Los Angeles County Launches New Dashboard Tracking Heat-Related Illness and Deaths

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As we approach the hottest months of the year, the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health announces the launch of a new Heat-Related Illness and Mortality Dashboard. The dashboard presents, for the first time, information on emergency department or ED visits and deaths due to illness caused by exposure to heat and will help Public Health, its partners, and communities better understand the health consequences of extreme heat county-wide.

“Extreme heat is becoming more frequent and severe, making heat-related illness an increasing concern especially for older adults, young children, outdoor workers, and people with underlying health conditions. This dashboard gives us timely, local insight into who is most affected and where, helping Public Health and our partners take targeted action,” said Barbara Ferrer, PhD, MPH, MEd, Director of the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health.

Extreme heat is often underestimated, yet it causes more deaths than floods, hurricanes, and tornadoes combined, and the toll is expected to increase as temperatures continue to rise. Public Health monitors serious heat illness using near real-time ED data in Los Angeles County. The dashboard shows daily heat-related ED visit rates during heat season (May–October), alongside daily high temperatures in downtown Los Angeles. Heat-related deaths, based on death certificates, are shown by month. Both ED visits and deaths can be broken down by age, sex, race/ethnicity, and Service Planning Area or SPA to show who is most affected and where.

This dashboard offers timely insight into how extreme heat affects health across Los Angeles County. It highlights trends over time and differences by population and region and will help guide targeted prevention and response efforts.

The Dashboard is housed on the LA County Open Data Portal and can be accessed directly here or through the Office of Environmental Justice and Climate Health webpage.

To learn more about extreme heat and heat-related illness, visit Public Health’s Extreme Heat webpage.