Heat-related double whammy: Heat deaths rise; new Midwest heat wave

Today’s big news is a double whammy of extreme heat as new research shows heat-related deaths are climbing in the U.S. while another heat wave grows in the Midwest and Plains.

A fresh analysis of death certificates is showing heat-related deaths have skyrocketed, more than doubling between 1999 and 2023, with the biggest spike occurring in the past seven years. The new report says more than 2,300 people died in the U.S. in 2023 due to heat-related causes. This number is likely underreported because heat-related deaths are often omitted on death certificates.

This summer has already been a scorcher for many parts of the U.S. and a new heat wave has begun. The TemperatureRadar is showing extremely hot and humid air spreading across the Plains, the Midwest, the entire Mississippi Valley, and the Mid-South, sending afternoon temperatures into the 90s to nearly 100 degrees.

Here are 9 safety tips to stay safe during a heat wave.  

Southerly flow from the Gulf of Mexico is sending humid air northward, making it feel even hotter than the temperatures say. Feel-like temperatures will climb into the triple-digits increasing the danger for heat-related illnesses, especially in urban areas like Chicago, St. Louis, Indianapolis, Detroit, and Cleveland, where the heat-island effects are larger.