Before summer 2022 officially began, the U.S., Europe, and China were hit with record-setting heat waves that worsened wildfire risks, stressed the electric grid, buckled streets, shattered car windows, and killed cattle. Last week, more than 20 million Americans across 16 states were under heat alerts. “At least a dozen high-temperature records were tied or broken across the Eastern US from Arkansas to the Carolinas – all the way to New York.”
The National Weather Service forecast 100oF in Portland today. Last year, the Pacific Northwest experienced a deadly heat wave from late June to mid-July, with 108oF in Seattle and 116oF in Portland, an event that might be a warning sign for the future. Afterwards, a New York Times reporter “’called some climate scientists and asked them, “Is every upcoming summer going to be even hotter than this one?’ The short answer was: Yes, generally.”
With climate change increasing the likelihood of hotter, longer heat waves, people with chronic health conditions like diabetes and heart disease, taking medications like diuretics, and older people with less tolerance of temperature extremes should learn coping techniques for extreme heat. It’s 105oF outside my home as I write this, which isn’t unusual for my NorCal location, but only 20 years ago wasn’t likely to happen in June nor persist for over week as it has for the last three years. So for me, today’s temperature could be labelled “extreme” as it is about 10oF above normal/average (96oF) and has lasted for at least three days.
I’ve lived in California, tropical America, and grew up in Ohio’s hot muggy summers—often in homes without AC. Even though I consider myself a heat wave veteran, when I researched how to cope with heat waves for this story, some information had aspects I’d never realized. For example, using fans.
Extreme heat advice from the U.S. Dept of Homeland Security includes this warning: “Do not rely on a fan as your primary cooling device. Fans create air flow and a false sense of comfort, but do not reduce body temperature or prevent heat-related illnesses.” I’m not sure if this applies to properly-oriented ceiling fans (counter-clockwise in summer), but while living in desperately dry NorCal (humidity 22%), I feel cooler when I use a fan, even without AC in use.
The American Red Cross also warns about fan use: “Don't use an electric fan when the indoor air temperature is over 95°F. Using a fan can be more harmful than helpful when indoor air temperatures are hotter than your body temperature. Fan use may cause your body to gain heat instead of losing it.”
WebMD confirms this and compares fan use with cooking in a convection oven, and adds a caveat.
Electric fans might make you feel cooler, but they can actually increase your risk of becoming heat sick and even dying from a heat stroke, the evidence shows.
"The fan actually will be blowing air that is hotter than our body at us," said co-author Mike Clarke, director of the Northern Ireland Clinical Trials Unit at Queen's University Belfast.
It's like switching on an electric oven's convection fan to speed up the cooking process, the researchers said.
The WebMD story goes on to discuss another study showing that fans “can help lower core temperatures and heart strain in hot, humid weather … but were detrimental in weather that was less hot but very dry.” OMG, how did I survive this long? My fan use has predominantly been in temps over 95, and often in very dry climates.
Check out the U.S. gov and Red Cross websites for more information, but as an extreme heat veteran, I know what measures make the biggest difference for me, besides my beloved whole house AC.
- Use window coverings that reflect heat back outside. Thermal drapes, panels, and blinds make a big difference. I close the blinds on the east windows when I go to bed at night to block the morning sun and close the west-facing drapes during the afternoon blast of sunshine. I have thermal drapes now, but have used different materials over the years and found that even something as basic as a space blanket (reflective emergency blanket) on the window side with an old comforter on the in-house side noticeably reduces the heat gain indoors. Here’s an easy DIY solution.
- Take advantage of the cooler night air by opening windows when the outside temp is suitable. A window intake/exhaust fan also helps.
- Limit use of stove, especially the oven. I use a small electric kettle to heat morning coffee/tea water and for other cooking use an electric toaster oven or microwave.
- Drink plenty of water, don’t wait to feel thirsty.
Most of us know someone who is at risk from too much heat. The elderly, and anyone taking medicine that affects the body’s ability to hold onto water, such as diuretics, may be more vulnerable to heat illness. If you have any of the following conditions, it’s important to be cautious during days with extreme heat.
- Heart disease: Heat may increase the chances of heart attacks, heart arrhythmias, and heart failure.
- Asthma: Anyone with asthma, especially children, may find it more difficult to breathe on hot days. Some evidence suggests that inhalers stored in extreme heat may not work as well, possibly dispensing less than a full dose of medication.
- Lung conditions: Heat can irritate the lungs, causing flare-ups for adults who smoke, or have asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) — even for those spending most of their time indoors. [...]
- Diabetes: People who have type 1 or type 2 diabetes have a harder time regulating body temperature and blood glucose when it gets hot out.
What are your extreme heat coping measures?
is your heatwave style rhythm and blues — martha and the vandellas 1963?
or indie rock — glass animals at glastonbury 2022?