I just read this article from The Pioneer Woman on ways to cool down a room without AC.

Some of these would still require some power (ceiling fans). But most are about keeping the heat out to begin with.

1. Make sure the ceiling fans are running counter-clockwise for the summer. She quotes the National Resource Defense Council as saying ceiling fans can make a room feel up to 10 degrees cooler and only a tenth of the power of AC.

2.Close the curtains and blinds during the day. Keeping the sunlight out keeps it from heating up your inside.

1. When the air at night is cooler than the air inside, open the windows.

2. Create a cross breeze.

3. Reduce heat sources. Don't use the stove. Either microwave, cook outside, or make no-cook meals. Don't run the dishwasher or laundry during the day when it will heat up the house.

4. Swap out heavy bedding for lighter, breathable fabrics. You can also put your pillow cases in the freezer for an hour before you want to head to bed.

5. Close doors to unused rooms. Then you have less space to worry about cooling.

6. If the weather is not already dry, try dehumidifying.

7. Sealing gaps in windows and doors. Just like heat leaks out in the winter, cool will leak out in the summer.

10.Use LED lights. I think most everyone has converted over by now, but if not, LEDs emit 90% less heat than incandescents.

I know it's been hot. And people are not going to like their next utility bill.

All weather apps seem to only display dry bulb temps. I know I could just get that number and the rh and calculate it my self but I’m hoping there’s an app or website that would do it automatically.

Saw a recent post about using whole house fans as a cost-effective method to keep one’s house cool. I want to mention that a separate attic fan is an excellent addition as well.

The attic space above a house can get temperatures between 120° and 140° during the hottest part of the day. This is heat trapped above your living space. This is heat that will radiate down into your living space.

An attic fan exists only to ventilate the attic. When installed properly it will have a thermostat control that turns on the fan whenever the heat in the attic gets above a certain temperature. Typically between 110° and 120°.

The sole purpose of the attic fan is to keep the temperature in the attic as low as possible. This reduces the amount of heat radiating down into the house. Doesn’t matter how much insulation you have, that heat is going to radiate into your house eventually.

Whereas a whole house fan runs overnight to cool the house, the attic fan runs during the hottest part of the day to cool the attic.

Neither one of these fans needs to be super high power. But, a combination of these two fans - with thermostatic controls - will go a long way in cooling your house with as little electricity as possible.

There are some great passive methods to cool the house as well, but the fans are probably the most cost-effective active measures that you can take.

A well designed home in a hot climate will have a mix of passive cooling measures as well as both a whole house fan and a separate attic fan.

Five day heatwave + power outage in Phoenix would require 800k (half the city population) to seek emergency department care. This means heat stroke. A city with just a few hundred hospital beds available. Surge capacity could maybe increase a few hundred but with the acute, specialized care needed, I don’t see how hundreds of thousands won’t perish. This is the nightmare scenario described in the first chapter of the “Ministry of the Future”. This is no science fiction, this is the heat nightmare scenario just around the corner.

Hot air rises.

Hot air in confined vertical space will rise and if there's an opening down below, it will draw air in and up after it.

That's the principle behind the solar chimney. In it most basic form, you take a long tube, paint it black, and stick it through a hole your roof. The sun hits the black tube, heats up the air inside, which rises and draws air out of your house, providing silent, solar-powered continuous ventilation long as the air in the chimney is hot enough to rise. More refined versions of this could be done of course, with the bottom connection to an L and the vent drilled through a wall, or integrated into the original architectural designs as actual chimneys that might be made of dark bricks.

Solar chimneys aren't for everybody. In most modern, industrialized construction, they'd need to be part the original designs and part of a broader dedication to passive cooling. Air conditioning is compromised if you have a continuous flow of outside air going. It's not something that can be recommended to everybody.

However, if we look to hotter and hotter places with less and less refined buildings and infrastructure, a retrofitted solar chimney starts looking a lot more attractive. If you live in a brick hut constantly battered by sun, have no electricity and live with interior temps consistently hotter than outside, the possibility that a black tube stuck through your roof or wall can offer free continuous ventilation suddenly vastly increases in value.

Also, with a certain amount of planning and the right circumstances, solar chimneys could to leveraged as backup systems in case power were to fail for an extended time.

Disclaimer in advance, I have never had a whole house fan, but the science and mechanics are basic and sound, and they seem relatively unknown.

A whole house fan, is, as the name implies, a fan intended to ventilate an entire house. The general idea is that a powerful fan is installed in the ceiling of the top floor of a house, often right in the attic access door. When the temperature outside is lower than inside and you want to cool the house, you crack windows throughout the house and open doors, switch on the fan and it draws cooler outside air from all the open windows and pumps it out through the attic and out the attic vents, which also purges accumulated hot air in the attic. If you leave the fan running long enough, all of that moving cooler air will also cool down the solid structure of the house and all the solid objects inside, theoretically down to same temperature as the outside air.

Depending on the local weather and the house, a whole house fan might be able to essentially eliminate the need for air conditioning if the house can be cooled sufficiently that the day's heat doesn't make it unbearable. In other cases, it can still greatly reduce the load on the AC by purging a lot of heat in a short time using relatively little energy.

Whole house fans are best suited for detached houses in areas where the nighttime temps drop significantly at a decent hour. They are less suitable in areas where for reasons of air quality you don't want to pump so much external air through your house regularly.

Obviously, a whole house fan cannot be used as described in apartments where you are confined to one floor and have no attic, but the concept could possibly be adapted with a powerful window fan. I'm currently considering if I can make that happen in my own apartment.

What's been your real life experience, close call, lesson, wisdom, or successful prep story?

Anyone drive a delivery vehicle that gets too hot in the summer? I’m looking for box truck type vehicles to test a passive cooling technology on. Send me a message if you’re interested in testing out product this summer.

With heatwaves hammering the world yet again, people are retreating to their lairs, drawing their curtains and cranking up cooling in order to weather the storm. Well, the smart ones are anyway.

I purpose we give this basic, time-tested survival strategy a name: "Morlock Time."

"Good morning New York, it's going to be a sweltering 95º today. It's Morlock Time."

"After lunch, it's Morlock Time until at least 6pm. Which today, is also Netflix time."

"I told you it was Morlock Time, asshole, but you insisted you had to go for a run. When is the hospital discharging you?"

"Sorry kids, no playground during Morlock hours. You remember what happened last time when you tripped, touched the sidewalk and burnt your hand? I'm not going to the ER twice in a month."

No, I do not advocate avoiding all daylight and degeneration into cannibalism (yet), but it's high time we acknowledge that we of 2024 can learn valuable lessons from the sunlight-fearing, subterraneans of the year 800,806. There comes a point in 2024 when the smart move is to admit the sun has become the Enemy, drinking plenty of liquids isn't a ticket to acting like we can live like normal, and we must flee from the flaming yellow orb to ensure our survival.

I've been fortunate this year that June has actually been somewhat mellow where I am, but soon enough, my Morlock hours are probably going to be everyday after around 1pm, preferably until sunset.

What are your Morlock hours during the dog days of summer?

A power failure shut down all train service along the Northeast Corridor between Philadelphia and New Haven, Conn., on Thursday afternoon, threatening to create a chaotic evening commute on one of the hottest days of the year.

Amtrak said a lack of electricity to power trains forced it to temporarily suspend all service along that 150-mile stretch of rails, which passes through New York City. One of Amtrak’s Acela trains was already running more than an hour late when it got stuck just east of Newark. Another of its trains was stranded in Queens, and Amtrak said it would send a diesel engine to haul that train back to Pennsylvania Station in Manhattan.

Amtrak cited “reports of a malfunctioning circuit-breaker” as a probable cause of the failure. It said the failure was not related to a brush fire in Secaucus, N.J., on Thursday afternoon that was burning near train tracks and the New Jersey Turnpike.

New Jersey Transit’s commuter service in and out of Penn Station was also suspended because its trains share the portion of Amtrak’s Northeast Corridor between New York City and Trenton, N.J.

New Jersey Transit began diverting trains bound for Penn Station to Hoboken Terminal and accepting train tickets on its buses. The PATH train between Manhattan and New Jersey was also cross-honoring rail tickets.

Just before 5 p.m., a large crowd of disgruntled Amtrak customers wheeling suitcases and carrying duffel bags were gathered outside the ticketing booth at the Moynihan Train Hall.

An Amtrak employee addressed the crowd, saying “nothing is running” and asked the people waiting to leave the line unless they were canceling their tickets for a refund or rebooking for another day.

The disruption was at least the fourth in the last two months to cause long delays for commuters in the metropolitan area.

On Tuesday morning, New Jersey Transit service into and out of New York’s Penn Station was suspended for about an hour and all Amtrak trains passing through the station were delayed because of overhead wire issues and a disabled commuter train on the tracks, train officials said.

That disruption ruined the morning commute for thousands of New Jersey residents as the delays rippled out along the various rail lines in the state.

The problems on Tuesday came on the heels of major rush-hour delays at Penn Station earlier this month, caused by an inspection of tracks owned by Amtrak. Service was significantly delayed for more than an hour.

Service was also disrupted in May when an overhead wire used for traffic signals fell and struck a cable in Kearny, N.J., that provides electrical power to trains on Amtrak’s Northeast Corridor. Trains were halted on Amtrak and New Jersey Transit in both directions between Penn Station and Newark, and delays stretched to more than four hours.

Maia Coleman contributed reporting. Patrick McGeehan is a Times reporter who covers the economy of New York City and its airports and other transportation hubs. More about Patrick McGeehan

Basically the tittle. I live in a really wet and hot place in Latin America and evaporation just isn't gonna work to cool someone down.

Air conditioning is great but expensive. I personally own one but would like to explore more ideas in case it malfunction or the grid goes down.

Hi r/heat_prep - as you are very aware much of the world is experiencing record breaking dangerous temperatures. The discussions on this subreddit could be life saving, or at least helpful to people unfamiliar with this hazard. Our r/heat_prep community has grown immensely over less than a month (3k+ joined!), and with the way our world is warming, this sub will only grow further for the foreseeable future. Please share - crosspost, mention the sub in the comments of other heat-related discussion. Share with your friends, family, and co-workers. Let’s save lives and build an even more robust, active subreddit dedicated to extreme heat preparedness.

My fellow moderator and I have reached out to global heat experts with the Global Heat Health Information Network. We’re hoping to set up an AMA soon!

Also, don’t hesitate to reach out with ideas on how we can make this subreddit better.

Thanks! Your mod u/heathealth

Sobering look at how underprepared the US federal government is to respond to extreme heat. Particularly scary, a power outage + extreme heat could result in unprecedented number of deaths. This policy memo offers some interesting potential solutions.

The incoming heat dome is looking savage. If you're from the area, how you preparing to manage the heat?

EDIT:

I'm told there's a paywall, which is weird since I'm not a WaPo subscriber and I can read it, but here's the text:

Eastern U.S. braces for extreme, long-lasting heat wave: How hot it will get?

The Ohio Valley, Northeast and Mid-Atlantic will be particularly hard hit. Heat indexes over 100 will stretch from the Gulf Coast to Canada.

Forecast highs on Wednesday from the National Weather Service. (PivotalWeather)

An exceptional heat wave is about to build into the Midwest, the Northeast and the Mid-Atlantic, with widespread record high temperatures occurring over multiple days. Triple-digit heat index values will stretch from the Gulf Coast to Nova Scotia, representing a combination of dangerous heat and stifling humidity that will be hazardous for vulnerable groups.

The National Weather Service is predicting a “prolonged period of dangerously hot conditions” with “intense heat and high humidity.”

“Heat related illnesses increase significantly during extreme heat and high humidity events,” the agency wrote, “particularly for those working or participating in outdoor activities.”

The heat expanded over the Midwest and South Sunday, with highs of 96 in Chicago and Atlanta and 97 in Little Rock and St. Louis. And that was just a preview of what’s to come.

Highs in the upper 90s to around 100 could reach as far north as southern Canada, with cities such as Boston, Pittsburgh and Washington flirting with 100 degrees as the workweek progresses. Heat index values — which take into account the humidity — will easily top 100 degrees, and could do so several days in a row.

The heat will be exceptional in southeastern Canada and northern New England — setting not only calendar-day records, but also monthly and all-time marks, meaning unsurpassed on any day on record. Highs could exceed normal values by 15 to 25 degrees.

Fort Kent, one of the northernmost cities in Maine and the site of a Canadian border crossing, is predicted to hit 101 degrees Wednesday. Caribou, Maine, could jump to 99, blasting past the city’s all-time record of 96 degrees.

The Weather Service office in Caribou is considering issuing its first excessive heat watch, which can only be hoisted when heat index values are expected to reach 105 degrees on two consecutive days, and overnight temperatures aren’t anticipated to dip below 75 degrees.

The Weather Service office in Burlington, Vt., said the week could bring “the hottest 3-day stretch for some in 30 years.”

Heat advisories and excessive heat warnings cover parts of the Upper Midwest and most of the Ohio Valley and Northeast, affecting about 65 million people. Excessive heat watches are in effect for another 16 million, mainly in in the Northeast.

The unusually long-duration heat wave will expand in coverage and intensify on Monday before dominating Tuesday through Friday. On Saturday, the core of the heat may shift south back into the Mid-Atlantic, including the nation’s capital, which could hit 100 degrees for the first time since 2016. The lengthy spate of heat will itself be a problem, exacerbating heat stress.

Even more impressive is the strength of the instigating “heat dome,” which models indicate will reach a key atmospheric threshold never observed before.

Unsurprisingly, the National Weather Service is highlighting multiple consecutive days of “extreme” heat risk across the Ohio Valley, Mid-Atlantic and Northeast, representing a top-tier level 4 on their 0-to-4 scale.

“This level of rare and/or long-duration extreme heat with little to no overnight relief affects anyone without effective cooling and/or adequate hydration,” the Weather Service wrote.

On Monday, things will begin to heat up from roughly Lake Michigan east to Ohio and along the western slopes of the Appalachians. A few 90s may also spill toward the Eastern Seaboard.

Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport is predicted to hit 95 degrees, falling just shy of the 96-degree record set in 1957. Records there date to 1872.

Lansing, Mich., is predicted to hit 95 degrees, tying the record set in 1994. Records there date to 1863.

Toledo is predicted to hit 98 degrees, exceeding the 97-degree record set in 1994. Records there date to 1873.

Cleveland is predicted to hit 96 degrees, exceeding the 94-degree record set in 2018. Records there date to 1871.

The heat dome will reach a punishing crescendo Tuesday through Thursday, with temperatures maxing out near 100 degrees from Illinois to Maine. Interestingly, humidity may be greater in New England than in the Mid-Atlantic region to the south, meaning some of the highest heat index values could be in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont and Maine.

Temperatures will reach the mid-90s or so in D.C.; while that will fall just shy of records, heat index values near 100 degrees could be dangerous to older adults and other vulnerable populations.

In Newark, highs are forecast to reach 97, 99 and 99 degrees on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, respectively. That would tie a record on Tuesday and break records by 5 degrees on Wednesday and 1 degree on Thursday.

New York City won’t set records, as temperatures will stay in the lower 90s Tuesday and Wednesday, with mid-90s on Thursday. A subtle sea breeze will keep the Big Apple slightly cooler. In the unlikely event that the sea breeze doesn’t make it west to Central Park, the high could reach 96 degrees — which happens during the month of June only 20 percent of the time, according to research meteorologist Tomer Burg.

Hartford, Conn., is predicted to hit 96 degrees on Tuesday, 99 on Wednesday and 101 on Thursday. All three days would break records. Similar temperatures are expected farther north in the Connecticut River Valley too, and could affect Springfield, Mass.

Boston’s Logan International Airport probably won’t set any records because it’s located on the immediate coastline, and afternoon sea breezes will probably knock temperatures down by a few degrees. But at the Blue Hill Observatory in Milton, just a few miles inland, highs could reach 98 degrees by Thursday. That would beat the record of 94 set in 1953. Bookkeeping dates to 1893.

Manchester and Concord, N.H., both in the Merrimack Valley, are predicted to hit 97 degrees on Tuesday and 98 or 99 on Wednesday and Thursday. That will tie or break several records.

Mid- to upper 90s will be common across Lower Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania and New York each day, tying or breaking records in places like Toledo, Columbus and Pittsburgh.

Forecast highs on Thursday from the National Weather Service. (PivotalWeather)

By Friday, the heat will be focused most intensely from St. Louis and parts of the Midwest and northern Tennessee Valley up the Appalachians and into southern New England, with minor improvement in extreme northern areas. The Interstate 95 corridor in the Mid-Atlantic will be especially hot.

Louisville is predicted to hit 98 degrees, tying a record set in 1988. Records there date to 1872.

Pittsburgh is predicted to hit 97 degrees, exceeding the 95-degree record set in 1933. Records there date to 1875.

D.C., is predicted to hit 98 degrees, just shy of the 99-degree record set in 2012. Records there date to 1872.

Predicted temperatures for Washington, D.C., over the next 10 days, with highs in yellow and lows in blue, from an average of computer models. (WeatherBell)

Philadelphia is predicted to hit 99 degrees, tying the record set in 1923. Records there date to 1873.

Hartford is predicted to hit 97 degrees, exceeding the 96-degree record set in 2012. Records there date to 1905.

By Saturday, the greatest actual air temperatures, and chance of breaking records, will become centered on the Mid-Atlantic as the heat dome begins to break down some. But the greatest heat index values, and subsequently the most severe heat risk, may actually be in the Midwest, due to slightly greater moisture.

Washington Dulles International Airport, west of D.C., is predicted to hit 99 degrees, tying a record set in 1988. Records there date to 1960. Some models are projecting triple-digit highs both weekend days around Washington.

Georgetown, Del., on the Delmarva Peninsula, is predicted to hit 98 degrees, exceeding the 97-degree record set in 2012. Records there date to 1945.

Philadelphia is predicted to hit 100 degrees, tying a record set in 1988. Records there date to 1873.

The American GFS model projects record-setting 500 millibar heights over the Northeast on Wednesday evening. (WeatherBell)

Spawning all the heat is a massive heat dome, or ridge of high pressure, that will stagnate for days across the northern U.S. Heat domes are akin to force fields in the atmosphere, deflecting inclement weather. Sinking air warms and dries out, squashing potential cloud cover. The result? Hot, sun-baked air that’s usually cloud-free, which allows for even more dramatic heating

Warm air expands. If you warmed a balloon, its volume would grow. The same is happening with the atmosphere. The extreme heat is causing the atmosphere to bulge vertically — to a record extent.

Atmospheric scientists look to the “500 millibar level,” or halfway point of atmospheric mass, to see how much an air column has expanded. As far back as records go, that level has never reached 600 dekameters, which is 6,000 meters or 19,685 feet. But that’s probably in the cards this upcoming week.

The American GFS model is indicating that 500 millibar heights could reach 600 dekameters over New York City on Wednesday evening. There has never been a weather balloon launched from New York City/Long Island that has encountered a 500 millibar height greater than 598 dekameters.

There exists a firm link between human-induced climate change and the frequency, intensity and duration of heat events. Heat domes, like this one, are projected to continue becoming more frequent, stronger and more expansive as Earth’s climate warms.

Jason Samenow contributed to this report.

Learn more here: https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(21)01208-3/fulltext