‘Woefully unprepared’: extreme heat will double US hospitalizations by 2040, study finds
A new study has found that extreme heat will double US hospitalizations by 2040, with the number of annual heat-related emergency department visits or hospitalizations set to rise from about 109,000 cases a year to as many as 237,000 cases. This will almost double annual healthcare costs for heat-related conditions to more than $1bn. The impact of hospitalizations will not fall evenly, with areas not used to extreme heat, such as the north-east and Ohio valley, expected to suffer the most severe health consequences from each major heat event.
- ▪The number of annual heat-related emergency department visits or hospitalizations across the US are set to rise from about 109,000 cases a year to as many as 237,000 cases by 2040.
- ▪Annual healthcare costs for heat-related conditions are expected to almost double to more than $1bn by 2040.
- ▪Severe heat kills more people in the US each year than all other extreme weather events combined, with deaths surging by more than 50% over the past two decades.
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| Original publisher | the Guardian |
| Canonical URL | https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/jun/09/extreme-heat-double-hospitalizations-2040-study |
| Publication time | Tue, 09 Jun 2026 13:00:51 GMT |
| Retrieval time | 2026-06-09T13:54:21.939Z |
| Last seen | 2026-06-09T13:54:21.939Z |
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Paramedics from Phoenix fire station 18 transport a resident to the hospital during a heat wave in Phoenix, Arizona, on 20 July 2023. Photograph: Caitlin O'Hara/Bloomberg via Getty ImagesView image in fullscreenParamedics from Phoenix fire station 18 transport a resident to the hospital during a heat wave in Phoenix, Arizona, on 20 July 2023. Photograph: Caitlin O'Hara/Bloomberg via Getty ImagesExtreme heat‘Woefully unprepared’: extreme heat will double US hospitalizations by 2040, study findsSharp rise in hospital visits will in turn drive up annual healthcare costs for heat-related conditions to over $1bnOliver MilmanTue 9 Jun 2026 09.00 EDTLast modified on Tue 9 Jun 2026 10.06 EDTSharePrefer the Guardian on GooglePeople in the US are poised to endure another summer of unusually…
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