Heatstroke in America

https://www.weather.gov/otx/Heat_and_Drought

Phoenix is known across America as one of the hottest cities in the country. Its humid, heavy air weighs down citizens and can cause many health problems. One of the greatest of these being heat stroke. According to azcentral, a branch of USA today centered in Arizona, "Maricopa County Health Department officials said...that 155 heat-related deaths were recorded in 2017, up five deaths...from 2016." The city of Phoenix averages triple-digit degree temperatures around 110 days per year. The National Weather Service also posted the graph above, showing how the humidity interacts with the air temperature to create the actual temperature. The average humidity in Phoenix in the summer months is around 50%, so if the hot, western, summer air is between 90 and 95, the city could be looking at temperatures in the lower 100's.


According to "Storming the Wall" by Todd Miller, 40% of Arizona's water comes from Lake Mead. However, because of dust storms in the west, the fresh water of Lake Mead and other bodies of water evaporates into the air because the dust sucks what is already there. Lake Mead is being drained faster than it can be filled thanks to this evaporation and human need for consumption. The lake is at a record-breaking low level and with the harsh weather and changing climate, it will be getting much worse in the future. The Colorado River basin feeds both Lake Powell and Lake Mead. According to The Denver Post, both lakes are under 50% full whereas in 2000, both were well above 90%. The water supply is short and there is more need than supply. Miller also said that water rationing in America is inevitable. The question is when.


This drought will cause an unknown amount of dehydration, which can lead to a number of health issues/scares. Heatwaves, according to Miller, are considered one of the greatest environmental killers. The stages of heatstroke are as follows:
Stage 1- heat stress. People exposed to extreme heat will begin to feel dizzy and confused.
Stage 2- heat fatigue. The body is overheating and you may experience rapid pulse and extreme sweating.
Stage 3- heat syncope. The heat causes blood vessels to expand, sending body fluid into legs (thanks to gravity), which causes low blood pressure and can result in fainting.
Stage 4- heat cramps. Muscle spasms can begin to occur due to a loss of a large amount of salt and water thanks to sweating.
Stage 5- heat exhaustion. A combination of stages 1-4.
Sage 6- heat stroke. Can cause organ failure or brain damage.

The heatstroke could just be the "end of world" plague that rids the Earth of the human race. temperatures on the rise and huge cities like Phoenix and other southwestern cities will be but the first to fall victim.

"Storming the Wall" was written by Todd Miller, a Tuscon, AZ native. Miller