Assessing Heat Mortality: Challenges in the U.S.

Epidemiologists express concern over the U.S.’s slow and sometimes inconsistent methods of evaluating deaths caused by extreme heat. This approach likely results in a significant undercount of heat-related mortality.

Date: July 26, 2026 at 5:00 a.m. EDT

A recent image captured a vendor seeking shade in New York City earlier this month. (Source: Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

Martha Irene Van Egmond’s tragic story highlights the risks associated with extreme heat. While working in her garden in Bolton, Mississippi, the 83-year-old stumbled and could not get up. With temperatures soaring beyond 90 degrees, the county coroner reported that she spent several hours on the ground before succumbing to the heat.