
The toll of heat-associated deaths in Arizona's most populous county — still being tallied after the area's hottest summer ever recorded — has soared over 360, alarming public health officials who say the final count will surely set a new record.
Maricopa County, the hottest metropolitan area in the U.S. and home to Phoenix, reported this week that 361 heat-associated deaths have been confirmed this year as of Oct. 7. Another 238 deaths remained under investigation.