BANGOR DAILY NEWS • August 23, 2023
The temperature peaked on July 6 at 92.2 degrees, causing 27 people on that day alone to head for emergency rooms here with symptoms including high body temperature, heat exhaustion and cramps. Unofficially, it was the hottest day on record this summer, according to the University of Maine. Visits to ERs, per 100,000 population, were higher in Maine that day than in most of the rest of the country, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control Heat & Health Tracker. More heat days and hospital visits is a growing trend across the country as the climate and oceans warm, even in cooler states like Maine. All Maine counties are predicted to see the number of days topping 90 degrees double over the next three decades. For Maine, which is the oldest state in the nation by median age, extreme heat presents elevated risks.