New York City is getting hotter, and for some residents, staying cool can be a matter of life and death.
Mayor Zohran Mamdani has declared at least three heat emergencies this summer, some lasting more than two days and the city’s latest heat mortality report estimates that around 500 people die prematurely from heat every year.
The report identified 19 heat-stress deaths during the June 2025 heatwave. In the decade prior, the city averaged seven such fatalities a year.
Many of the 71 New Yorkers who died of heat-stress between 2016 and 2025 died indoors, according to city data. Of the 25 indoor deaths for which the city has information, they either did not have air conditioning or were not using it.
During heat emergencies, the city opens hundreds of cooling centers, providing air-conditioned spaces for residents who may not have access to reliable home cooling and face greater risk of heat-stress, which is caused directly by exposure to heat.
