Maryland Heat Deaths Climb To 19, Surpassing Previous Summers

At least 19 people in Maryland have died from heat-related illnesses so far this summer, according to new data from the Maryland Department of Health, a troubling jump from last week’s total of 13.

The rising toll comes as the state grapples with increasingly dangerous heat conditions. For comparison, only 14 heat-related deaths had been reported by this time in 2024. The numbers were even lower in prior years: five deaths in both 2023 and 2020, one in 2022, and seven in 2021. Last year’s total heat-season death toll, from May through September, reached 27.

Of the 19 deaths reported so far this year, Baltimore City recorded the highest number with five. Baltimore County saw three deaths, while Montgomery and Washington counties each had two. No other county has reported more than one.

The data shows that heat-related illness has disproportionately affected older adults. Sixteen of the individuals who died were 65 or older. The vast majority were men (16), and 14 were white.

Emergency medical visits are also on the rise. Maryland has recorded 1,250 emergency department or urgent care visits due to heat-related symptoms this summer, already surpassing last year’s total of 1,206. In fact, every year from 2020 through 2023 recorded fewer than 1,000 such visits.

The current data runs through July 26, meaning recent incidents may not yet be reflected.

However, the Maryland Department of the Environment has issued an air quality alert for the Baltimore metro area, calling it “unhealthy for sensitive groups” due to elevated ground-level ozone levels. This kind of pollution can aggravate respiratory conditions like asthma and make breathing more difficult.

Air quality is expected to improve by Friday.

Looking ahead, the National Weather Service predicts continued hot and humid conditions across Maryland and the Northeast. August is projected to bring above-average temperatures, and experts warn that human-driven climate change is likely to make Maryland increasingly hotter and wetter, compounding the risks of heat-related illness.

Maryland Heat Deaths Climb To 19, Surpassing Previous Summers  was originally published on wolbbaltimore.com