Finally, some cheery holiday news for Massachusetts. New Scientist magazine reports today that Bay Staters are among the least likely in the US to die from extreme weather. A county-by-county map shows that the odds of dying in a heat wave, tornado, flood, etc. are highest in less populated parts of the South and West. All of Massachusetts is considered low-risk except for Berkshire and Franklin Counties, which are near the national average. (I smell an appeal from Berkshire and Franklin Counties for more state aid, given their precarious position.)

Large cities are generally considered safe areas, though that hasn’t always been the case. (See this interview with Eric Klinenberg, author of a book on the 1995 Chicago heat wave that killed hundreds. Apparently, many victims in crime-ridden neighborhoods were simply afraid to leave their sweltering homes to seek relief.)

CommonWealth staff writer Gabrielle Gurley wrote about the Bay State’s plans to deal with natural disasters in our Summer 2006 issue.