MITCHELL, S.D. (MITCHELLNOW) “Excessive heat” was listed as a cause of death on more than 2300 death certificates in the United States in 2023. Public health officials say that figure is a fraction of the actual death toll, especially among seniors.
Summer of 2023 was the hottest since temperature records began to be kept. One third of the heat related deaths occurred in a single state, Arizona. The State of Arizona experienced 73 days of heat of 100 degrees or more last summer.
Summer 2024 could be a repeat of summer 2023. A study of tree rings found that summer 2023 was the warmest in more than 2000 years. The summer forecasts have not only grown hotter over the years, they’ve grown drier too.
The average high for June in Mitchell, South Dakota, ranges from 77 to 85. Today, June 12 2024, the high is predicted to be 95.