Arizona
Heat-related deaths in Phoenix, Arizona, have nearly doubled this year
Heat-related deaths in hottest major US city have almost doubled compared with the same period last year, after Phoenix experienced its hottest ever June on record.
The number of possible heat deaths reported by the Maricopa county medical examiner was 175 as of 29 June – a staggering 84% increase over the same period last year.
That current total comprises 162 suspected deaths under investigation and 13 confirmed heat deaths.
The death toll from extreme heat has been rising every year in Maricopa county, where Phoenix, the Arizona state capital and America’s fifth largest city, is located.
Deaths are concentrated in Phoenix despite city and statewide efforts to tackle the rise in heat mortality and morbidity.
Last year, Phoenix suffered a month of consecutive days over 110F (43C) and a record 645 heat deaths in the county – a 700% rise over the past decade. But the unprecedented July heatwave followed a cooler-than-normal June, which could partly explain the surge in early season heat-related deaths recorded so far this year.
The average temperature – a measure which takes into account the daily highs and lows – made June 2024 the hottest ever recorded in the city. This was driven in large part by multiple record warm lows or night-time temperatures towards the end of the month, when moisture from a tropical system sat over the region, trapping the daytime heat and limiting cooling.
The night-time low on 27 June was 95F – which broke the record for the warmest overnight June low, which was 93F and set in 1990. The hotter nights are particularly alarming for public health experts because heat is cumulative, and the body cannot start to properly recover until the temperature drops below 80F.
Dangerously hot temperatures are forecast for Maricopa county and the entire south-west United States, with a heat dome – a strong area of high pressure and warm air – expected to linger until the middle of next week, according to the National Weather Service (NWS) in a post on X.
With no rain forecast, temperatures could top 115F in Phoenix over the next few days, with records likely to be broken in parts of California and Las Vegas, according to Gabriel Lojero, a meteorologist at the NWS Phoenix.
“The heat is going to be very severe across the majority of the south-west with an excessive heat warning in place for most of the region. The heatwave will be especially severe over the July 4 weekend when more people are doing outdoor activities,” said Lojero.
Heat deaths are rising across the US – and globally – with official counts likely to be a significant underestimate as many medical examiners have yet to develop processes that match Maricopa county’s.
So far this year, heat has also killed at least two people in Idaho and at least five in Kansas City, according to reports from local health officials.
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Investigating suspected heat deaths takes time.
Of the 13 confirmed heat deaths in Maricopa county so far this year, 46% of the people were Black, Latino or Indigenous American; 69% were men and 31% were women. At least two deaths took place indoors. In one case, the deceased’s air conditioning was turned off, in the other case it was not functioning, according to preliminary investigations.
Paramedics have responded to 424 heat-related emergency calls so far this year, according to the Phoenix fire department.
It’s not clear what impact the city’s decision to evict a large homeless encampment from downtown – where many services are located – will have on heat deaths, as 45% of last year’s fatalities involved unsheltered people. So far this year, 31% of the confirmed deaths involved unhoused people. It’s unclear whether some unhoused people have left due to Phoenix’s increasingly draconian crackdown on homelessness.
In May, advocates condemned Phoenix for effectively criminalizing homelessness after the Democrat-run city council voted unanimously to ban people from sleeping, cooking or camping at city buildings, parks and parking lots, and also within 500ft of schools, daycare centers, shelters and parks.
The tent ban can now be enforced after the US supreme court last week ruled that it was not unconstitutional for cities to arrest and fine people for sleeping in public spaces, even when no shelter space exists. Phoenix “will continue to offer shelter and services when possible, and will ask for compliance before resorting to an arrest”, according to the city attorney Julie Kriegh.
The region is accustomed to a hot desert climate, but daytime and night temperatures are rising due to global heating. The deadly consequences have been exacerbated by decades of unchecked urban development that created a sprawling heat island, which the city is trying to tackle with a variety of programs.
Believe it or not, the 2026 All-Star Game voting process has already begun, as of Wednesday. Fans who want to see their favorite members of the Arizona Diamondbacks take the field in the midsummer classic this season can begin voting for their stars.
There are certainly some deserving players on this Diamondbacks club, which is currently 32-28 and occupying the third Wild Card sport in the National League.
Here’s how and where you can vote for your hometown heroes:
How to vote for Diamondbacks players to make All-Star Game
Fans can utilize the following link to vote for members of their team on dbacks.com. Fans are permitted to fill out and submit as many as five ballots per day, selecting as many or as few players as they choose.
This period of the fan vote constitutes Phase 1 of All-Star voting, which will run from Wednesday, June 3 through Thursday, June 25 at 9:00 a.m. Arizona time (12:00 p.m. Eastern time).
Following Phase 1, the two overall top vote-getters will receive automatic berths into the All-Star lineups. If those two are not Shohei Ohtani and Aaron Judge once again, that would be an upset.
When and where is the 2026 All-Star Game?
The 2026 All-Star Game will take place at Citizens Bank Park, home of the Phillies in Philadelphia. All-Star week begins on June 10, with a full slate of activities, before the game is played on Tuesday, July 14 at 8:00 p.m. Eastern time (5:00 p.m. Arizona time).
The full schedule of events are as follows:
- Friday, July 10: HBCU Swingman Classic
- Saturday, July 11: 2026 MLB Draft
- Sunday, July 12: All-Star Sunday, MLB Futures Game, MLBx All-Star 3-on-3
- Monday, July 13: T-Mobile Home Run Derby (8:00 p.m. ET)
- Tuesday, July 14: All-Star Red Carpet, All-Star Game
Which Diamondbacks are deserving All-Stars?
| Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
So, who should Diamondbacks fans vote for? Obviously, you may fill out the ballot however you choose. That can include a full roster of Diamondbacks, regardless of their stats or notoriety this season.
Still, here are some of the top performing D-backs who might have a leg up on an All-Star berth:
OF Corbin Carroll
Corbin Carroll is having another All-Star worthy season. He’s hitting .289/.380/.545 with a .925 OPS and eight home runs, while playing good right field defense. He has the eighth-most bWAR (2.7) among position players, fifth-most in the National League, and third-most among all pure outfielders.
2B Ketel Marte
If Marte wins the NL second base fan vote, it will be his third straight season starting the All-Star game. Despite such a slow start to the year, that feels possible again. Marte is hitting .259/.315/.456 with 10 homers and is playing the best defense of his career.
3B Nolan Arenado
Nolan Arenado is quietly putting together one of his better seasons of the 2020s, slashing .269/.351/.467 with eight homers and flashing his elite third base glove at nearly as good a pace as ever. His name still carries a lot of weight in third base conversations; he’ll get some votes, no matter what.
1B Ildemaro Vargas
Vargas’ bat has cooled down quite a bit since his historic start to 2026. He’s still hitting a sturdy .290/.318/.454, but feels more likely to be considered as a reserve selection than a leading vote-getter.
Honorable Mention: LHP Eduardo Rodriguez
Pitchers are not selected by the fan vote. They are selected by player ballots and the All-Star Game managers. The National League’s manager will be Dave Roberts of the Dodgers, again.
The National League has quite a few talented pitchers, but Eduardo Rodriguez currently holds the fifth-best starting pitcher ERA (2.24) among NL hurlers. It’s going to be difficult to dethrone Christopher Sanchez or Jacob Misiorowski, but Rodriguez could find his way into the pitching pool, especially after his WBC heroics for Team Venezuela.
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Arizona State has added Michael White to its coaching staff for the upcoming 2026-2027 season. White will join the program as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator.
“I am incredibly honored to return to my home state and join this elite program,” White said. “I’m proud to say that I am coming home. I can’t thank Coach Herbie enough for the opportunity to join his incredible staff and help these young athletes grow and develop into the best individuals they can be. There are so many friends and mentors who have left their mark on this program, and I’m excited for the opportunity to leave mine and help take this program to new heights. Go Devils!”
White arrives with the Sun Devils after most recently spending the last three seasons with Alabama as an assistant. The Alabama women finished 11th at the 2026 NCAA Championships while the men were 24th.
Prior to arriving at Alabama, White spent the 2022-2023 season as a volunteer assistant at Wisconsin. He primarily coached the freestyle, breaststroke and distance groups for the Badgers. In addition to coaching the Badgers, he also was an assistant senior coach with the Madison Aquatics Club for the year. He began his coaching career at Juniata College in Pennsylvania as a volunteer assistant from 2019-2021.
White spent his collegiate career at St. Bonaventure in New York. There he was a 7x individual Atlantic-10 champion and swam to three school records as a senior with a 1:47.30 200 IM, 3:52.18 400 IM, and a 1:47.70 200 fly. He also was team captain for two season and helped the team capture the 2014 A-10 team title.
The Scottsdale, Arizona native will return to his home state. He was a 2012 AIA Division I state champion in the 100 breast and 200 IM as a senior for Dobson High School.
White joins the coaching staff led by head coach Herbie Behm, who is already known to be an innovative coach. Behm spoke of White’s innovation as well saying, “Mike is one of the best young coaches in the NCAA. His interview blew me away with the innovative ideas he presented. I can’t wait to start implementing those ideas and continue our growth at ASU.”
Arizona State swept the 2026 Big 12 team titles, and the men went on to finish 4th at 2026 NCAAs while the women were 37th. Rising senior Ilya Kharun captured the NCAA title in the 200 fly with a 1:37.66.
Arizona is ranked 18th in the nation when it comes to racial equality in the classroom, according to WalletHub.
The personal finance website compiled its 2026 list of Best States for Racial Equality in Education by looking at differences between Black and white students when it comes to test scores, college attainment and high school graduation rates.
The rankings are based on a weighted average of six metrics, but did WalletHub not provide a breakdown of each category.
However, statistics from the Center for the Future of Arizona support the idea that Arizona has work to do when it comes to racial equality. African American students in Arizona have an average college attainment rate of 38%, while white students have an average rate of 54%.
That difference is also evident in other education areas, with a gap of 11 percentage points between Black and white high schoolers in graduation rate.
WalletHub analyst Chip Lupo called the high school graduation rate the most “alarming” data set for the Arizona. He said if the study included the state’s large Hispanic population, the results might have been different.
“It would be interesting, if those numbers were included, where the gaps would be. Again, Arizona has a high Hispanic population, as [does] New Mexico, and New Mexico was at number three. So maybe Arizona could take a look at what their neighbors are doing there to kind of bridge those gaps,” he said.
How can Arizona increase racial equality in the classroom?
Lupo said Arizona can boost its ranking and improve racial equality in schools by increasing the representation and funding for public education.
“One thing [to] do is to build more diversity within the school system. More Black administrators and more Black teachers kind of create more of a familiarity for Black students and more mentors. … Increased funding and a more concerted effort to increase diversity among the school systems, I think, would go a long way in bridging that gap,” he said.
WalletHub ranked Wyoming, West Virginia and New Mexico as the best states for racial equality in the classroom, with New Jersey, Connecticut and Wisconsin at the bottom of the list.
Funding for this journalism is made possible by the Arizona Local News Foundation.
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