Here's Which Season You're Most Likely To Die In

Death is a natural part of life, but not all deaths happen naturally. With the impact of natural disasters increasing in the United States from mid-spring to early fall and accounting for hundreds of deaths, you might think that mortality rates are highest during a season within this period. That's why it's so surprising that more people die during winter than in any other season.

According to 2023 provisional data from the National Center for Health Statistics, a unit of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there were 289,000 deaths in January (the most of the year), 249,000 in February, and 269,000 in March — totalling 807,000 deaths for the first quarter of 2023. That's much more than the 746,000 in the second quarter and 742,000 in the third. It's even slightly more than the 801,000 deaths in the fourth quarter, which accounted for the year's second-most deaths in December at 284,000. Then, in 2024, there were an estimated 295,000 deaths in January, 255,000 in February, and 263,000 in March.

It's important to note that how some people look at the statistics may be different because, while the meteorological period for winter is December through February, the astronomical period for winter is mid-December to mid-March. If you focus on the meteorological period from 2023 to '24, though, winter brought 834,000 deaths. Meanwhile, there were about 823,000 deaths during the 2023 to '24 astronomical winter if you cut the numbers for December 2023 and March 2024 in half. So, even though COVID-19 deaths have messed with mortality rates over the last few years, there's a clear spike in deaths during winter compared to other seasons.

You might think that the higher mortality rate in winter is the result of winter storms that bring icy roads, causing more vehicular-related accidents that result in death. However, the main driver is how the weather affects the human body. On a fundamental level, cold temperatures have a negative impact on underlying cardiovascular, respiratory, and other medical conditions.

For instance, people with cardiovascular disease are at a higher risk of heart attack or stroke during winter because the low temperatures make the blood vessels constrict, increasing blood pressure and making the heart work harder to pump blood. Extreme cold can even thicken the blood and make clotting more likely. Meanwhile, the risk of complications among those with respiratory conditions rises because cold air is drier than warm air and irritates airways, leading those muscles to constrict.

On top of that, cold temperatures reduce immunity by drying out the mucous membranes in the mouth, nose, and throat. As a result, the body becomes more exposed to cold and flu viruses and related infections. There's even the chance of hypothermia occurring in certain climate regions — when the core body temperature falls under 95 degrees Fahrenheit, which is an emergency that can lead to death.