1984 — June-early Sep, Heat, especially CA/53, TX/23, AZ/16, PA/15, NY/14 — 228
–228 Blanchard tally based on State breakouts below.
–222 CDC WONDER ICD-9, E900 Excessive heat – hyperthermia search for 1984.
— 19 June 6-11. UPI. “Northeast cools off — a little.” Key West Citizen, FL. 6-12-1984, p. 2.
— 21 June 6-12. UPI. “Heat wave in Northeast due shift to the Midwest.” 6-13-1984.
— 23 By June 15. UPI. “More Floods.” Valley Independent, Monessen, PA. 6-15-1984, p. 1.[1]
–>24 June 5-14. Scripps-Howard (Kirkman). “Don’t ask the meteorologist…” 8-26-1984, p. 2.[2]
Summary of State Breakout
Alabama ( 4)
Arizona (16)
Arkansas ( 4)
California (53)
Colorado ( 2)
Connecticut ( 6)
District of Columbia ( 3)
Florida ( 4)
Georgia ( 7)
Illinois ( 9)
Indiana ( 3)
Iowa ( 1)
Kansas ( 4)
Louisiana ( 3)
Maryland ( 2)
Massachusetts ( 3)
Missouri ( 3)
Nebraska ( 3)
New Hampshire ( 1)
New Mexico ( 1)
New York (14)
North Carolina ( 2)
Ohio ( 2)
Oklahoma ( 3)
Pennsylvania (15)
Rhode Island ( 1)
South Carolina ( 2)
Tennessee ( 2)
Texas (23)
Utah ( 1)
Virginia ( 2)
Washington ( 2)
West Virginia ( 3)
Wisconsin ( 3)
Breakout by State
Alabama ( 4) CDC WONDER ICD-9, E900 Excessive heat – hyperthermia.
Arizona (16) CDC WONDER ICD-9, E900 Excessive heat – hyperthermia.
Arkansas ( 4)
— 4 CDC WONDER ICD-9, E900 Excessive heat – hyperthermia.
— 1 Wiseman, Izard County, July 10. Heatstroke; male found dead near his home.[3]
California (53)
— 53 CDC WONDER ICD-9, E900 Excessive heat – hyperthermia.
–4-7 UPI. “Heat wave finally eases in Southern Cal.” Brownsville Herald, 9-10-1984, 2A.[4]
— >2 State. Sandusky Register, OH. “Weather.” 9-9-1984, A8.[5]
— 1 Los Angeles, County USC-Medical Center, Sep 6. Heatstroke, male 70s (74).[6]
— 2 San Diego, Sep 8. Two children “found dead in a locked car of apparent heat exhaustion.”[7]
Colorado ( 2) CDC WONDER ICD-9, E900 Excessive heat – hyperthermia.
Connecticut ( 6) CDC WONDER ICD-9, E900 Excessive heat – hyperthermia.
District of Columbia ( 3) CDC WONDER ICD-9, E900 Excessive heat – hyperthermia.
— 3 CDC WONDER ICD-9, E900 Excessive heat – hyperthermia.
— 1 June 13. Female “died of cardiac-pulmonary arrest because of the heat, officials said.”[8]
Florida ( 4)
— 4 CDC WONDER ICD-9, E900 Excessive heat – hyperthermia.
— 1 Lushine 2009 modification. Figure 3, “Annual Temperature Deaths, Florida, 1979-1999.”[9]
Georgia ( 7)
— 7 CDC WONDER ICD-9, E900 Excessive heat – hyperthermia.
— 1 Waynesboro, GA, Aug 17. Male, 32; heat exhaustion in police custody (autopsy finding).[10]
Illinois ( 9) CDC WONDER ICD-9, E900 Excessive heat – hyperthermia.
Indiana ( 3) CDC WONDER ICD-9, E900 Excessive heat – hyperthermia.
Iowa ( 1) CDC WONDER ICD-9, E900 Excessive heat – hyperthermia.
Kansas ( 4) CDC WONDER ICD-9, E900 Excessive heat – hyperthermia.
Louisiana ( 3) CDC WONDER ICD-9, E900 Excessive heat – hyperthermia.
Maryland ( 2) CDC WONDER ICD-9, E900 Excessive heat – hyperthermia.
Massachusetts ( 3) CDC WONDER ICD-9, E900 Excessive heat – hyperthermia.
Minnesota ( 1) CDC WONDER ICD-9, E900 Excessive heat – hyperthermia.
Mississippi ( 6) CDC WONDER ICD-9, E900 Excessive heat – hyperthermia.
Missouri ( 3)
— 3 CDC WONDER ICD-9, E900 Excessive heat – hyperthermia.
— 2 MO DHSS. Data and Statistical Reports. “Health Conditions & Diseases, Hyperthermia.”
Nebraska ( 3) CDC WONDER ICD-9, E900 Excessive heat – hyperthermia.
New Hampshire ( 1) CDC WONDER ICD-9, E900 Excessive heat – hyperthermia.
New Jersey (12) CDC WONDER ICD-9, E900 Excessive heat – hyperthermia.
New Mexico ( 1) CDC WONDER ICD-9, E900 Excessive heat – hyperthermia.
New York (14)
— 14 Blanchard tally from locality breakouts below.
— 11 CDC WONDER ICD-9, E900 Excessive heat – hyperthermia.
Locality breakouts:
— 3 Amsterdam, Montgomery Co., June 11. Female, 75; oppressive heat during heat wave.[11]
— 3 NYC, June 10. Two Bronx males, 35 and 73, and Queens male, 68, according to MEO.[12]
— 4 NYC, June 11. Cited is Dr. Elliott Gross, NYC Chief Medical Examiner.[13]
— 2 NYC, June 12. NY officials cited as source.[14]
— 1 Hudson River, Saratoga Co., June 11. Boy, 8, drowned “trying to find relief from…heat.”[15]
— 1 Saratoga Lake, Saratoga Co., June 11. Male, 42, “drowned escaping from the heat.”[16]
North Carolina ( 2)
— 2 CDC WONDER ICD-9, E900 Excessive heat – hyperthermia.
— ~2 Mirabelli and Richardson. “Heat-Related Fatalities in North Carolina.” April 2005, Fig. 1.
Ohio ( 2) CDC WONDER ICD-9, E900 Excessive heat – hyperthermia.
Oklahoma ( 3) CDC WONDER ICD-9, E900 Excessive heat – hyperthermia.
Oregon ( 2) CDC WONDER ICD-9, E900 Excessive heat – hyperthermia.
Pennsylvania (15)
–15 CDC WONDER ICD-9, E900 Excessive heat – hyperthermia.
— 6 Blanchard tally of locality breakouts below.
Locality Breakouts:
— 4 Eastern PA, June 6-14. NCDC. Storm Data, Vol. 26, No. 6, June 1984, p. 43.[17]
–3 Philadelphia area, June 10-11. One heatstroke death and two from hyperthermia.[18]
— 1 Harrisburg, June 11. Louis Kiliti, 28; working as welder at steam generating plant.[19]
— 1 Harrisburg, June 13. Male, 23; prison inmate admitted to hospital for heatstroke.[20]
Rhode Island ( 1) CDC WONDER ICD-9, E900 Excessive heat – hyperthermia.
South Carolina ( 2) CDC WONDER ICD-9, E900 Excessive heat – hyperthermia.
Tennessee ( 2) CDC WONDER ICD-9, E900 Excessive heat – hyperthermia.
Texas (23) CDC WONDER ICD-9, E900 Excessive heat – hyperthermia.
Utah ( 1) CDC WONDER ICD-9, E900 Excessive heat – hyperthermia.
Virginia ( 2) CDC WONDER ICD-9, E900 Excessive heat – hyperthermia.
Washington ( 2) CDC WONDER ICD-9, E900 Excessive heat – hyperthermia.
West Virginia ( 3)
— 3 Weston, by June 13. Three patients at state hospital where AC turned off to save money.[21]
–1 June 10. Alice Sullivan, 41; extreme heat and body temperature above 104°.[22]
Wisconsin ( 3) CDC WONDER ICD-9, E900 Excessive heat – hyperthermia.
Narrative Information
June 12: “East Coast residents looked for cooler temperatures today to provide a respite from a six-day heat wave that has led to 14 deaths….Four people died from heatstroke Monday [June 11] as 94-degree temperatures seared New York City… Record highs were set in 10 cities including Boston, Philadelphia and Baltimore, where a reading of 100 broke a 73-year-old mark. Connecticut nurses reported ‘overwhelming’ numbers of heat-related illnesses and ambulance requests in New York City climbed 60 percent above the daily average to 3,823 — breaking a record set Saturday.” (Pharos-Tribune, Logansport, IN. “Northeast Cools Off A Little Bit.” 6-12-1984, p. 10.)
Sources
Associated Press. “Cooler weather brings relief to Northeast.” Daily Intelligencer, Doylestown, PA, 6-13-1984, p. 2. Accessed 1-30-2017 at: http://newspaperarchive.com/us/pennsylvania/doylestown/doylestown-intelligencer/1984/06-13/page-46?tag
Associated Press. “Heat Said To Kill Woman At Weston State Hospital.” Bluefield Daily Telegraph, WV, 7-10-1984, p. 3. Accessed 1-31-2017 at: http://newspaperarchive.com/us/west-virginia/bluefield/bluefield-daily-telegraph/1984/07-10/page-3?tag
Associated Press. “Heat wave death toll hits 10.” The Capital, Annapolis, MD, 6-12-1984, p. 2. Accessed 1-30-2017 at: http://newspaperarchive.com/us/maryland/annapolis/annapolis-capital/1984/06-12/page-2?tag
Associated Press. “Heat Wave Wilts Southern California.” Farmington Daily Times, NM, 9-7-1984, A5. Accessed 1-31-2017 at: http://newspaperarchive.com/us/new-mexico/farmington/farmington-daily-times/1984/09-07/page-5?tag
Associated Press (David L. Langford). “Northeast heat wave kills three.” News Herald, Panama City, FL, 6-11-1984, p. 1. Accessed 1-30-2017 at: http://newspaperarchive.com/us/florida/panama-city/panama-city-news-herald/1984/06-11?tag
Associated Press, Waynesboro, Ga. “Officials in Waynesboro, Ga., continue curfew after riots.” Joplin Globe, MO. 8-20-1984, p. 1. Accessed 1-31-2017 at: http://newspaperarchive.com/us/missouri/joplin/joplin-globe/1984/08-20?tag
Associated Press, Harrisburg. “Report on inmate death released.” Evening Sun, Hanover, PA. 7-20-1984, p. 6. Accessed 1-31-2017 at: http://newspaperarchive.com/us/pennsylvania/hanover/hanover-evening-sun/1984/07-20/page-7?tag
Associated Press. “Waynesboro quiet after racial turmoil.” Chronicle-Telegram, Elyria, OH. 8-20-2984, A3. Accessed 1-31-2017 at: http://newspaperarchive.com/us/ohio/elyria/elyria-chronicle-telegram/1984/08-20/page-3?tag
Associated Press. “Weather death toll rises to 19.” Gazette Telegraph, Colorado Springs, CO, 6-14-1984, A3. Accessed 1-30-2017 at: http://newspaperarchive.com/us/colorado/colorado-springs/colorado-springs-gazette-telegraph/1984/06-14/page-3?tag
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics. Compressed Mortality File 1979-1998 (ICD-9, E900 Excessive heat – hyperthermia search for 1984). CDC WONDER On-line Database, compiled from Compressed Mortality File CMF 1968-1988, Series 20, No. 2A, 2000 and CMF 1989-1998, Series 20, No. 2E, 2003. Accessed at http://wonder.cdc.gov/cmf-icd9.html on Jan 30, 2017 2:41:40 PM
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “Heat-Associated Mortality — New York City.” MMWR (Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report), Vol. 33, No. 29, 7-27-1984, pp. 430-432. Accessed 1-30-2017 at: https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/00000380.htm
Lushine, James B. “Underreporting of Heat and Cold Related Deaths in Florida.” Miami, FL: National Weather Service Weather Forecast Office, NOAA. 1-6-2009 modification. Accessed 11-1-2015 at: http://www.srh.noaa.gov/mfl/?n=fla_weather_casualties
Mirabelli, Maria C. and David B. Richardson. “Heat-Related Fatalities in North Carolina.” American Journal of Public Health, vol. 95, no. 4, April 2005, pp. 635-637. Accessed 9-2-2015 at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1449233/
Missouri Department of Health & Senior Services. Data and Statistical Reports. “Health Conditions & Diseases, Hyperthermia.” Accessed 9-25-2015 at: http://health.mo.gov/living/healthcondiseases/hyperthermia/data.php
National Climatic Data Center, NOAA. Storm Data, Vol. 26, No. 6, June 1984, 67 pages. Asheville, NC: NCDC, NOAA, U.S. Department of Commerce. Accessed 1-30-2017 at: https://www1.ncdc.noaa.gov/pub/orders/IPS/IPS-4E14EAF8-553B-40C2-8264-0121200D8AB5.pdf
National Climatic Data Center, NOAA. Storm Data, Vol. 26, No. 7, July 1984, 44 pages. Asheville, NC: NCDC, NOAA, U.S. Department of Commerce. Accessed 1-30-2017 at: https://www1.ncdc.noaa.gov/pub/orders/IPS/IPS-BD13DAB4-B1CF-4EB0-821D-C1B49EEE0CC0.pdf
National Climatic Data Center, NOAA. Storm Data, Vol. 26, No. 8, Aug 1984, 34 pages. Asheville, NC: NCDC, NOAA, U.S. Department of Commerce. Accessed 1-30-2017 at: https://www1.ncdc.noaa.gov/pub/orders/IPS/IPS-762D0EEF-724D-4AC3-9BEC-07FE727AD62C.pdf
Pharos-Tribune, Logansport, IN. “Northeast Cools Off A Little Bit.” 6-12-1984, p. 10. Accessed 1-30-2017 at: http://newspaperarchive.com/us/indiana/logansport/logansport-pharos-tribune/1984/06-12/page-10?tag
Sandusky Register, OH. “Weather.” 9-9-1984, A8. Accessed 1-31-2017 at: http://newspaperarchive.com/us/ohio/sandusky/sandusky-sunday-register/1984/09-09/page-8?tag
Scripps-Howard News Service (Don Kirkman). “Don’t ask the meteorologist ‘why’.” Chronicle-Telegram, Elyria, OH, 8-26-1984, p. 2. Accessed 1-31-2017 at: http://newspaperarchive.com/us/ohio/elyria/elyria-chronicle-telegram/1984/08-26/page-58?tag
Tyrone Daily Herald, PA. “4 Pennsylvania Deaths Linked to Searing Heat.” 6-12-1984, p. 3 (continued from p. 1). Accessed 1-30-2017 at: http://newspaperarchive.com/us/pennsylvania/tyrone/tyrone-daily-herald/1984/06-12?tag
United Press International, Los Angeles. “California sizzling in record heat.” Brownsville Herald, TX, 9-9-1984, 2A. Accessed 1-31-2017 at: http://newspaperarchive.com/us/texas/brownsville/brownsville-herald/1984/09-09/page-95?tag
United Press International, Los Angeles. “Heat wave finally eases in Southern California.” Brownsville Herald, 9-10-1984, 2A. Accessed 1-31-2017 at: http://newspaperarchive.com/us/texas/brownsville/brownsville-herald/1984/09-10/page-2?tag
United Press International. “Heat wave in Northeast due shift to the Midwest.” Brownsville Herald, TX, 6-13-1984, 2A. Accessed 1-30-2017 at: http://newspaperarchive.com/us/texas/brownsville/brownsville-herald/1984/06-13/page-2?tag
United Press International. “More Floods.” Valley Independent, Monessen, PA. 6-15-1984, p. 1. Accessed 1-31-2017 at: http://newspaperarchive.com/us/pennsylvania/monessen/monessen-valley-independent/1984/06-15?tag=
United Press International. “Northeast cools off — a little.” Key West Citizen, FL. 6-12-1984, p. 2. Accessed 1-30-2017 at: http://newspaperarchive.com/us/florida/key-west/key-west-citizen/1984/06-12/page-2?tag
[1] Detail is not provided. From following other papers, we have reason to believe this figure contains flooding and drowning deaths.
[2] “…For nine days, June 5-14, temperatures soared to the mid-90s and in several areas reached the 100 mark. More than two dozen people died, most of them from sunstroke or heat exhaustion…”
[3] NCDC. Storm Data, Vol. 26, No. 7, July 1984, p. 11.
[4] “Southern Californians, weary and wilted from a week-long hot spell that has killed at least four people, got a little relief as clouds blocked out the blazing sun and dropped the high temperature downtown to 98 degrees….three other deaths may have been heat-related.
[5] We assume one of the two is the Sep 6 death of a male, 74. Presumably 2nd is reference to another death on Sep 6 of a female (Guadalupe Rentoria), 69, who reportedly “died from heart disease aggravated by heat prostration…officials said.” (UPI, LA. “California sizzling in record heat.” Brownsville Herald, TX, 9-9-1984, 2A.)
[6] Associated Press. “Heat Wave Wilts Southern California.” Farmington Daily Times, NM, 9-7-1984, A5.
[7] UPI, Los Angeles. “Heat wave finally eases in Southern California.” Brownsville Herald, 9-10-1984, 2A. Notes: “Authorities said Quindell Lewis put daughters Kanasha, 1, and Melba, 2, in the family car Friday night and they were found dead in the vehicle in front of their home Saturday evening. Officials estimated the temperature inside the car reached 120 degrees.” Notes “An elderly couple died of heat prostration…” without indicating where or when. However, the article was written produced out of Los Angeles, so that is a probability.
[8] Associated Press. “Weather death toll rises to 19.” Gazette Telegraph, Colorado Springs, CO, 6-14-1984, A3.
[9] Figure 3 is a chart which shows heat deaths in one color and cold deaths in another on the same horizontal bar for each year. The fatality range shown on the left of the chart is in increments of five, going up to thirty. The bars for each year are shown diagonally and do not show any numbers. This does not make them readily readable. Thus one has to measure with a ruler the bar showing the lowest combined deaths (1979), which appears to show one cold death and one heat death. With the unit of measurement of one death then measured against the heat portion of all the other bars, one can get an approximation of the heat deaths for each year. I say “approximate” in that by this method we counted 133 heat deaths over the 21-year period included in the graph, whereas the text of the article notes that there were 125. Repetitious measurement attempts gave us the same result. The article notes that the data came from death certificates collected by the Public Health Statistics Section, Office of Vital Statistics, Florida Department of Health and Rehabilitative Services.
[10] Associated Press. “Officials in Waynesboro, Ga., continue curfew after riots.” Joplin Globe, MO. 8-20-1984, p. 1. Another report notes “Authorities said a preliminary autopsy showed the man died of heat exhaustion after an unsuccessful run to evade capture in muggy heat.” (Associated Press. “Waynesboro quiet after racial turmoil.” Chronicle-Telegram, Elyria, OH. 8-20-2984, A3.)
[11] NCDC. Storm Data, Vol. 26, No. 6, June 1984, p. 43.
[12] AP/David L. Langford. “Northeast heat wave kills three.” News Herald, Panama City, FL, 6-11-1984, p. 1.
[13] Associated Press. “Heat wave death toll hits 10.” The Capital, Annapolis, MD, 6-12-1984, p. 2.
[14] United Press Int. “Heat wave in Northeast due shift to the Midwest.” Brownsville Herald, TX, 6-13-1984, 2A. As an aside the CDC notes “The estimated annual death rate n New York City based on data collected during the week ending Friday, June 15, 1984, was 1,343 per 100,000 population, a 35% increase over the average rate for the preceding 4 weeks… This was the highest mortality rate recorded in New York City since January 1981 and was associated with a sudden and severe heat wave — mean daily temperatures rose from 21.1 C (70 F) in the preceding week to 28.9 C (84 F). The greatest increase was for persons aged 75 years and over, among whom the death rate increased 47%…..The increased number of deaths was almost exclusively among nonhospitalized persons living at home… Among persons 65 years of older, there was a 150% increase in the number of deaths occurring at home….” (CDC. “Heat-Associated Mortality — New York City.” MMWR 33/29, 7-27-1984, pp. 430-432.)
[15] NCDC. Storm Data, Vol. 26, No. 6, June 1984, p. 43.
[16] NCDC. Storm Data, Vol. 26, No. 6, June 1984, p. 43.
[17] Notes “High temperatures reached the upper 80s and 90s [in eastern PA] through this period and reached the 90s on five consecutive days (7th thru 11th). The heat and humidity resulted in 4 deaths…” We also note herein Harrisburg, PA deaths. Harrisburg is in southcentral PA, not eastern PA.
[18] Associated Press. “Heat wave death toll hits 10.” The Capital, Annapolis, MD, 6-12-1984, p. 2. Cite “authorities.” Another source identifies the victims as Mary Gilchrist of Chester in Delaware County, who died in her home June 10; Audrey Perry, 61, Philadelphia, June 11, heatstroke; and Charles Auchincloss, 44, of Wayne, Delaware County, June 8, hyperthermia. (Tyrone Daily Herald, PA. “4 Pennsylvania Deaths Linked to Searing Heat.” 6-12-1984, p. 3 (continued from p. 1).
[19] Tyrone Daily Herald, PA. “4 Pennsylvania Deaths Linked to Searing Heat.” 6-12-1984, p. 3 (cont. from p. 1).
[20] Associated Press, Harrisburg. “Report on inmate death released.” Evening Sun, Hanover, PA. 7-20-1984, p. 6. Notes that “An initial reading showed his temperature was 106.” This was after he was “found unconscious in the [isolation] prison cell.” Was found on June 12 and died in a hospital the next day.
[21] Associated Press. “Cooler weather brings relief to Northeast.” Daily Intelligencer, Doylestown, PA, 6-13-1984, p. 2. Cites County Medical Examiner who “blamed the heat wave in part for the deaths of three patients…”
[22] AP. “Heat Said To Kill Woman At Weston State Hospital.” Bluefield Daily Telegraph, WV, 7-10-1984, p. 3. Article notes information was from a report by State Medical Examiner Irvin Sopher. Reaffirms earlier reporting that the air conditioning had been turned off in her building as an administrative decision.