phoenix – Partially swallowed heat wave parts of the South and Midwest More than a dozen people have been killed, and experts say more extreme weather events that claim more lives than hurricanes and tornadoes are likely to increase.

heat dome put pressure on the Texas power grid Thirteen people died there, and on Thursday another case also moved east in Louisiana and is expected to be concentrated in the central south by the weekend. Over the next few days, parts of Florida are expected to reach heat index levels of up to 112 degrees (44 degrees Celsius).

Eleven of Texas’ heat-related deaths occurred in Webb County, which includes Laredo. The county coroner said the dead ranged in age from 60 to 80 and many had other health conditions. The other two fatalities were residents of Florida. died while hiking Hot weather in Big Bend National Park.

Scientists and medical experts say the number of such heat-related deaths in the United States will only increase each summer unless further action is taken. fight climate change This is causing temperatures to rise, making people particularly vulnerable in areas unaccustomed to warm weather.

“Here in Boston, we’re gearing up for a blizzard. now we have to learn How do you prepare for the heat,” said Dr. Gaurab Basu, primary care physician and director of education and policy at the Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health’s Center for Climate, Health and Global Environment.

Bass said planting more trees to increase shade in cities and investing in environmental technologies such as heat pumps for heating and cooling homes could help.

Heat waves are already the deadliest of all U.S. weather events, including hurricanes, tornadoes, wildfires and floods.

“Heatwaves are the most lethal because they affect a wide area,” said Joelen Russell, a climate scientist who teaches at the University of Arizona at Tucson and is currently a Fulbright Fellow in Wellington, New Zealand. and last for days or weeks,” he says. . “And they surprise people.”

America’s hottest metropolis, Phoenix, faces an excessive heat warning heading into the weekend. Hazardous heat is expected across central and southern Arizona Saturday through Tuesday, with temperatures of 107-115 degrees Celsius (41.6-46.1 degrees Celsius).

“Arizona already understands the heat to some extent, but it’s getting hotter for us,” Russell said. “That means more people will continue to die.”

In Maricopa County, Arizona, which includes Metro Phoenix, counting heat deaths has become a science. The county had 425 deaths from heatstroke last year, a 25% increase from 2021.

In Maricopa County, located in the Sonoran Desert, not only deaths from exposure are counted, but also deaths primarily caused by heat, such as heart attacks and strokes.

County coroner’s office updates suspected and confirmed heat-related deaths every week Throughout the warm season from May to October.recently This seasonIn Maricopa County, home to about 4.5 million people, there have been six heat stroke-related deaths.

Dr. Samed Katana, a cardiologist at the Philadelphia Veterans Affairs Medical Center and assistant professor at the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, said fever was a significant contributor to deaths from causes such as heart failure in order to provide a more complete treatment. Death should also be considered, he said. photograph.

From 2008 to 2017, Mr. Katana 13,000-20,000 adult deaths About half were associated with extreme heat because of heart disease.

The elderly and those with diabetes, obesity, heart disease and other serious health conditions are most at risk, he said.

“Hurricanes, floods and wildfires are very dramatic,” says Katana. “Because fever is invisible, it especially affects people who are socially isolated or live in remote areas.”

The City of Phoenix’s Office of Heat Management and Mitigation opens summer shelters for homeless people, operates cooling centers in libraries and other community spaces to keep people out of the sun, and provides bottled water, We provide hats and sunscreen. The city also has a “cool caller” program in which volunteers call vulnerable residents asking them to look after them in hot weather.

At the Phoenix Zoo, measures to keep monkeys and rhinoceroses cool include spraying monkeys, cats and rhinos with water, distributing frozen treats, providing shaded areas and cold water pools. is teaching.

Heat-related deaths are a global problem.

Mexican health officials announced this week that there have been at least 112 heat-related deaths so far this year, a recent fever that President Andrés Manuel López Obrador previously denied was a hoax by alarmists. For the first time, I acknowledged that waves have no time limit.

A report released Wednesday also showed important results. Rapid increase in the number of deaths due to heatstroke in the last two weeks. So far this year, Mexico’s total heat-related deaths have nearly tripled since 2022.

a flash study According to a paper published this spring, the odds of record April temperatures in Spain, Portugal and northern Africa have increased 100-fold due to human-made climate change.

The deaths and widespread hospitalizations were attributed to a scorching heatwave that hit parts of South Asia in April with temperatures as high as 113 degrees Celsius (45 degrees Celsius), making it at least 30 times more likely due to climate change. said one report. rapid study by international scientists.

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Associated Press reporter Adrian Sainz in Memphis, Tennessee. Michael Goldberg of Jackson, Mississippi. Jim Salter of St. Louis, Missouri. Kurt Anderson in Miami, Florida. and contributed by Sarah Klein of Baton Rouge, Louisiana.