Deadly heat stress conditions are already occurring

Nature Communications 2026 Open access

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Authors: S. E. Perkins-Kirkpatrick, Catherine H. Gregory, Jennifer K. Vanos, J W Baldwin, H Staudmyer, Gisel Guzmán-Echavarría, Ollie Jay
DOI: 10.1038/s41467-026-70485-1
Cited by: 6
References: 88

Abstract

C wet-bulb temperature. Of concern is regular exceedances of deadly thresholds for older people directly exposed across all events. Moreover, extremely hot yet dry conditions are found to be just as deadly as hot and humid conditions. For future climatological assessments, we emphasise the importance of employing increasingly accurate physiology-derived methods to assess the risk of potentially deadly heat stress.

Fields of Study & Subjects

Climate Change and Health Impacts Thermoregulation and physiological responses Thermal Regulation in Medicine

Publication details

Journal / source
Nature Communications
Publisher
Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Volume
17
Issue
1
Publication date
26 March 2026
Language
EN