Heat Deaths Jump in Southwest United States, Puzzling Officials

WASHINGTON — Heat-related deaths have increased sharply since 2014 in Nevada and Arizona, raising concerns that the hottest parts of the country are struggling to protect their most vulnerable residents from global warming. 

A morning walk at the South Mountain Preserve in
Phoenix last month. Afternoon highs in Phoenix last
summer averaged 106 degrees Fahrenheit, almost
3 degrees hotter than the average for the second half
 of the 20th century.

In Arizona, the annual number of deaths attributed to heat exposure more than tripled, from 76 deaths in 2014 to 235 in 2017, according to figures obtained from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Heat-related deaths in Nevada rose almost fivefold during the same period, from 29 to 139. 

Read the story from The New York Times - “Heat Deaths Jump in Southwest United States, Puzzling Officials.