More than one dozen parkgoers have died in Grand Canyon national park this summer, with three perishing in just over one week in August, as weather extremes linked to climate change make for increasingly dangerous conditions.
With 14 deaths reported in the park this season, total fatalities have already almost reached the annual average of 15, the Hill reported.
One hiker who died, Chenoa Nickerson, was last seen on 22 August above the confluence of Havasu Creek and the Colorado River, National Park Service officials said. Nickerson was reported missing after a flash flood hit the Havasu canyon, and her body was found on 25 August.
The Havasupai tribe reported catastrophic flash floods, which damaged “the main trail to Supai Village, trails within the village, tribal member homes, public utility systems and the campgrounds”, on the day she went missing. An 80-year-old man died when his boat capsized on 25 August, plunging him into the Colorado River, per the Hill.
Heather Klein Olson, the American Hiking Society’s executive director, told the outlet that these deaths involve various factors. An uptick in intense rainfall, as well as development near parks that impact water systems, are among them.
At the same time, there is an influx of visitors after Covid-19. “Everyone is interested and wants to get outside, and it’s beautiful, and we love our outdoors,” Klein Olson told the Hill. “But there’s also a variety of factors that have to be considered when we get outside.”
National Park Service officials are urging visitors to be cautious about the potential of flash floods and fatal temperatures. Authorities have advised visitors that trail temperatures could exceed 120F (48C) in the shade.
“The arid, sparsely vegetated environment here means that rainfall quickly generates runoff because the ground doesn’t absorb it well,” Rebecca Roland, a National Parks Service spokesperson, told the Hill. “This runoff moves rapidly through narrow canyons and steep terrain, turning dry streambeds into torrents of water within minutes, even from relatively small storms.”
A causal link between climate change-induced weather extremes and Grand Canyon deaths remains unclear. But the US has been wracked by record-breaking weather events this year, including a spate of heatwaves that have impacted millions of Americans’ daily lives.
More than 130 million US residents were under heat advisory warnings in July alone. The perilous temperatures – as well as other hazards such as hurricanes and wildfires – even threatened the US medical blood supply, with organizers canceling drives due to safety concerns.
Data released on 27 August indicate that heat-related deaths in the US rose by 117% from 1999 to 2023. Researchers, imploring local officials to increase access to cooling and hydration centers, warned: “As temperatures continue to rise because of climate change, the recent increasing trend is likely to continue.”
There were 216 known deaths at Grand Canyon national park between 2007 and 30 June, NPS data cited by the Hill indicate. Forty-eight fatalities happened during hikes, with 23 linked to swimming or aquatic vessels.
