Deadly heat wave in Southwest

Alternet - About 38 American Airlines flights have been canceled from Phoenix, where forecasts say temperatures could reach up to 120 degrees Fahrenheit, surpassing the 118 degree threshold in which it is safe for airlines to operate.

Extreme heat waves, such as the one moving through the southwest, kill people in more than 60 parts of the world each year, according to National Geographic. Research from Richard Keller, professor of medical history at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, also shows that heat kills 10 times more people in the U.S. than tornadoes or other forms of extreme weather. The Chicago heat wave in 1995 resulted in about 700 heat-related deaths. In 2010, a deadly heat wave killed at least 10,000 people in Moscow. About 70,000 people died in Europe during the sizzling summer of 2003.

Guardian - Public Health England warned on Friday before the high temperatures over the weekend that “for some people, such as older people, those with underlying health conditions and those with young children, the summer heat can bring real health risks”. A third of the world now faces deadly heatwaves as result of climate change Read more

It drew attention to the Heatwave Plan for England, published in May 2015, noting that there were about 2,000 “excess deaths” during the heatwave in August 2003, with 680 more in summer 2006 and 300 killed in 2009.

The lethalness of heatwaves is often hidden because the total number of deaths is not reported until many months after they have happened.