–182 CDC WONDER. ICD-9/E900.0 (heat due to weather conditions/hyperthermia) search.[1]

–182 Blanchard tally of State breakouts below.

— 81 National Weather Service, NOAA. “1997 Heat Related Fatalities.” 3-18-1999 update.

Summary of 1997 Heat-Related Deaths by State

Alabama — 7

Arizona –23

California –19

District of Columbia — 3

Florida — 7

Illinois –29

Iowa — 1

Louisiana –11

Maryland — 4

Missouri — 3

Nebraska — 1

Nevada — 1

New Hampshire — 1

New York — 1

North Carolina — 5

Oklahoma — 5

Pennsylvania –36

Texas –22

Washington — 1

Wisconsin — 2

Breakout of Heat-Related Fatalities by State

Alabama ( 7)

— 7 AL DPH. “Health precautions urged during periods of prolonged heat.” 11-7-2006 mod.[2]

— 0 National Weather Service, NOAA. “1997 Heat Related Fatalities.” 3-18-1999 update.

Arizona (23)

— 23 AZ DHS. Deaths from Exposure to Excessive Natural Heat…in Arizona 1992-2009. p. 17.[3]

— 0 National Weather Service, NOAA. “1997 Heat Related Fatalities.” 3-18-1999 update.

Breakout of AZ heat deaths by State or Country of residence (from AZ DHS Table 1, p. 15):

— 19 Arizona

— 4 Mexico or other Central or South American country

Breakout of AZ heat deaths by geographic region of occurrence (from AZ DHS Table 1, p. 15):

— 9 Border counties

–13 Central Arizona counties

— 1 Northern Arizona counties

Breakout of AZ heat deaths by gender (from AZ DHS Table 1, p. 15):

–17 Male

— 6 Female

Breakout of AZ heat deaths by race/ethnicity (from AZ DHS Table 1, p. 15):

–11 White non-Hispanic

— 8 Hispanic or Latino

— 4 American Indian or Alaska Native

Breakout of AZ heat deaths by age group (from AZ DHS Table 1, p. 15):

— 1 0-4

— 1 20-24

— 1 30-34

— 3 35-39

— 4 40-44

— 3 45-49

— 2 50-54

— 3 70-74

— 3 75-79

— 1 80-84

— 1 Unknown

Breakout of AZ heat deaths by County of occurrence (from AZ DHS Table 1, p. 16):

— 2 Cochise

–11 Maricopa

— 1 Mohave

— 4 Pima

— 1 Pinal

— 3 Yuma

Breakout of AZ heat deaths by month of death (from AZ DHS Table 1, p. 16):

— 1 May

— 2 June

— 8 July

— 8 August

— 4 September

California ( 7)

— 7 Blanchard tally of locality breakouts below.

— 5 National Weather Service, NOAA. “1997 Heat Related Fatalities.” 3-18-1999 update.

— 1 Coachella Valley, Aug 2-7. Male, 25, permanent home. NCDC. Storm Events Database.

— 1 Lakeside, May 29. Heatstroke; male firefighter cutting hillside holding line; temp. 98-100°.[4]

— 1 Los Angeles, Aug 5. Hyperthermia, female, 47, home with no AC; outside temp. >100 F.[5]

— 2 Riverside County Valley/The Inland Empire, Aug 2-7. Female, 90, male 31, both outside.[6]

— 1 San Diego County mountains, Aug 2-7. Female, 39, location noted as “other.” NCDC SED.

— 1 San Diego County valleys, Aug 2-7. Female, 34, outside. NCDC Storm Events Database.

District of Co. ( 3)

— 3 National Weather Service, NOAA. “1997 Heat Related Fatalities.” 3-18-1999 update.

–2 July 13-19. Female, 64; male, 72, in permanent homes. NCDC. SED. Heat, DC.

–1 Aug 16-17. Male; residence with no air conditioning. NCDC Storm Events Database.

Florida ( 7)

— 7 Lushine, James B. Figure 3, “Annual Temperature Deaths, Florida, 1979-1999.” 2009.[7]

— 1 National Weather Service, NOAA. “1997 Heat Related Fatalities.” 3-18-1999 update.

Breakout by locality (where noted):

— 1 Jacksonville, Sep 12 (died Sep 13). Heatstroke; male roofer; heat index of 98°. OSHA.

— 1 Orlando, Orange County, July 3. Male, 22, found on hot asphalt parking lot; 97° day.[8]

Illinois (29)

— 29 State. Blanchard tally of locality breakouts below.

— 26 State. National Weather Svc., NOAA. “1997 Heat Related Fatalities.” 3-18-1999 update.

Breakout of IL heat deaths by locality, where noted:

–16 Cook County, Chicago area, June 21-30. NCDC Storm Events Database, IL, Heat, Cook.

Males, 34, 36, 62, 68, 70, 73 and 90, all in permanent homes.

Males, 37 and 45, in vehicles

Females, 37, 62, 62, 77, 82 and 86, all in permanent homes.

–1 Chicago, June. Heatstroke; female, 86, bedroom; windows closed for a week.[9]

— 5 Cook Co., Chicago area, July 14-18. NCDC Storm Events Database. Heat, IL, Cook.

— Females, 80 and 85; males, 54 and 72, all in permanent homes; female 34, vehicle.

— 1 Cook County, July 28. Male, 60, in his home; heat indices over 100 degrees F. NCDC SED.

— 1 Hardin County, Carmi area, July 2. Male, 32, construction worker; heat index 105-110°.[10]

— 2 Madison County, Madison. Heart attacks at NASCAR race “blamed on the heat…”[11]

— 1 McLean County, Bloomington, July 26-27. Female, 70, permanent home. NCDC. SED.

— 1 Vermillion Co., Danville area, July 26. Male, 64, working in farm field. NCDC SED; OSHA.

— 1 Will County, June 25. Male, 65, permanent home. NCDC. Storm Events Database.

— 1 Will County, Joliet, July 26. Heat-induces heart attack; male mail carrier; 98° day. OSHA.

Iowa ( 1)

— 1 Davenport. Heart attack during 7-mile foot race blamed on heat; Charles B. Crowe, 62.[12]

— 0 National Weather Service, NOAA. “1997 Heat Related Fatalities.” 3-18-1999 update.

Louisiana ( 1)

–0 National Weather Service, NOAA. “1997 Heat Related Fatalities.” 3-18-1999 update.

–1 New Orleans, April 11. Jared Sternbergh, 3; left in van by sitter, 4-hrs., playing video poker.[13]

Maryland ( 4)

— 4 Blanchard tally of breakouts by locality below.

— 3 National Weather Service, NOAA. “1997 Heat Related Fatalities.” 3-18-1999 update.

— 1 Baltimore, July 18 (body found). Female, 62; apt. with no AC or fans; inside temp. 90°.[14]

— 1 Baltimore, Aug 17. Heat-induced cardiac arrest at downtown baseball game; male, 77.[15]

— 1 Montgomery Co., July 20. Female in auto “because the vehicle’s windows were shut tight.”[16]

— 1 Montgomery County, July 27. Male, 35, collapsed while riding motorcycle. NCDC SED.[17]

Missouri ( 3)

— 3 National Weather Service, NOAA. “1997 Heat Related Fatalities.” 3-18-1999 update.

— 1 St. Louis, June 25 (body found). Hyperthermia; male, 57, permanent home. NCDC, SED.

— 1 St. Louis (July 28 news article). Heart attack blamed on heat; female, 60.[18]

— 1 St. Louis (body found Aug 3, last seen July 13). Female, 81, permanent home. NCDC. SED.

— 1 St. Louis, Aug 17. Apparent hyperthermia; male, 49; his home garage; temps in mid 90s.[19]

Nebraska ( 1)

— 1 Chapman, July 18. Heat stroke; male farm worker 4^th day of detasseling corn. OSHA.

Nevada ( 1)

–1 Las Vegas Valley. NWS Las Vegas. “The Las Vegas NV Climate Summary for…2011.”[20]

New Hampshire ( 1)

— 0 National Weather Service, NOAA. “1997 Heat Related Fatalities.” 3-18-1999 update.

— 1 Nashua, March 19. Courtney Turner, 2; left by mother in car with motor running ~1 hr.[21]

New York ( 1)

— 1 NYC, July 18. Male, 37; transition house for homeless with mental illness lost power.[22]

No. Carolina ( 5)

— 5 Mirabelli and Richardson. “Heat-Related Fatalities in North Carolina.” AJPH, Figure 1.

— 1 National Weather Service, NOAA. “1997 Heat Related Fatalities.” 3-18-1999 update.

— 1 Robeson County, Lakewood, July 28. Male, 56, collapsed while working on sch. roof.[23]

Oklahoma ( 5)

— 5 Garwe (OK Dept Health). “Heat-Related Deaths, Oklahoma, 1990-2001,” 5-31-2002, p.1.[24]

— 0 National Weather Service, NOAA. “1997 Heat Related Fatalities.” 3-18-1999 update.

— 1 Tulsa, Sep 30. Heatstroke; Lawrence William Warrick, 18-months, left in car by father.[25]

Pennsylvania (36)

–36 National Weather Service, NOAA. “1997 Heat Related Fatalities.” 3-18-1999 update.

Breakout of Pennsylvania heat-related deaths by locality:

— 1 Delaware County, Darby, July 13-18. Male, 55, permanent home. NCDC Storm Events.

— 1 Montgomery County, Norristown, June 24-26. Female, 56, permanent home. NCDC SED.

— 1 Montgomery County, Pottstown, July 27-28. Female, 61, in home with windows closed.[26]

— 4 Philadelphia, June 21-26. Female, 87; males 54, 89 and 94, all in permanent homes.[27]

–23 Philadelphia, July 12-18 heat wave. NCDC Storm Events Database.

— Females, 37, 50, 68, 70, 72, 77 (two), 79, 81, 83, 89 and 90; all in permanent homes.

— Males, 45, 56, 58, 60, 62, 66, 77, 81, 83 and 84 (two); all in permanent homes.

— 4 Philadelphia, July 27-28. Females, 34 and 89; males, both 67; all in permanent homes.[28]

— 2 Philadelphia, Aug 16-17. Female, 53, and male, 88, both in permanent homes. NCDC SED.

Texas ( 4)

— 4 Blanchard tally of locality breakouts below.

— 2 National Weather Service, NOAA. “1997 Heat Related Fatalities.” 3-18-1999 update.

— 2 Dallas County, July 26 & 29. Females, 63 and 83, both in permanent homes. NCDC. SED.

— 1 Houston, July 14. Heat-related causes; male worker after working on a scaffold. OSHA.

— 1 Port Arthur, Aug 21. Heat stress, male worker, after employer denied medical care. OSHA.[29]

Washington ( 1)

–1 Yakima, May 12. Hyperthermia; male worker cutting grass all day; 111° body temp at hosp.[30]

Wisconsin ( 2)

— 2 Blanchard tally of Wisconsin heat-related deaths by locality.

— 1 National Weather Service, NOAA. “1997 Heat Related Fatalities.” 3-18-1999 update.

— 1 Milwaukee, July 16. Male, 91 in apartment on Milwaukee’s south side. NCDC. SED.

— 1 Racine Co., Mount Pleasant, June 24. Jared Andrew Lewis, 11-mo.; left in car by father.[31]

Narrative Information

NCDC on Philadelphia, June 21-26: “The first heat wave of 1997 brought the hottest weather in two years to the Philadelphia area. The highest temperatures reached near 100 degrees on the 25th. Four persons died of hyperthermia within the city. Three died on the 26th, the last day of the heat wave. All the deaths occurred within their homes. One had no air conditioning or fans with the windows closed. The other three had no air conditioning, the fans on, but the windows closed. The heat wave started on the 21st. A weak cold front briefly brought drier air into the region on the 23rd. But that was short-lived as both heat and humidity levels became oppressive again on the 24th. The highest temperatures included 99 degrees at the Franklin Institute and 96 degrees at the Philadelphia International Airport and 94 degrees at the Northeast Philadelphia Airport. The 96 degree high at the Philadelphia International Airport was the hottest day at the airport since August 18, 1995 when the high was 97 degrees.” (NCDC, NOAA. Storm Events Database. Heat, Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, June 21-26, 1997.)

NCDC on Philadelphia, July 12-18: “The longest and hottest heat wave of the summer of 1997 brought around 6 consecutive days of high temperatures of 90 degrees or higher to Eastern Pennsylvania. Along with the oppressive heat came high humidity levels and limited rainfall. There were twenty-four heat related deaths caused by the heat wave, twenty-three persons within Philadelphia and one person in Darby in Delaware County. All of the deaths occurred indoors. Most of the people that died had underlying health problems that were exacerbated by the heat. They often were found in homes that had the windows shut, no air conditioning and sometimes just fans blowing. Heat related illnesses occurred as far north as the Lehigh Valley and Berks County during the heat wave. The heat wave ended after a strong cold front moved through the region early on the 19th.

“The hottest day for most areas was the 15th as high temperatures were in the mid 90s in the Poconos and Lehigh Valley and near 100 degrees around Philadelphia. This was also the day that many utilities set new usage records. The Pennsylvania-Jersey-Maryland Interconnection (PJM) reported a record usage of 49,822 megawatts in their regional serving area. This surpassed the previous record of 48,524 megawatts set on August 2, 1995. Other utility setting records included PECO Energy with 7300 megawatts (old record 7,244 megawatts), Pennsylvania Power and Light with 6,051 megawatts (old record 6,021 megawatts) and GPU with 2,288 megawatts (previous record 2,228 megawatts). A Philadelphia suburban water company also reported a record water usage for the day.

“The highest temperatures during this heat wave included 100 degrees at the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia and Levittown (Bucks County), 99 degrees at the Northeast Philadelphia Airport, 98 degrees at the Philadelphia International Airport and New Hope (Bucks County), 97 degrees in Reading (Berks County) and King of Prussia (Montgomery County), 95 degrees at the Lehigh Valley International Airport and 94 degrees in East Stroudsburg (Monroe County). The lack of rain continued to stress crops and water supplies. Leesport in Berks County asked for voluntary water conservation. The fear of fires led to the banning of outside burning in Cumru (Berks County) and East Vincent (Chester County) Townships. The excessive heat also led to the buckling of Interstate 95 in both Philadelphia and Ridley Township in Delaware County. The heat also caused buckling on the southbound lanes of U.S. Route 1 in Upper Providence Township.” (NCDC, NOAA. Storm Events Database. Heat, PA, Philadelphia, July 12-18, 1997.)

NCDC on Washington, DC, July 13-19: “The combination of antecedent dry weather, a persistent upper-level high pressure area, and the time of year produced a bona-fide heat wave in the District of Columbia during the middle of the month. Unlike events of previous years, the heat index was not quite as oppressive. Nonetheless, daytime high temperatures averaged in the upper 90s for the seven days, with the hottest readings occurring on the 17th (100 at Washington/National Airport) and on the 15th and 18th (99 each day).

“Ground-level ozone levels became hazardous as the heat wave persisted; the city departments of health and environment declared code orange (approaching unhealthful) or red (unhealthful) conditions each day. Two persons perished from hyperthermia; both were in residences without air conditioning or fans. An estimated 150 other folks were admitted to area hospitals with heat-related disorders; one elderly woman, 94, suffered heat stroke, and had a body temperature of 105F.” (NCDC, NOAA. Storm Events Database. Heat, District of Columbia, July 13-19, 1997.)

NCDC on SW PA, Aug 16-17: “The weekend of August 16th and 17th brought some of the hottest and most humid air of the summer into Southeastern Pennsylvania. High temperatures in most places reached well into the 90s, while dew point temperatures (an indication of how humid the air mass is) were as high as the mid 70s. The apparent temperature or heat index in Philadelphia on the 16th reached between 110 and 115 degrees. Two more heat related deaths occurred within Philadelphia and this brought the final total of heat related deaths in Philadelphia to 33 for the summer of 1997. The highest temperatures this weekend (on Saturday the 16th for most locations) included 100 degrees at Crum Creek (Delaware County), 99 degrees at the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia, 98 degrees at the Philadelphia International Airport (a new record for the 16th), Green Lane (Montgomery County) and Levittown (Bucks County), 97 degrees in Reading (Berks County) and Valley Forge (Montgomery County) and 96 degrees in New Hope (Bucks County) and Hamburg (Berks County). The hot spell ended abruptly as a strong cold front moved through the region late on the 17th.” (National Climatic Dater Center, NOAA. Storm Events Database. Heat, Penn., Philadelphia, Aug 16-17, 1997.)

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[1] CDC-Wonder results relate only to cases where hyperthermia was coded ICD-9/E900.0 as primary (direct) cause of death by a medical examiner on a death certificate. “Heat-related” deaths are viewed as those where heat was an indirect or contributing cause of death, and are not included. Even with what we would view as a direct E900.0 heat death we know that sometimes such deaths are coded as something else – such as a dehydration in the case of a child left in a hot car, or heart-failure brought on by a heat stroke, and thus do not show up in a exposure to excessive heat query. Also, CDC WONDER suppresses (does not show) fatality numbers in a State where the loss of life is less than 10. CDC Wonder, for 1997, shows results only for four States – AZ, CA, LA, and TX.

[2] Credits the Health Department’s Center for Health Statistics.

[3] “Data on the number and characteristics of deaths from heat due to weather conditions were obtained from the mortality database containing information from the death certificates filed with the Arizona Department of Health Services….In addition to death certificates where exposure to excessive natural heat was indicated as the underlying cause of death, heatstroke or sunstroke may be reported on death certificates as contributing factors that had a bearing on the death, but were not its underlying cause. For example, heatstroke and sunstroke were mentioned in…Arizona death certificates where atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease…, respiratory disease…, diabetes…, or drug overdose/alcohol intoxication…were reported as the underlying cause of death. Those heat-related deaths are beyond the scope of this report.” (p. 1)

[4] OSHA Inspection 120135264. Notes three other firefighters with the victim were hospitalized for heat exhaustion.

[5] CDC. “Heat-Related Mortality – United States, 1997,” MMWR, 6-19-1998, Vol. 47, No. 23. p. 473.

[6] NCDC. Storm Events Database. Heat, California, Riverside County Valley/The Inland Empire, Aug 2-7, 1997.

[7] Figure 3 is a chart which shows heat deaths in one color and cold deaths in another on the same horizontal bar for each year. The fatality range shown on the left of the chart is in increments of five, going up to thirty. The bars for each year are shown diagonally and do not show any numbers. This does not make them readily readable. Thus one has to measure with a ruler the bar showing the lowest combined deaths (1979), which appears to show one cold death and one heat death. With the unit of measurement of one death then measured against the heat portion of all the other bars, one can get an approximation of the heat deaths for each year. I say “approximate” in that by this method we counted 133 heat deaths over the 21-year period included in the graph, whereas the text of the article notes that there were 125. Repetitious measurement attempts gave us the same result. The article notes that the data came from death certificates collected by the Public Health Statistics Section, Office of Vital Statistics, Florida Department of Health and Rehabilitative Services.

[8] NCDC, NOAA. Storm Events Database. Heat, Florida, Orange, July 3, 1997.

[9] CDC. “Heat-Related Deaths – Chicago, Illinois, 1996-2001, and [U.S.], 1979-1999.” MMWR, 52/26, 7-4-2003. Notes that when the woman was found by her grandson the bedroom was very hot and had no fan. At the hospital, a rectal temperature of 108° F was recorded.

[10] NCDC, NOAA. Storm Events Database. Heat, Illinois, Hardin, July 2, 1997.

[11] LA Times. “4 Deaths Blamed on Blistering Heat.” 7-28-1997. Victims were Bradley Deien, 48; Steve Haskell, 45.

[12] LA Times. “4 Deaths Blamed on Blistering Heat.” 7-28-1997.

[13] Snopes.com. “The Unlovin’ Oven.” Cites: New Orleans Time-Picayune (Pam Louwagie). “Boy Left in Van by Sitter Dies.” 4-12-1997, p. A1.

[14] NCDC, NOAA. Storm Events Database. Heat, Maryland, July 13-19, 1997.

[15] NCDC, NOAA. Storm Events Database. Heat, Maryland, Aug 16-17, 1997.

[16] NCDC, NOAA. Storm Events Database. Heat, Maryland, July 13-19, 1997.

[17] Notes “he was wearing several layers of heavy clothing.”

[18] LA Times. “4 Deaths Blamed on Blistering Heat.” 7-28-1997.

[19] NCDC, NOAA. Storm Events Database. Heat, Missouri, St. Louis (C), Aug 17, 1997.

[20] “There were 5 heat-related deaths in the Las Vegas Valley in 2011 which is the lowest yearly total since 1997 when only one person died.”

[21] Snopes.com. “The Unlovin’ Oven.” Notes the car was in the driveway. Cites Mark Hayward. “Heat Stroke Killed 2-Year-Old.” The Union Leader, Manchester, NH, 3-21-1997, p. A1.

[22] CDC. “Heat-Related Mortality – United States, 1997,” MMWR, 6-19-1998, Vol. 47, No. 23. p. 473. Notes that “During July 17-18, a power failure had occurred in the house, and the ambient temperature was >90 F…”

[23] NCDC, NOAA. Storm Events Database. Heat, North Carolina, Robeson, July 28, 1997. Notes that the victim “suffered a heart attach which officials believe was caused by the sweltering heat. Temperatures were in the mid 90s with heat indices exceeding 100 degrees.”

[24] From Figure 1. “Heat-Related Deaths by Year, Oklahoma, 1990-2001.” Deaths in Figure 1 are denoted by a horizontal bar, against backdrop of horizontal lines in increments of five.

[25] “Lawrence William “Billy” Warrick, 18 months, died Sept. 30, 1997, of heat stroke after his father left him in a closed automobile for 5 1/2 hours on a day when the temperature reached 86 degrees. Lawrence D. Warrick had left his job at Commercial Financial Services about 12:30 p.m. to take Billy to a pediatrician for a routine physical. An hour later, Warrick reported back to work, leaving the sleeping boy in the car by mistake instead of taking him in to the company’s on-site day-care center. When Warrick returned to his car at 7 p.m., he found the unresponsive child in the back seat and sought emergency help. Warrick, then 36, pleaded no contest to a second-degree manslaughter charge and later received a two-year deferred sentence and a $1,000 fine.” (Tulsa World (Cary Aspinwall). “Infant left in hot SUV dies.” 8-29-2003, updated 10-4-2013.)

[26] NCDC, NOAA. Storm Events Database. Heat, Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, July 27-28, 1997.

[27] NCDC, NOAA. Storm Events Database. Heat, Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, June 21-26, 1997.

[28] NCDC, NOAA. Storm Events Database. Heat, Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, July 27-28, 1997.

[29] OSHA accident investigation summary also notes the employer also “refused transportation to the hospital.” The employee “wandered off the jobsite and died of heat stress three blocks away from the job site.”

[30] OSHA. “Inspection: 115237216 – Metro Lawn Care Inc.”

[31] Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (Meg Jones). “Dad forgot baby in car, smoked pot, police say.” 6-25-1997, p. A1. Notes the child was left alone 30-45 minutes in car with windows rolled up on day with highs in 80s; was “dead on arrival Tuesday afternoon with a body temperature of more than 108 degrees.”

1997 — June-Aug especially, Heat, especially PA/36 IL/29 AZ/23 TX/22 CA/19 LA/11– 182