Extreme heat

The year in St. Louis’ climate was defined by nights that wouldn’t cool down and a record-setting lack of rain.

Missouri, Kansas, Iowa and Nebraska are part of an emerging “extreme heat belt” that could deliver more scorching days within 30 years. So far, there’s no unified plan to make our dwellings safe in the dangerously high temperatures to come.

A fifth of reported heat-related deaths between 2017 and 2022 were agricultural workers, according to OSHA data. Academics, occupational health specialists and advocacy groups are calling attention to the under-reported impact of climate change on this group from heatwaves.

A dangerous heat wave is throwing off the first week of school in districts around the St. Louis region.

The Prison Policy Initiative put Missouri and Kansas on a list of “famously hot states” that lack universal air conditioning in prisons. During excessively hot summer days, inmates say that it can feel like a "pizza oven" inside — and the state isn't doing enough to fix the issue.

Multiple organ failure, heart attack and kidney failure are the primary ways people die in extreme heat. Read on to find out how to stay safe in the heat wave.

Meteorologists expect dangerous heat to stick around for at least another day. Experts urge people to stay indoors if possible.

During the summer, Missouri will reach temperatures that can be unsafely hot. Experts and advocates say this can be even more dangerous for unhoused people.

A haze is still lingering over sections of the region as a result of wildfires that continue to burn in parts of Canada, but a sign showing poorer than usual air quality in St. Louis caught our newsroom's attention a bit before we began covering the impact of the fires locally.

St. Louis will be among the five metro areas most impacted by an “extreme heat belt” projected to emerge across the central U.S. in the next 30 years, according to a study published last summer.