1972 – Excessive heat & heat as contributing factor, esp. July 12-25 NYC/891, MD/269–1,324

— 1,324 Blanchard tally of direct & indirect deaths (MD and NYC) from State breakouts below.*
— 234 CDC Wonder Online Database. Compressed Mortality File 1968-1978. Excessive Heat.
Number applies only to direct deaths (such as heat stroke); does not include heat as
contributing or instigating factor.
— 10 NOAA Storm Data V14, N7, July 1972, p117. (MD was only State noted for heat deaths.)

*Blanchard note: We include indirect deaths reported by government officials from NYC and MD in that we consider non-inclusion a serious misrepresentation of the hazard posed by exposure to high natural heat, particularly when over a multiple-day period, including high overnight temperatures, high humidity and little air movement. Infants and adults with underlying health conditions, particularly heart-related diseases, and more particularly the elderly with underlying health conditions are very vulnerable to such high heat environments. It is regrettable to us that the CDC does not utilize a category for indirect or heat-related deaths. Such reporting at a national level would better serve the interests of attempts to raise awareness of the seriousness of high heat environments and the need for more resources, public information and outreach to high-risk populations.

Summary of Heat Exposure (Direct) and Heat-Related (indirect) Deaths by State

Arizona 18 Direct
Arkansas 2 Direct
California 16 Direct
Connecticut 2 Direct
Delaware 2 Direct
District of Col. 16 Direct
Florida 8 Direct
Georgia 6 Direct
Idaho 2 Direct
Illinois 2 Direct
Iowa 6 Direct
Kentucky 2 Direct
Maryland 269 Direct (CDC: 24); 269 total according to State and Baltimore officials.
Massachusetts 8 Direct
New York 891 Direct (CDC: 24): 891 excess deaths attributed to heat, several sources.
North Car. 12 Direct
Ohio 6 Direct
Oklahoma 2 Direct
Pennsylvania 14 Direct
South Carolina 2 Direct
Texas 22 Direct
Utah 4 Direct
Virginia 10 Direct
Wisconsin 2 Direct
Total 1,324 Direct and Indirect from MD and NYC

Breakout of Heat Exposure and Heat-Related Deaths by State

Arizona 18 CDC Wonder. Compressed Mortality File 1968-1978. Excessive Heat.

Arkansas 2 CDC Wonder. Compressed Mortality File 1968-1978. Excessive Heat.

California 16 CDC Wonder. Compressed Mortality File 1968-1978. Excessive Heat.
–3 San Mateo County (indirect cause of death)
–1 Redwood City, July 14. Pedro Gonsalves; 110⁰ heat.
–1 San Carlos, July 14. Mrs. Jenny Delmasso, 86.

Connecticut 2 CDC Wonder. Compressed Mortality File 1968-1978. Excessive Heat.

Delaware 2 CDC Wonder. Compressed Mortality File 1968-1978. Excessive Heat.

District of Col. 16 CDC Wonder. Compressed Mortality File 1968-1978. Excessive Heat.

Florida 8 CDC Wonder. Compressed Mortality File 1968-1978. Excessive Heat.

Georgia 6 CDC Wonder. Compressed Mortality File 1968-1978. Excessive Heat.

Idaho 2 CDC Wonder. Compressed Mortality File 1968-1978. Excessive Heat.

Illinois 2 CDC Wonder. Compressed Mortality File 1968-1978. Excessive Heat.

Iowa 6 CDC Wonder. Compressed Mortality File 1968-1978. Excessive Heat.

Kentucky 2 CDC Wonder. Compressed Mortality File 1968-1978. Excessive Heat.

Maryland 269
— 84 23 counties, not including Baltimore City. Storm Data 14/7; sites State health officials.
— 24 Entire State. CDC Wonder. Compressed Mortality File 1968-1978. Excessive Heat.
— 10 State. Heat stroke. Storm Data Vol. 14, No. 7, July 1972, p. 117.
–185 Baltimore. NOAA. Storm Data, V.14, N.7, July 1972, p.117. Cites Baltimore Health Dept.

Massachusetts 8 CDC Wonder. Compressed Mortality File 1968-1978. Excessive Heat.

New York 891 (including NYC)
— 891 Blanchard. (We rely on three sources reporting on heat-related deaths for NYC.)
— 24 CDC Wonder Online Database. Compressed Mortality File 1968-1978. Excessive Heat.
— 0 NOAA Storm Data, 17/7, July 1972, p. 124 notes no heat or heat-related deaths in NY.

NY City 891
–~900 Kohn, E. P. “The Heat Wave that Changed American History.” 9-19-2010, HHN, GMU.
— 891 Bahrampour. “Most Deadly of the Natural Disasters: The Heat Wave.” NYT, 8-13-2002.
— 891 Krantz, Les and Sue Sveum. The World’s Worsts. HarperCollins e-books. Page 68.
— 891 TAMUTimes (Texas A&M University). “Heat Waves Can Be Killers.” 7-18-2012.

North Carolina 12 CDC Wonder. Compressed Mortality File 1968-1978. Excessive Heat.

Ohio 6 CDC Wonder. Compressed Mortality File 1968-1978. Excessive Heat.
–1 Athens, July 22. Coroner: “…apparent heart attack brought on by heat exhaustion.”

Oklahoma 2 CDC Wonder. Compressed Mortality File 1968-1978. Excessive Heat.

Pennsylvania 14
–14 CDC Wonder Online Database. Compressed Mortality File 1968-1978. Excessive Heat.
— 0 NOAA Storm Data, 17/7, July 1972, p. 128 notes no heat or heat-related deaths in PA.
— 1 Philadelphia, July 18. Heat stroke. (City Medical Examiner’s Office).
— 1 Philadelphia, July 20. Heat stroke.
— 1 Willow Grove, Montgomery County, July 22. Heat contributed to death, male, 65.

South Carolina 2 CDC Wonder. Compressed Mortality File 1968-1978. Excessive Heat.

Texas 22 CDC Wonder. Compressed Mortality File 1968-1978. Excessive Heat.

Utah 4 CDC Wonder. Compressed Mortality File 1968-1978. Excessive Heat.

Virginia 10 CDC Wonder. Compressed Mortality File 1968-1978. Excessive Heat.

Wisconsin 2 CDC Wonder. Compressed Mortality File 1968-1978. Excessive Heat.

Narrative Information

General – Multi State

July 22, AP: “Much of the nation remained in a steambath today as stifling heat and humidity continued for the ninth day in a row with no immediate letup in sight. The minimum temperature of 80 in Chicago Friday [July 21] was the highest minimum ever recorded there for that date. Daytime highs in the 90s were common from the central Rockies to the Atlantic. The air mass causing most of the heat and humidity over the eastern half of the nation was centered over the lower Ohio Valley early today.

“Two deaths from heat stroke were reported Friday in Philadelphia, while an air-ollu6tion alert in Allegheny County [Pittsburgh area]+, Pa., caused an enforced slowdown at some 30 industrial plants….

“temperatures before dawn ranged from…Atlanta 77…Boston 77…Chicago 83…Kansas City 79…Los Angeles 77…Louisville 77…Minneapolis-St. Paul 80…Nashville 76…New York 76…Philadelphia 82…Phoenix 90…Pittsburgh 76…St. Louis 78…Washington 81…” (AP. “No Immediate Relief Seen…Most of Nation Steams.” Palladium Times, Oswego NY, 7-22-1972, 1.)

California

July 15: “All-time heat records were broken for San Mateo County yesterday [July 14] when the mercury reached a high of 117 degrees at the Skylonda station of the Division of Forestry on Skyline Boulevard. The boiling temperature was given as the indirect cause of three deaths and caused a critical water shortage in Belmont and Millbrae in which police, firemen and water district employees appealed on loud speakers to residents not to water their gardens and not to waste any water….

“According to the Redwood City Fire Department, the current heat spell is the longest since records were started in 1931, when temperatures over 90 degrees were recorded for eight days. At that time, however, the thermometer passed only 100 degrees on two days….

“Redwood City firemen reported three persons collapsed in the high temperature and had to be give oxygen before being taken to hospitals….

“Temperatures yesterday were from one to five degrees over the day previously. Temperatures recorded yesterday ranged down from the high at Skylonda to 110 in Redwood City, 108 in Belmont, 108 at Menlo Park, and a relatively low 71 at Pescadero on the county’s south Coast-side….” (The Times, San Mateo, CA. “Hottest Day in County History; Relief Today.” 7-15-1972, p. 1.)

Maryland

NOAA Storm Data: “State…13-25 [dates]…10 [killed]…Heat Wave.

“The Baltimore City Health Department reported a total of 185 deaths were likely the result of this two-week heat wave. During the first week, July 14-20 there were 49 ‘excess’ deaths and during the week, July 21-27, 136 deaths. These figures were based on an analysis of death certificates processed during the period. An average of 241 deaths would have been expected during the first week; the actual count was 290. An average of 224 deaths would have been expected during the second week; the total was 360. Death statistics from the State for July suggested that 84 persons in 23 counties may have died as a result of the heat wave. This was in addition to the 185 deaths cited above for Baltimore. Health officials said that many of the deaths occurred among the elderly with severe chronic conditions, such as heart disease. The ten deaths give in the table were ascribed directly to heat strokes.” (NOAA. Storm Data, V.14, N.7, July 1972, p.117.)

New York

Bahrampour/NYT: “Natural disasters usually come rife with drama. Hurricanes, tornadoes, forest fires, earthquakes — all make for good headlines and even better visuals. But it would be hard to make a blockbuster movie about a heat wave. Heat waves come on subtly, raising summer temperatures just a little higher than normal and then receding. But they kill more people in the United States than all other natural disasters combined. The numbers are striking. According to the Center for Climatic Research at the University of Delaware, an average of 1,500 American city dwellers die each year because of the heat. Annual deaths from tornadoes, earthquakes and floods together total fewer than 200.

“….Other deadly heat waves in the United States [after Chicago in July 1995] occurred in New York City in 1972, when 891 died….”

Kohn: “….heat waves are this country’s number one natural disaster killer. On average, heat kills more Americans than floods, hurricanes, and tornadoes combined. Most people are unaware of this as heat waves receive much less attention from media and government than other disasters.

“….In the summer of 1972 perhaps as many as nine hundred people died during a New York heat wave.” (Kohn, Edward P. “The Heat Wave that Changed American History.” History News Network, George Mason University, 9-19-2010.)

Newspapers

July 20, Brody, NYT: “The city’s Health Commissioner, Dr. Joseph A. Cimino, said yesterday that the heat wave had begun to take its toll among the chronically ill. He said spot checks had indicated a rise in deaths among hospitalized persons with such diseases as cancer and heart and lung ailments. ‘Most of these people would have died in any case in a few months, but the strain of the hot, humid weather is causing the deaths to cluster now,’ Dr. Cimino asserted. The steamy, stagnant air mass may have also increased sensitivity to pollutants among non-hospitalized persons with chronic respiratory or coronary diseases, the Commissioner said, but data on clinic and hospital visits by such patients are not yet available. Thus far this week, air pollution has not been worse than “unsatisfactory,” level at which few are supposed to feel its effects.

“Although the health of ‘normal’ people should not have been impaired by the discomforting weather, Dr. Cimino cautioned against anyone taking too cavalier an attitude toward the heat wave, which is expected to last at least through Sunday. ‘People should slow down their pace of activity—do everything in moderation and try to stay out of the sun,’ he advised, endorsing the recommendations or weather experts in the United States Department of Commerce….” (Brody, Jane E. “Heat Wave Proves Killer Among the Chronically Ill.” New York Times. 7-20-1972, p.66.)

July 21, Prial, NYT: “New Yorkers endured yet another day of furnace‐like heat and sticky, humid air yesterday, and the National Weather Service predicted at least two more days of the same. The thermometer climbed to 88 degrees at 2:30 P.M. and seemed, for the fifth day in the last week, headed for 90 degrees or higher. But then‐clouds obi‐cured the sun and, by 5 P.M., the temperature had dropped to 81… the Weather Service predicted that it would start rising toward the 90’s again this morning. Yesterday’s temperature did not reach Wednesday’s high of 94, and the Weather Service said the stagnant high‐pressure system over the city had begun to drift south.

“For another day—the sixth in it row when the temperature rose above 87 degrees—New Yorkers stayed in air‐conditioned buildings if they could or sat on front stoops and street corners if no air‐conditioning was available….

“The Weather Service blamed the continuing hot spell on a Bermuda high that refused to stay over Bermuda, where it belongs. The huge high‐pressure system, centered somewhere along the Virginia‐Tennessee border, has diverted to the north the prevailing cool winds that ordinarily would blow from west to east over the New York area….

“High temperatures were blamed for a wildcat strike at the vast Ford Motor Company plant in Mahwah, N. J., on Wednesday night. Nearly 1,800 men walked off their jobs to protest 18 hours of mandatory overtime during the heat wave. Work resumed yesterday after union and management representatives agreed to eliminate the overtime temporarily….

“At Coney Island, the Chamber of Commerce was predictably optimistic in reporting a “cool sea breeze blowing” last night A spokesman said the crowd was ‘about double’ the usual weekday size and reported that on Wednesday night, as the night before, more than 1,000 people slept through the night on the‐beach….” (Prial, Frank J. “Heat Humidity Expected to go on Despite Showers.” New York Times, 7-21-1972, p. 19.)

July 24, Charlton, NYT: “New York City endured its third consecutive day of over90‐degree temperatures yesterday, a sweltering Sunday whose 94‐degree high equaled the hottest day of the year, and today is likely to be much the same. But the National Weather Service predicts normal temperatures in the mid‐80’s for tomorrow. The 94‐degree high — first reached last Wednesday, thus making it the hottest day of 1972—was registered again at 2:35 P.M. yesterday. The record for the date‐99 degrees—was set on July 23, 1955. For record‐fanciers, the heat yesterday did set one mark. According to the Weather Service, the 79 degrees recorded at 5:15 A.M. was ‘the highest minimum temperature in the city since July 16, 1952.’

“The humidity yesterday was a relatively low 45 per cent on the average, but, as the Weather Service spokesman observed, ‘When the temperature gets up around 90, it doesn’t make much difference what the humidity is,’ and the temperature‐humidity index reached an uncomfortable peak of 83 at 3 P.M.

“The National Weather Service said it expected temperatures to return to a normal range, in the mid‐80’s, tomorrow. But Charles F. Luce, the board chairman of Consolidated Edison, said on a television interview show yesterday: ‘We face a tough week.’

“Early this morning, more power troubles began in sections of Queens as the police reported blackouts in scattered small areas in Jamaica, Queens Village, Ozone Park, Flushing, Long Island City, Howard Beach, Richmond Hill and Broad Channel. A Con Edison spokesman said the utility had not immediately determined the cause or the extent of the failures. Last week, during which all the high readings exceeded 88 degrees, was a week of power crises, and Mr. Luce said he expected that the utility would need to have 7,800 megawatts of power available today. This would include a reserve of 198 megawatts, he explained, instead of the 569‐megawatt reserve that should be on hand. Mr. Luce also attributed the utility’s power problems to the lack of its proposed Storm King generating plant. He was promptly challenged by Rod Vandivert of the Scenic Hudson Preservation Conference, who said that 95 per cent of the power failures in the city were a result of transmission problems, not a lack of generating capacity….

“[The heat] was a bonanza for beaches anywhere within stamina‐range of the city. Asbury, Park, N.J., reported about 150,000 weekend refugees from the heat; Coney Island said its one million visitors yesterday set a record for a nonholiday weekend. Two Westchester County swimming facilities were closed to additional visitors in the early afternoon because of capacity crowds….

“The current heat wave, which the Weather Service says began with 90‐degree temperatures on July 12, brought a 92‐degree high to the city on Friday at 3:25 P.M. and Saturday at 3:10 P.M. The Weather Service takes its official temperature readings in Central Park, but reports from other spots in the city are also received. Thus, it was reported that the temperature did reach 100 degrees yesterday at Kennedy International Airport in midafternoon.

“It was described modestly as ‘a crowded weekend’ at Jones Beach, where 220,000 people spent the day yesterday. The beach’s parking lots were filled by 11 A.M. a spokesman said, and traffic was backed up to the Southern State Parkway….” (Charlton, Linda. “Heat Equals ’72 Record; Relief is Due Tomorrow.” New York Times, 7-24-1972, p. 1.)

Sources

Associated Press. “Hot and Heavy Air Choking State May Ease by Weekend.” The Derrick, Oil City, PA. 7-22-1972, p. 1. Accessed 1-22-2022 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/oil-city-derrick-jul-22-1972-p-1/

Associated Press. “No Immediate Relief Seen As Most of Nation Steams.” Palladium Times, Oswego, NY, 7-22-1972, p. 1. Accessed 1-22-2022 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/oswego-palladium-times-jul-22-1972-p-1/

Bahrampour, Tara. “Most Deadly of the Natural Disasters: The Heat Wave.” New York Times, 13 Aug 2002. At: http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9804E6DA103AF930A2575BC0A9649C8B63

Brody, Jane E. “Heat Wave Proves Killer Among the Chronically Ill.” New York Times. 7-20-1972, p. 66. Accessed 1-21-2022 at: https://www.nytimes.com/1972/07/20/archives/heat-wave-proves-killer-among-the-chronically-ill.html

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics. Compressed Mortality File 1968-1978. CDC WONDER Online Database, compiled from Compressed Mortality File CMF 1968-1988. Search for ICD-8 code E900 (Excessive heat), 1972. Accessed at http://wonder.cdc.gov/cmf-icd8.html on Jan 21, 2022 7:33:09 PM

Charlton, Linda. “Heat Equals ’72 Record; Relief is Due Tomorrow.” New York Times, 7-24-1972, p. 1. Accessed 1-21-2022 at: https://www.nytimes.com/1972/07/24/archives/heat-equals-72-record-relief-is-due-tomorrow-heat-equals-record-for.html

Daily Intelligencer, Doylestown, PA. “Obituaries….Robert Stewart Dies at Home.” 7-22-1972, p. 2. Accessed 1-22-2022 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/doylestown-daily-intelligencer-jul-22-1972-p-2/

Environmental Data Service, NOAA. Storm Data, Vol. 14, No. 7, July 1972, Asheville, NC. Accessed 1-21-2022 at: https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/pub/orders/IPS/IPS-796DA802-EC38-4E2C-99DA-BE6B45EF7F24.pdf

Kohn, Edward P. “The Heat Wave that Changed American History.” History News Network, George Mason University, 9-19-2010. Accessed 11-25-2012: http://hnn.us/articles/131243.html

Krantz, Les and Sue Sveum. The World’s Worst’s. HarperCollins e-books. Partially Google digitized: http://books.google.com/books?id=z3h_Ftx1KtEC&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false

Prial, Frank J. “Heat Humidity Expected to go on Despite Showers.” New York Times, 7-21-1972, p. 19. Accessed 1-21-2022 at: https://www.nytimes.com/1972/07/21/archives/heat-humidity-expected-to-go-on-despite-showers-but-the-stagnant.html

TAMUTimes (Texas A&M University). “Heat Waves Can Be Killers.” 7-18-2012. Accessed 11-25-2012 at: http://tamutimes.tamu.edu/2012/07/18/heat-waves-can-be-killers/

The Messenger, Athens, OH. “Area Death Notices.” 7-23-1972, p. 23. Accessed 1-22-2022 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/athens-sunday-messenger-jul-23-1972-p-23/

The Times, San Mateo, CA. “Hottest Day in County History; Relief Today.” 7-15-1972, p. 1. Accessed 1-22-2022 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/san-mateo-times-jul-15-1972-p-69/