By admin 
TUCSON, Ariz. (13 News) – Pima County has recorded more heat-related deaths this year than in all of 2025, according to the Pima County Health Department.
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As of early September, the county reported 123 heat-related deaths and 930 incidents of heat-related illness in 2026. That compares to 117 heat-related deaths and 825 incidents of heat-related illness in all of 2025.
This year also marked the first time Pima County recorded heat-related deaths in March, with four deaths that month.
Nate Young, Pima County Health Department’s Heat Response and Relief Program manager, said this summer was also the one where the department was the most aggressive in heat response.
Pima County added 12 more cooling centers this year, bringing the total to 48, up from 36 last summer.
“We’re constantly tracking hospitalizations and incidents of death that are related to heat here in Pima County,” Young said.
The department has also increased pre-season canvassing and heat safety classes.
“We’re really just trying to both expand our reach but also focus our efforts with more data-driven and targeted interventions to the vulnerable populations that need it the most,” Young said.
Young said it is difficult to determine which responses work best, especially when they’re trying new things.
“It is hard to say exactly how successful any specific intervention is but that’s something that we’re really working hard on,” Young said.
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Young said cooling centers, which move vulnerable people out of the heat, are considered a necessary response. He said this year’s numbers were also affected by early extreme heat.
“We are also facing historic challenges like hundred-degree weather by March 19th, which is a month earlier than it had ever happened,” Young said.
According to the National Weather Service, this summer was Arizona’s hottest on record, with most cities seeing temperatures that averaged 2.7 degrees above normal.
Young said the department will continue reviewing its response.
“Evaluating our efforts, seeing which ones are the most effective and which ones we may need to adjust in order to help keep people safe,” Young said.
The health department will hold an “end of season hot wash” at the end of next month, where response partners will review data from this summer, discuss what worked and what didn’t, and look at ways to improve heat response for next summer.
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