Record Temperatures Portend More Heat-Related Deaths

Published on August 14, 2025

Under the extreme temperatures in Maricopa County, Arizona, 35 heat-related deaths have been confirmed this year so far by the county medical examiner’s office. However, the real-world total is possibly much higher, according to an analysis by The Guardian. The state is on track to witness its hottest August on record with temperatures hitting at least 110°F nearly every day so far. In Philadelphia, 5 heat-related deaths have been confirmed, and Maryland’s Department of Health has recorded 8 deaths as well as 472 emergency department and urgent care visits due to high temperatures. New York City has reported an average of more than 500 heat-related deaths per year, according to a recent press release. Meanwhile, across 12 European cities, about 2,300 people died of heat-related causes, as per estimates reported by Reuters. 

The heat is on: Extreme heat causes about 2,000 U.S. deaths annually. But the official heat-related death toll may be undercounted because heat is not consistently considered as a factor in the underlying cause of death. Also, there’s a difference between deaths caused directly by heat and deaths caused indirectly by heat exacerbating an underlying illness.

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