NPR Finds Oklahoma Heat Deaths Top CDC Count by 3 Times
Updated
Updated · tulsaflyer.org · Sep 1
NPR Finds Oklahoma Heat Deaths Top CDC Count by 3 Times
3 articles · Updated · tulsaflyer.org · Sep 1
Summary
NPR and Boston University estimated Oklahoma’s true heat death toll at 89.4 over seven years, versus the CDC’s reported 23.1, pointing to major undercounting in official data.
More obvious causes such as heart attacks often appear on death certificates instead of heat, the investigation found, obscuring how often extreme temperatures contribute to deaths.
Oklahoma County shows a similar gap: the CDC averages about six heat deaths a year there, while NPR’s model puts the figure closer to 19.
22 days of 100-degree heat hit Oklahoma in August, and with heat advisories in parts of northeast Oklahoma and more triple-digit highs forecast, researchers warn longer, more intense heat waves are becoming more common.