WASHINGTON — The summer of 2021 has seen brutal heat in the DMV. Thousands of people have been seeking medical help for heat-related illnesses in Maryland and Virginia .
A Heat Advisory has been posted for Saturday for parts of the DMV.
Heat related illness includes heat stroke, heat exhaustion, heat rash, and heat cramps.
In Maryland, more than 2,400 people suffered from heat-related illnesses from June 1 to July 12, according to Maryland Department of Health.
On average, most of the heat related cases occurred in Baltimore County, Baltimore City, Montgomery County and Prince George's County.
Most of the the people that sought treatment were between the ages of 18-44 years old.
One person has died from a heat-related illness in Prince George's County, health officials report.
In Virginia, more than 1,300 people got medical help for heat related illnesses during a similar time period, according to the Virginia Department of Health.
Men and boys accounted for 892 cases and women and girls made up 459 cases from May 1 to July 15th.
Areas in Virginia with highest amount of heat related illnesses include
- Fairfax county, Fairfax city, Falls Church city
- Prince William county, Manassas city, Manassas Park city
- Newport News
- Henrico
- Virginia Beach
Most of the patients were in the 20-29 age category.
In the past week, temperatures have been in the 90s with heat index in the mid to upper 90s and in some areas near 100 degrees.
On a 30 year average, heat is the number one weather related killer in the U.S., according to the National Weather Service.
The CDC tracks heat-related deaths in the United States and says around 618 people are killed by extreme heat annually. The number of heat-related deaths was even higher for a 15-year span from 2004-2018, according to a CDC morbidity and mortality report.