Heat Wave Kills 22 People in the U.S.
The massive heat wave scorching the central and southern regions of the U.S has killed at least 22 people this week, and forecasters are also warning that the heat will be moving eastwards.
“After several days of deadly heat and humidity as many as 22 people have died,” said the National Weather Service on Wednesday.
Triple digit temperatures blazed almost half the country Wednesday, possibly contributing to the deaths of 13 people in Missouri alone, which officials are currently investigating, according to CNN.
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“Of the 13 possible deaths, the youngest is a woman in her mid-30’s and the oldest two women in their mid-70’s,” said Jeff Hershberger, spokesman for the Kansas City Health Department.
According to Hershberger, it may take anywhere between six weeks to several months to run the necessary testing to find whether the 13 deaths were heat-related.
Officials in Oklahoma are attributing four deaths to the heat wave, according to Cherokee Ballard, a spokeswoman for the state medical examiner.
A three-year-old boy and a 69-year-old man are among those who have died from the heat, and another eight deaths may potentially have been caused by the heat as well, according to Ballard.
Heat warnings, watches and advisories were issued for over 30 states on Wednesday.
“At this point, we’re still not at the worst level,” Hershberger said. “We’re at ‘extreme heat warning’ which is one level lower than ‘heat emergency.’"
Meteorologists believe the heat wave could last up until August once it hits the east.
The last heat wave of this proportion hit the U.S. in 1995, but experts believe this current wave may trump the damage caused at that time.
“When all is said and done, with the number of days of extreme heat and humidity of the current heat wave, it may be more significant and impact a larger area,” said AccuWeather’s Jim Andrews.
