Theses and Dissertations

Issuing Body

Mississippi State University

Advisor

Brown, Michael E.

Committee Member

Rodgers III, John C.

Committee Member

Binkley, Mark S.

Date of Degree

8-2-2003

Original embargo terms

MSU Only Indefinitely

Document Type

Graduate Thesis - Campus Access Only

Major

Geosciences

Degree Name

Master of Science

College

College of Arts and Sciences

Department

Department of Geosciences

Abstract

With no universal criteria for classifying a heat-related death, the scope and magnitude of heat-related illnesses and deaths is underestimated. By using threshold temperatures based on one and two standard deviations from normal, a unique but universal classification for excessive/extreme heat was calculated. These threshold values were calculated for St. Louis, Missouri; New Orleans, Louisiana; Little Rock, Arkansas; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; and Milwaukee, Wisconsin for June, July, and August from 1990 ? 1999. Statistical analysis was performed for each city on days with excessive/extreme maximum and/or minimum temperature values, death count, and death count one, two, and three days later in order to discover a possible strong and significant relationship between excessive/extreme heat and death.

URI

https://hdl.handle.net/11668/19822

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