CHICAGO (AP) — A federal agency reports that Illinois was consistently in the top five states nationwide for cold-related deaths per year from 1999 until 2016.
Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says Illinois also ranks 15th nationally on average during the same time period for cold deaths per 100,000 people.
The Chicago Tribune reports that cold weather has taken the lives of hundreds of Illinois residents. The Illinois Department of Public Health says 593 people died from exposure to excessive natural cold or hypothermia between 2008 and 2016. The highest yearly total occurred when the polar vortex hit in January 2014 and claimed the lives of 110 people.
Illinois data for 2017 haven’t yet been finalized. However, the Cook County medical examiner’s office reports that Chicago saw 26 cold related deaths.
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