147 people dead in US due to extreme heat

A total of 147 people have died in the US states of Arizona, Nevada and Texas this month as a result of the excruciating summer heat wave that has swept major parts of the country.

The three states have been the most-affected by the worst of this summer’s extreme heat, reports CNN.

Of the 147 fatalities, Arizona's Pima and Maricopa counties accounted for 64 and 39, respectively; while 26 deaths occurred in Clark county, Nevada; and 11 and seven in Texas's Webb and Harris counties.

Several heat-related deaths were also reported in California, parts of the South and the Midwest, though the tolls have not been as high as those in the five counties mentioned above. 

Maricopa county, which is home to the city of Phoenix and has officially tallied at least 39 heat-related deaths, has 312 more fatalities still under investigation.

The fatalities came as temperatures soared to record-breaking levels at the end of June, and continued to bake much of the South and Southwest through July, reports CNN. 

Phoenix logged the hottest month of any US city on record, with 31 consecutive days at or above 43 degrees Celsius from June into July.

The death toll from extreme heat to-date is far higher than tornadoes and flooding combined.