Moderately cold weather 'more deadly than heatwaves or extreme cold'

Study finds cold weather kills 20 times as many people as hot weather, and that premature deaths are most often caused by prolonged spells of moderate cold

Heatwaves are not as deadly as has been assumed, according to research that suggests prolonged exposure to moderately cold temperatures kills more people than scorching or freezing spells.

The study of deaths in 13 countries, published in the Lancet medical journal, found that cold weather kills 20 times as many people as hot weather, and that premature deaths are more often caused by prolonged spells of moderate cold than short extreme bursts.

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