I’m a warm weather person which is why I live where I live. It is 87F in my house right now and I’m a happy camper.
Anytime there is a heatwave, the news in the US always runs stories about people dying. I think more people probably die in the cold than in the heat. And if you calculated a percentage based on population density, I would think it would really be true.
Anyone have stats on this?
Thanks
Most things dug up on google say cold kills more, but this paper takes issue with the methodology for calculating such things.
I realize it’s not a scientific study, but I work in a hospital and it’s been my experience that the emergency room is far more crowded in the heat waves than in the cold snaps. People can always put on more clothes to try and get warm, but you can’t get more naked than naked and in 100+ degree heat, even that won’t help much. Whether more people die, though, I couldn’t say.
400 die annually on average from heat in the USA, more than other weather causes.
The news just a few days ago mentioned that far, far more people die in heat waves then cold. In fact, IIRC, they mention that it’s the number one weather killer. I think they said it kills more people then even tornadoes or hurricanes. (But I could be wrong on that part, I’m just going from memory). They also went on to mention that in 1995, something like 400 people died in Chicago during a heat wave, yet in a ‘comparable’ cold front we had last winter in Milwaukee only one person died.
ETA, here’s a link
http://www.noaawatch.gov/themes/heat.php
I can see where heat will kill more where people aren’t prepared for it. I have a billion coats and a heater for when it gets cold but people up north aren’t prepared for heat.
But what about population? Look at how many people live in warm weather climates such as Central America and Africa compared to how many people live in Alaska and Iceland.
On those last survivor studies I’ve always said I would head to the equator and ocean.
Thanks for the responses.