Maryland Breaks Heat-Related Death Record With Weeks of Summer to Go

"Prolonged heatwaves are turning summers into deadly heat traps, with the very young and the elderly hit the hardest."

"Prolonged heatwaves pushed death tolls to new levels this year in Maryland, which recorded its highest number of heat-related deaths with more than a month left of summer. 

At least 70 deaths across the U.S. were linked to the heat domes that covered much of the country in July, according to an analysis by The Washington Post. July was the hottest month across the United States since the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration began keeping records 132 years ago. 

An August 2024 study that analyzed deaths occurring between 1999 and 2023 using data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimated a 117 percent increase in the number of heat-related deaths, totalling 21,518 during the reporting period. 

In Maryland, the toll has been especially stark this summer."

Aman Azhar reports for Inside Climate News August 13, 2026.

Source: Inside Climate News, 08/14/2026