ChicagoEl Niño heat could kill 450,000 people by February.
Most deaths fall on people without air conditioning across the tropics and Global South.
Researchers combined temperature-mortality curves for 24,000 regions with a seasonal forecast to model deaths through February.
“We’re hoping this information is actionable,” said Emily Grover-Kopec of the Rhodium Group.
The forecast depends on El Niño’s actual course, and scientists expect a second wave of deaths after February.
Sources: New Scientist