Cold Weather-Related Deaths Double Since 1999—And Scientists Think Climate Change May Be The Reason

 

A woman crosses the street as she braves the freezing weather during winter storm Elliot in Chicago on Dec. 22, 2022.

The number of people who died in the United States from cold weather-related causes more than doubled between 1999 and 2022, according to an article published in the Journal of the American Medical Association Thursday, and scientists say increasing extreme winter weather events due to climate change could be to blame.

Key Facts

A total of 40,079 deaths were recorded in the 24-year period in which cold was noted as either an underlying or contributing cause.

Between 1999 and 2022, the rate of cold-related deaths increased from .44 per 100,000 people to .92—a 109% increase.

Cold-related deaths were highest among adults 75 years and older, though people between 45 and 74 experienced the largest annual increase, and men were more likely to die from cold-related deaths than women.

More American Indian, Alaska Native and Black people die every year from cold related deaths than any other racial or ethnic groups, but Hispanic and white people saw the biggest increases annually in the cold-weather-related mortality rate.

The study, conducted by researchers at Boston's Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women's Hospital, found that underlying causes of the increase could be more frequent extreme winter weather events and the rising burden of risk factors for cold-related mortality, such as homelessness, social isolation and substance use.

Key Background

Scientists with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration point to accelerated arctic warming, also called arctic amplification, as a contributor to more severe winter weather, like the record-cold Texas temperatures in February 2021 that led to at least 200 deaths. The phenomenon has led to the weakening of the arctic polar vortex—a strong band of winds in the stratosphere surrounding the North Pole—which has brought extreme cold to parts of Asia and North America. The weakening of the vortex is what allows cold conditions to dip south, NOAA explains, and such instances are increasing in frequency from the months of October to February. Extreme cold is much more likely to kill than exposure to extreme heat, and causes of death can include hypothermia, frostbite and worsening of pre-existing medical conditions, in addition to making it harder for the body to fight off viruses.

Big Number

8% to 12%. That's how much higher death rates have been during winter months than non-winter months in the U.S. for the last several years, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.

Tangent

Thursday’s study noted that American Indian, Alaska Native and Black people died the most often from cold-related deaths, and those populations are also the most likely to be impacted by structural risk factors like a lack of home insulation or heat. Studies consistently show that Black households experience energy insecurity at higher rates than other groups, and the Department of Energy reported that 36.4% of households experiencing energy insecurity between July 2021 and May 2023 were Black (34.9% were Hispanic, 33.7% "other" or multiple races, 19.9% Asian and 19.7% white). Additionally, Native Americans and Alaska Natives die at higher rates than other Americans from a variety of causes, including tuberculosis, alcoholism, diabetes, unintentional injuries, liver disease and chronic lower respiratory diseases. The Indian Health Service, the federal health service for Native Americans, suggests the groups' lower health status could be due to inadequate education, disproportionate poverty, discrimination in the delivery of health services, cultural differences, economic adversity and poor social conditions.