Number of heat-related deaths climbs to 7 in newest Louisiana Department of Health dataBATON ROUGE — The Louisiana summer heat has taken a total of seven lives thus far in 2026, according to the latest Louisiana Department of Health data. The Northshore region has seen three heat-related deaths, the most of any region in Louisiana, according to LDH. Two people died in the northeast region, one in Acadiana and another in the far southeast reaches of the state. Drinking plenty of water and taking breaks from the intense summer heat go a long way in preventing heat illness. Follow WBRZ Weather on Facebook and X for even more weather updates while you are on the go.