An eight-day heat wave ended Monday as temperatures stayed below the 90-degree mark. But the city health department said the heat-related death toll could still rise as additional victims are discovered in the coming days.
Nine people have succumbed to the heat so far this year in Philadelphia. Officials say most of them were found in homes without fans or air conditioning and suffered from health problems that are worsened by hot weather.
The Philadelphia medical examiner's office uses a broader definition than many other cities when it comes to determining heat-related deaths, so its death toll can appear higher than in comparable communities using a more narrow definition.
