For all of the months between January and August, the 2017 death count was in line with the averages from the previous seven years. In four months (January, April, May and June) the 2017 figure was slightly above average, and in four months (February, March, July and August) it was slightly below. But in all those cases, the 2017 count was within the historical range.

Source: Los Angeles Times August 02, 2018 15:00 UTC