Heatwave Claims Lives in Texas City, Surprising Even the Acclimated

Ten people have died from heat-related causes in Laredo, Texas, between June 15 and July 3, highlighting the potential for a substantial death toll from this year's widespread heat waves. While hot weather is not uncommon in Laredo, the prolonged and intense heat wave has presented unfamiliar and deadly hazards. Extreme heat, worsened by humidity, strains the heart, lungs, and kidneys, making it difficult for the body to cool down. Public health officials are implementing new ways to track and respond to heat-related illnesses, as heat waves become a regular public health crisis. Climate change is predicted to increase the number of danger days per year, making it too hot to work outside, from 35 to 100 by 2030.