June Heat Wave Now Washington's Deadliest Weather Event

OLYMPIA, WA — At least 112 Washingtonians were killed by the record-breaking June 2021 heat wave. The Washington State Department of Health's update Monday saw the death toll jump 21, making the heat wave now the state's deadliest weather event in history.

Previously, the state's deadliest weather event was in 1910, when 96 were killed in an avalanche at Stevens Pass, KUOW reported.

To put the 112 deaths in perspective: Between 2015 and 2019, 36 Washingtonians died of heat stress, according to DOH records.

Washington's death toll is now close to Oregon's, where at least 116 people died due to the record-breaking heat. Including British Columbia and Alberta, Canada, more than 800 people across the Pacific Northwest are now believed to have been killed by the heat wave.

The DOH says the public should expect extreme heat waves to happen more often and last longer as the climate changes:

"Washington summers are getting longer, hotter and potentially more dangerous. According to climate scientists, the number of very hot days and extreme heat events will increase across the state, though by how much varies depending on location and future greenhouse gas emissions."

In Washington, the bulk of the deaths were in the state's most populous counties, King, Pierce and Snohomish, though 20 of Washington's 39 counties reported at least one death caused by the triple-digit heat.

The death toll is likely to continue to rise as more deaths are reported and as data is shared between government agencies. For example, DOH data shows 21 heat-related deaths in Pierce County, but the Pierce County Medical Examiner's Office independently confirmed 23 heat stress deaths. The DOH says that's to be expected, as their totals often lag behind local health departments — and it may be another month until the full death toll is known.

Washington's hospitals also logged more than 2,000 heat-related emergency room visits between June 25 and July 1, and the true number that may be even higher considering five percent of hospitals do not give data to the DOH, and the count does not include residents who sought care out of state, or at the VA or military hospitals.

The DOH will continue to report heat-related deaths by county through the summer. That data will be updated every Monday.

Related: Washington Urged To Prepare For Wildfire Smoke: Here's How