Extreme Weather and Mortality of Vulnerable Urban Populations: An Examination of Temperature and Unclaimed Deaths in New York City

This is the first study to examine the link between extreme temperatures and unclaimed deaths in New York City. Daily air and wet-bulb temperatures were paired with public burial records. A 1°F hotter 7-day summer period predicts 1.2% more unclaimed deaths. Decedents on extreme heat days in NYC were up to three times as likely to go unclaimed.