ER Visits 'Extremely High' In RI During Heat Wave: CDC Data

RHODE ISLAND — Heat-related visits to emergency rooms in Rhode Island were way up during the recent heat wave that brought sweltering temperatures to most of the state last week, according to federal health data.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention heat health tracker data, which was updated Saturday, shows "extremely high" rates of heat-related illnesses across large swaths of New England during the heart of the heat wave. The data, based on a scale of per 100,000 visits, showed emergency room visits that exceeded the 95th percentile of what is typical.

In Rhode Island, emergency room visits went from 57 per 100,000 residents on June 17 to 791 on Wednesday and 848 on Thursday. By Saturday, those rates were back down to 193.

The story was much the same across much of the Midwest, the Rockies and the Mid-Atlantic states as the unusually early heat wave broke records. Monday's heat risk is moderate, according to the CDC data.

The forecast for Monday and Tuesday includes warm temperatures in the 80s but lower humidity should help air quality and make it feel more comfortable despite the summer heat.

Humidity will once again spike on Wednesday as temperatures again approach 90 degrees before much cooler and drier air moves over New England during the day on Thursday and into Friday and Saturday.

In the United States, extreme heat kills more people than hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes, floods and other natural disasters. More than 2,300 Americans died of heat-related illnesses last year, the most in 45 years of record-keeping, according to the CDC. That’s up from about 1,700 heat-related deaths in 2022 and 1,600 in 2021.

People become ill from the heat when their bodies can’t naturally cool off due to a combination of factors, including high humidity. When the humidity is high, sweat doesn’t evaporate as quickly and keeps the body from releasing heat as fast as it may need.

Personal factors such as age, obesity, fever, dehydration, heart disease, mental illness, poor circulation, sunburn, and prescription drug and alcohol use all can affect the ability of the body to naturally cool off.

To avoid heat-related illnesses, including heat exhaustion, health officials advise people to limit time outdoors if possible during the heat of the day and be sure to drink plenty of water and wear loose-fitting clothes and a hat.

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