Excessive heat is America's No. 1 weather killer
Flooding, tornadoes, hurricanes among other deadly weather events
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) shows that excessive heat is responsible for the most weather-related fatalities in the U.S. during an average year.
According to the agency, extreme heat killed an average of 138 Americans per year from 1990 to 2019.
NATIONAL WEATHER FORECAST: HEAT WAVE TO CHALLENGE RECORD TEMPERATURES
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Weather threats like flooding killed 88 in the same period, tornadoes took 65 lives, hurricanes and tropical storms killed 45, and lightning strikes killed 41.
Much of the Western U.S. experienced the first heat wave of the year, with temperatures breaking 100 degrees.
Arizona's Maricopa County reported its first heat-related death of 2021, after seeing a record-high 323 heat-related deaths last year.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The triple-digit temperatures are baking parched land amidst an already-historic drought, with wildfires quickly sparking and critical reservoirs scarily dry.
The National Weather Service (NWS) issued widespread heat warnings and advisories earlier this week, cautioning about the risk of heat-related illnesses.
Heat threatens countries around the globe and a new report published Monday in the journal Nature Climate Change said that 37% of deaths related to heat exposure between 1991 and 2018 were a result of human-caused climate change.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The dozens of researchers who contributed to the study examined heat-related deaths in 732 cities around the globe, including Sao Paulo, Brazil, which they say has the most climate-related heat deaths at an average of 239 a year.
The combined death toll from all 732 cities totaled around 9,700 deaths per year.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Using advanced modeling techniques, the report also found that around 35% of the heat deaths in the U.S. can be blamed on climate change, with a total of more than 1,100 death annually in approximately 200 cities.
In their findings, New York City had the most heat deaths, though Honolulu had the most amount of heat deaths attributable to climate change.