confirmed heat-associated deaths. Those 75+ in age were the second most vulnerable age group, accounting for 22% of deaths. The 65-74 age group suffered 21% of the confirmed deaths. The percentages drop steeply for the younger demographics, falling to 16% for those 35-49, and 7% for people in the large age range of five-years-old to 34-years-old. 

Additionally, 76% of heat-related deaths happened to people who had shelter, whether it be their own place to live or somewhere they shared. Of the 20 people who died indoors, 18 of them had air conditioning in the unit or house, but their air conditioning was either non-functioning, couldn’t be turned on due to a lack of electricity, or wasn’t in use. 

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.

The enhanced heat surveillance season usually begins in May and ends in October. Weekly Heat Surveillance reports are provided by Maricopa County during the enhanced heat surveillance season from the beginning of May to the end of October. 

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.