Heat Wave Death Toll Rises To 78 In Washington: DOH

OLYMPIA, WA — The death toll from June's record-breaking heat wave continues to rise, as the Washington State Department of Health is now reporting 78 heat-related deaths for the Evergreen State.

To put that in perspective, the DOH says there were seven heat-related deaths in Washington in 2020, and 39 deaths total from 2015 to 2020.

Washington was not alone in its suffering: Oregon's death toll was even higher, hitting 116 as of Wednesday.

Experts say "mass casualty" heat events like this will continue to happen, and more frequently, as the climate keeps changing.

“This huge jump in mortality due to heat is tragic and something many people thought they’d never see in the Pacific Northwest with its mostly moderate climate,” said Acting State Health Officer Dr. Scott Lindquist. “But climates are changing, and we see the evidence of that with dramatic weather events, major flooding, historic forest fires, and more.”

Almost half of Washington's currently-reported deaths, 33, happened on June 29. Though the record-breaking heat had largely peaked the day before, the 29th marked the fifth straight day of the weather service's Excessive Heat Warning, and temperatures remained well into the triple digits for most of Central and Eastern Washington.

The DOH says the majority of the 78 deaths were in King and Pierce Counties, though 19 of Washington's 39 counties reported at least one heat-related death. Washington's hospitals also logged more than 2,000 heat-related emergency room visits between June 25 and July 1 — the number that may be even higher considering five percent of hospitals do not give data to the DOH, and does not include Washingtonians who sought care out of state or at the VA or military hospitals.

The death toll is also likely to rise as the DOH processes data on a number of "pending" deaths that have not yet officially been given a cause of death. The state says it will likely a month or more before the true death toll is known. In the meantime, the DOH will continue to report heat-related deaths by county through the summer. That data will be updated every Monday.

Here is the latest preliminary heat-related death count by county, per the DOH: