Plus, some tips for how to survive the season without AC.
Brace yourself: It’s about to get real hot.
Meteorologists predict that most of the U.S. will experience warmer-than-usual summer weather — even in areas like the Southwest, where triple-digit-temps are the norm, as climate change makes heat waves more common, more intense, and longer. Fortunately, there are simple steps you can take to stay cool through the coming months and protect yourself from heat-related illnesses. Here’s how to prepare.
How to stay cool without AC
Even if you don’t have the luxury of air conditioning, there are plenty of ways to cool your home down. If you’ve got windows that face the sun, one option is to close your blinds or curtains to keep that direct light from entering your home, Wendell Porter, a lecturer emeritus in agricultural and biological engineering at the University of Florida, tells CNN. He also suggests closing the doors to any rooms you’re not using to keep the cool air within the space you’re immediately occupying, and to swap out your incandescent light bulbs for LEDs, which generate less heat.
Plus, you can break out those fans. The trick is to place them in a spot where they’ll draw in cool air — so try putting one in a window that looks out on the lawn in your backyard instead of a busy road. And make sure your ceiling fan is running counterclockwise. It may sound trivial, but it does make a difference. When rotating counterclockwise, the blades push air down into a column. (The fan’s meant to run the opposite way during the winter so that it helps circulate the warmer air which collects near the ceiling.)
However, keep in mind that fans can only do so much. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, when indoor temps reach the 90s, fans won’t prevent heat stroke or heat exhaustion. That’s why you should also have a back-up plan if the power goes out or you don’t have AC. Most areas have cooling centers where you can go to find some relief during extreme heat — you should be able to contact your local power utility to find the cooling centers closest to you.
How to stay cool in the heat outside
You’ve probably heard this before, but it bears repeating. What you wear matters: dress in loose-fitting, breathable materials, and stay away from dark colors. You can also look for clothes with built-in UV protection, which prevent the sun’s rays from penetrating the fabric, TIME reports.
It’s also crucial to stay well-hydrated. If you’re not drinking enough water, you won’t be able to sweat as efficiently. (Sweating is the body’s way of quickly cooling you down.) And you may want to steer clear of coffee or that mimosa at brunch on a particularly hot day, because caffeine and alcohol will dehydrate you.
Dousing yourself with water is another pretty obvious option too, but if that’s not possible, you can always just soak your hands and feet to really cool down fast, Heather Massey, a researcher at the Extreme Environments Laboratory at the University of Portsmouth in the U.K., tells TIME.
And be smart about how much time you’re spending outside. Try to avoid being out during the afternoon, when it gets the hottest, and make sure there’s plenty of shade nearby for you to retreat to.
