Cold Weather Deaths Keep Rising for Americans

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Cold Weather Deaths Keep Rising for Americans






By Ernie Mundell, HealthDay Reporter

THURSDAY, Dec. 19, 2024 -- The unexpected consequence of climate change is that periods of deep cold occur more frequently during American winters despite an overall trend toward warmer temperatures year-round.

According to new research published Dec. 19 in the Journal of the American Medical Association, the uptick in cold snaps, along with other possible factors, has been linked to a doubling of U.S. deaths from freezing temperatures since 1999.

According to research led by Dr. Rishi Wadhera, an associate professor of health policy and management at Harvard University, the findings "warrant public health interventions to improve access to warming centers and indoor heating for vulnerable populations."

In their study, Wadhera's team tracked U.S. death certificates for the over 63.5 million Americans who died between 1999 and 2022. In total, exposure to cold temperatures was listed as a direct or contributing factor in death in 0.06% of cases.

However, the rate at which these deaths occurred more than doubled over the 23 years covered by the study: From 0.44 deaths per every 100,000 people in 1999 to 0.92 deaths per 100,000 by 2022.

The Harvard team calculated that worked out to a 3.4% annual increase in cold-related deaths year-by-year since 1999.

However, they noted that the bulk of the change occurred between 2016 and 2022, which coincided with the acceleration of climate change.

Specific subgroups of Americans are also at high risk of dying from exposure to freezing weather.

The authors wrote that the elderly are most vulnerable because they are "more susceptible to cold weather due to limited thermoregulatory [body temperature] response" and often have underlying health conditions that further weaken them.

American Indian/Alaska Native populations also had much higher odds of dying from cold exposures, as did Black Americans, compared to white Americans, the study found.

Wadhera's group pointed out that this is consistent with people in minority populations too often living in spaces with a "lack of home insulation or heat. "

Besides climate change, the researchers also cited a rise in risk factors such as "homelessness, social isolation and substance use" as playing a potential role in the increase in cold-related deaths.


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