Seattle-area heat wave results in several deaths, officials say
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
At least three people's deaths are linked to last week's record-breaking heat wave, and another three people drowned during the same six-day stretch, Seattle and King County health officials announced Monday evening.
The latest: The deaths — all ruled accidental — are the first fatalities that area health officials have connected to the historic heat wave.
Details: All three people who died due to likely heat exposure were men, per the King County Medical Examiner's Office. They include:
- A 64-year-old Seattle resident who died July 27, and a 65-year-old Issaquah resident, who died July 30, both of whom had underlying conditions related to alcoholism.
- A 77-year-old Seattle resident with a heart condition died on July 29.
Separately, all three drowning victims were male, including:
- A 22-year-old under the influence of drugs who drowned in Shoreline on July 28.
- A 22-year-old man who drowned on July in Seattle on July 29.
- A 67-man with diabetes who drowned in Seattle on July 31.
What health officials are saying: Because heat-related deaths aren't always readily found or confirmed, more could be reported in the coming days.
Details: At least 61 people visited area emergency rooms for heat-related illnesses between Tuesday and Friday last week; emergency room visits for Saturday and Sunday had yet to be tallied as of Monday evening.
Context: The Puget Sound Region had been under an "excessive heat warning" since Tuesday, July 26, with concerns that the temperatures could cause serious health risks.
- The six straight days with 90-plus degree weather were accompanied by hotter-than-normal low temperatures in the 60s, per the National Weather Service.
- Such elevated "high lows" can prove dangerous because people aren't able to find relief from the heat overnight — especially in Seattle, where most residents don't have air conditioning in their homes.