Even as the climate warms, the cold is becoming a deadlier threat to Americans.
New research this month shows that cold-related deaths have significantly increased in the U.S. over the past two decades.
Extreme Weather Is Getting Deadlier
Extreme temperatures on either end of the thermometer can be life-threatening.
A new study shows that cold-related deaths have significantly increased in the U.S. since 1999.© fhm via Getty
Between 1999 and 2022, there were just over 40,000 cold-related deaths in the U.S., the researchers found.
Much of this jump was the result of a significant annual increase in deaths between 2017 and 2022.
The teams findings werepublishedthis month in the journalJAMA.
Climate change is known to raise the risk of both hot andcold extreme weather events, for instance.
Substance use and social isolation may also increase peoples risk of being exposed to unsafe conditions, temperature included.
Certain trends emerged in the teams data showing who was most vulnerable to cold-related deaths.
The authors say that more research has to be done to unpack exactly why cold-related deaths have been increasing.
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