Heat-Related Deaths During the 1995 Chicago Heat Wave

Figure 2.2

Stratus Consulting
Alexis St. Juliana

This figure appears in chapter 2 of the The Impacts of Climate Change on Human Health in the United States: A Scientific Assessment report.

This figure shows the relationship between high temperatures and deaths observed during the 1995 Chicago heat wave. The large spike in deaths in mid-July of 1995 (red line) is much higher than the average number of deaths during that time of year (orange line), as well as the death rate before and after the heat wave. This increase in the rate of deaths occurred during and after the heat wave, as shown here by temperatures exceeding 100°F during the day (green line). Humidity and high nighttime temperatures were also key contributing factors to this increase in deaths.4f9edf45-db7c-4e87-b1ab-af8856388760 The number of excess deaths has been estimated to be about 700 based on statistical methods, but only 465 deaths in Cook County were classified as “heat-related” on death certificates during this same period,e4b23502-00d8-4f34-8da8-3bb61ece107d demonstrating the tendency of direct attribution to undercount total heat-related deaths. (Figure source: EPA 2014)bfc00315-ccea-4e7c-8a05-2650a07e4252

The time range for this figure is June 01, 1995 (00:00 AM) to August 30, 1995 (23:59 PM).

This figure was created on May 01, 2014.

The spatial range for this figure is 41.5° to 42.2° latitude, and 87.1° to 88.3° longitude.

This figure was derived from Climate Change Indicators in the United States, 2014, Third Edition .

References :

• The 1995 Chicago heat wave: How likely is a recurrence? (4f9edf45)
• Climate Change Indicators in the United States, 2012 (bfc00315)
• Heat-related mortality--Chicago, July 1995 (e4b23502)