10-month-old becomes latest victim of Southern heat wave

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From Andrew Wulfeck, FOX Weather

July 20, 2023 | 3:08 p.m

A 10-month-old girl left in a car in a community outside of Jacksonville, Fla., is the latest death linked to an extended southern heatwave, the Baker County Sheriff’s Office reported.

Officials investigating the case believe the child was “accidentally” left in the vehicle for an extended period of time.

Investigators didn’t say how long they thought the child was in the car or who noticed it was missing.

A weather observation site near the town of Macclenny reported a low of 23°C and an afternoon high of 30°C.

In the afternoon, the heat index was estimated to be around 40C, making the weather potentially deadly for any age group exposed to the summer heat for any length of time.

Around 100 million residents from coast to coast were on heat alert Wednesday over potentially dangerous temperatures.

The National Weather Service in Phoenix reported a new daily average temperature record of 108°F (108°F), and forecasters in Las Vegas warned some street temperatures may have reached 158°F (158°F).

According to advocacy organization Kids and Car Safety, the most recent death in 2023 is the 14th time a child has died after being left in a hot vehicle.

Experts say that a vehicle’s internal temperature can rise by more than 40°C after 60 minutes if there is no circulation.

According to the nonprofit group, 38 children die from heatstroke each year after being left in a vehicle, and Florida has one of the states with the highest rates of accidents.

According to noheatstroke.org, most incidents are caused by a caregiver leaving a child in the home, and only a few cases are the result of a premeditated act.

The FOX Forecast Center is warning that weather patterns that have led to excessive heat will continue for the foreseeable future.

Computer forecast models show that for the remainder of the month, anticyclones are likely to spread across much of the Southwest and Gulf Coast, resulting in air temperatures in the 90s and 100s and felt temperatures in excess of 105°F.