Today I was thinking of the hundreds of times visitors have told me how lucky I am to live in Sedona. Maybe they’re right—no one can deny the extreme beauty—but August is not the month that lies close to my heart.
This week the temps are running up to 105, and my aging swamp cooler isn’t keeping up. In fact, it’s possible my aging swamp cooler can no longer tackle the heat the way it once did… because it’s just hotter. At 90°, it could keep the house at 75°. Now it’s over 80° inside, and no amount of fans, closed windows, or shades drawn by 7 a.m. helps. I’m in here sweating away, and it’s too hot to get my daily hikes in.
Also, the bugs are out in full force at my place—mostly ants, gnats, and mosquitoes, lying in gleeful wait for me to poke a nose outside onto the patio or front door, leaving me with itchy, itchy feet.
But wait—to make myself feel better, I remember the time in Goa, where my son lay in a public, non‑AC hospital bed in the height of summer, over 110° with 100% humidity. It was so hot the only relief was a shower, and then you were hot again the moment you stepped out. So, no, Sedona isn’t as hot as that.
I feel for my beautiful cat, Fig, who has to deal with the temps in a fur coat. Sometimes I wet her fur down with ice. And yet I know I have it easy: I have the ability to be inside, resting, safe, with fans, cold drinks, out of the blazing sun. And I think of those who don’t have that luxury.
The Human Cost of Arizona’s Heat
Extreme heat is not just uncomfortable in Arizona—it’s deadly. From 2013 through 2024, more than 4,320 people died from exposure to excessive heat across the state, according to the Arizona Department of Health Services.
The crisis is most visible in Maricopa County, home to about 60% of Arizona’s population. In 2023, the county recorded a record 645 heat-related deaths, making heat the 10th leading cause of death in Arizona that year. Preliminary 2025 data show a decline to 667 deaths statewide and 405 in Maricopa County, the first year-over-year drop after nearly a decade of increases.
Even so, the danger remains concentrated in the hottest months. July is by far the deadliest, with more than 2,200 heat-related deaths recorded in that month alone over the last decade. This year, as of early July, Maricopa County had already confirmed 23 heat-related deaths, with another 282 under investigation.
Who Is Most At Risk
Heat does not kill evenly. People experiencing homelessness bear a hugely disproportionate share of the deaths.
In Maricopa County, nearly half of all heat-related deaths in 2024—49%—were among people experiencing homelessness.
In 2023, almost half of the county’s 645 heat deaths were unhoused residents—about 290 people—many dying at bus stops, in tents, or on sidewalks.
One analysis found that persons experiencing homelessness in urban Arizona summers have roughly 500 times the risk of dying from heat exposure compared with the general population.
The number of unsheltered people in Maricopa County has grown sharply alongside rising heat deaths: from under 1,300 in 2015 to nearly 5,000 in 2023. In 2015, eight homeless people died from heat-related causes; by 2023, that number had climbed to 291.
Other vulnerable groups include:
Older adults and people with chronic illnesses, especially those living in uncooled homes or mobile homes.
People using drugs or alcohol; more than half of Maricopa County’s heat deaths in recent years have involved substance use, which can worsen dehydration and hyperthermia.
Outdoor workers, who face lost wages and higher health risks. One estimate suggests an average outdoor worker in Maricopa County could lose about $5,000 in earnings per year and 41 days of work due to heat.
Beyond Maricopa — Yavapai and Coconino
Most headlines about Arizona’s heat crisis focus on Maricopa County, and for good reason: it accounts for the majority of the state’s heat-related deaths. But people in Yavapai and Coconino counties—home to Sedona, Prescott, and Flagstaff—are also feeling the strain, especially those without reliable cooling or stable housing.
Yavapai County, which includes Sedona and Prescott, has far fewer heat deaths than Maricopa, but the risk is real and growing.
From 2013 to 2024, Yavapai County recorded 30 heat-related deaths in total, with 23 among Arizona residents and 7 among non-residents.
In 2024, there were 7 heat-related deaths among county residents, a rate of 2.78 deaths per 100,000 people.
The county’s heat-related death rate is lower than Maricopa’s (9.42 per 100,000 in 2024), but it is still among the higher-risk counties in the state when you consider its smaller population and cooler average climate.
Like elsewhere in Arizona, the deadliest month in Yavapai is July, and many of the victims are older adults, people with chronic health conditions, and those living in homes without adequate cooling.
Coconino County, which includes Flagstaff and parts of the high country near Sedona, is often thought of as a “cool” refuge. But even here, heat can be lethal—especially for people sleeping outside or living in poorly insulated housing.
From 2013 to 2024, Coconino County recorded 35 total heat-related deaths, with 18 among Arizona residents and 17 among non-residents.
In 2024, there were 8 heat-related deaths among county residents, a rate of 5.34 deaths per 100,000—higher than Yavapai’s and closer to the state’s more hard-hit counties.
That higher rate per capita reflects both a smaller population and a significant number of unhoused and transient residents who are exposed to the elements during summer heat waves.
While detailed homelessness-specific heat death counts are not always broken out by county, statewide data show the pattern clearly: in 2024, 49% of all heat-related deaths in Maricopa County were among people experiencing homelessness. Yavapai and Coconino have smaller but visible unsheltered populations, and local outreach workers report similar vulnerability during prolonged stretches above 100°F.
In Sedona and Flagstaff, the danger is less about constant triple-digit days and more about:
Nights that no longer cool off enough for recovery.
People sleeping outside with limited shade and water.
Older housing stock and mobile homes that trap heat.
And then there’s today:
All of this is not abstract history. It’s the backdrop to the heat wave we’re in right now.
An intense heat dome is baking the Southwest to begin August, with temperatures 10 to nearly 20 degrees hotter than normal across parts of California, Nevada, and Arizona. Phoenix and Tucson are expected to climb well above 110°F, and the Valley’s extreme heat warnings have been extended as overnight lows linger in the upper 80s to lower 90s.
For those of us in Sedona, that means another stretch of 100-plus-degree days, nights that don’t cool off much, and the same impossible choices for our most vulnerable neighbors: stay in an uncooled room, or risk the streets.
Here it is—the climate change so many insist “isn’t real.” It’s not a figment of anyone’s imagination. It’s here, the result of countless and continuing human choices, and it’s not going away. It’s the heat we’re living through and the numbers on the mortality reports.