Why Extreme Heat Is So Deadly

The year 2024 could easily shape up to be the hottest ever measured, climate scientists say

By vastly understating the number of heat-related deaths, medical officials make it harder to improve heat safety and save lives

A heat wave is sending temperatures soaring in the Midwest, and “corn sweat” is pushing humidity sky-high

Air-conditioning is uncommon for incarcerated people, and the heat index inside many of Texas’s 100 prison buildings can exceed 110 degrees Fahrenheit

Internal records show the U.S. Postal Service has tried to get workers out of air-conditioned offices. The allegations come one year after the agency was accused of falsifying heat-training records

When heat hits, we talk about the heat index, the dew point and heat risk. But what do all these measures mean?

Hundreds of thousands of people die from extreme temperatures every year, more than any other type of weather disaster

A 1972 law that allows states to avoid OSHA regulations for public-sector employees is undermining the nation’s first proposed worker safeguards for heat

An athletic trainer explains why bodies need time to acclimatize to extreme heat and what risks to watch out for to avoid heat illness in student athletes

Temperatures in Fairbanks, Alaska, are predicted to reach a record-tying 90 degrees Fahrenheit because of a prolonged, unusually late heat wave

Miami and New York City officials say they need more insight into how searing temperatures affect homeless people and other vulnerable populations

Extreme heat can cause train tracks to expand and buckle. That’s forcing rail operators to adapt as the climate warms

Under the scorching summer sun, pavement can reach temperatures hot enough to cause second-degree burns

It took 50 years and skyrocketing temperatures before the government proposed heat protections for workers. The Biden administration is trying to speed up the process

Heat waves are costly and kill more people each year than hurricanes, tornadoes and floods combined, but because FEMA doesn’t count them as disasters, communities miss out on important resources

The CDC’s new Heat and Health Index looks at the vulnerability of 32,000 neighborhoods to extreme heat using demographic and health statistics

Places beset by heat waves should receive FEMA disaster funds just as those hit by hurricanes or flooding do, labor unions, green groups and public health advocates argue in a new petition

The face of summer is transforming, as people today face more frequent, longer-lasting and hotter heat waves than they did several decades ago

A heat dome is sending temperatures soaring across the U.S. Midwest and East

Poorer households face climate-related dangers during heat waves amid climbing electricity costs, a report by state energy officials warns

Extreme heat caused by climate change can exacerbate a variety of neurological ailments, from Alzheimer’s disease to migraines to epilepsy, new research shows

Skyrocketing temperatures are colliding with a lack of planning in Phoenix that is contributing to a rise in heat-related deaths

From Gaza to India to the Philippines, climate change exacerbated often record-breaking extreme heat over the past month

Ancient tree rings show that the summer of 2023 was the hottest in the past 2,000 years because of human-caused climate change