In scorching Baltimore City last week two people died of heat-related causes.
There have been nine heat-related deaths in Maryland in 2024, matching the total for 2023, according to the Maryland Department of Health. And the summer’s not half over.
All nine victims were 45 or older, according to data from the department.
A third victim in Kent County also died from the heat during the period of July 7-13 as 192 people visited emergency rooms and urgent care for heat-related illness across the state, according to the department. Last week in Baltimore, temperatures reached the upper 90s on six of seven afternoons, pushing the heat index, which measures temperature and humidity, over 100, according to the National Weather Service.
The data on heat-related illnesses and deaths is gathered from 49 emergency departments and 24 urgent care centers and includes patients with signs or symptoms of hyperthermia, heatstroke and heat exhaustion, the department said. Last year, the state counted 820 visits for heat-related illness, and so far this year, there have been 762.
Emergency room doctors urge caution as they see uptick in heat-related illnesses
The state counted 21 heat-related deaths in both 2019 and 2020, and the total dropped to 16 in 2021 and five in 2022, according to health department data.
In 2024, there have been four heat-related deaths in Prince George’s County, three in Baltimore City, and one each in Anne Arundel and Kent counties.
