How to stay cool when the power's out in a heat wave
Heat is the deadliest outage risk in summer
Losing air conditioning in extreme heat is a genuine medical hazard, not just discomfort — heat is the leading weather-related killer in the US, per the National Weather Service. Older adults, young children, people with chronic illness, and anyone on certain medications are most at risk.
Know heat exhaustion vs heat stroke
Per the CDC: heat exhaustion = heavy sweating, cold/pale/clammy skin, fast weak pulse, nausea, dizziness, headache — move to a cool place, sip water, loosen clothing, use cool cloths. Heat stroke = body temp 103 °F+, hot/red/dry or damp skin, fast strong pulse, confusion, or loss of consciousness — this is a 911 emergency: move the person to cool, help lower temperature with cloths or a cool bath, and do not give fluids to someone not fully alert.
Get to air conditioning
A few hours in air conditioning is the most effective protection, per the CDC — a cooling center, library, mall, or a friend's home with power. Call 211 or check your county emergency-management site for open cooling centers. A fan alone is not enough once the air temperature is above roughly the high-90s °F.
Hydrate and slow down
Drink water before you feel thirsty; avoid alcohol and sugary drinks. Wear light, loose clothing, stay on the lowest floor out of direct sun, and skip strenuous activity during the hottest hours. Wet cloths on the neck, wrists, and ankles, or a cool shower, shed heat fast.
Check on the vulnerable — and pets
Check on older neighbors and anyone with health conditions; most heat deaths are people alone indoors. Never leave children or pets in a vehicle. Pets need shade and water too.
Engineer one cool room
Choose the lowest, most shaded room, close blinds and curtains on sun-facing windows, and keep exterior doors shut during the heat of the day. If nights run cooler, ventilate hard after sunset — cross-breeze with windows on opposite sides — then close up at sunrise to trap the cool. Battery fans help most when air is moving across skin, and remember the CDC's caveat above once indoor air itself is very hot.
Food and medication in the heat
The refrigerator windows don't get friendlier in a heat wave — keep doors closed and move must-keep items to a cooler with ice early rather than late. Refrigerated medications (insulin is the common case) need a plan from your pharmacist before summer: know each medicine's out-of-fridge tolerance and have a cooler dedicated to it.
Powering cooling without new dangers
Heat waves are peak season for two compounding mistakes: generators run too close to open windows (CO — see the generator rules) and overloaded extension cords feeding window AC units. A battery power station runs fans and phones safely indoors; a window AC generally needs a properly-sized fuel generator outdoors.
Getting through the night
Heat peaks late afternoon but sleep is where long hot outages get dangerous, because you stop noticing symptoms. Before bed: a cool shower, water within reach, the battery fan aimed across you (moving air over skin is where fans still help), and the household consolidated on the lowest floor. If the CDC signs above appear in anyone — confusion especially — treat it as the emergency it is, at any hour.
Cars are ovens
Interior temperatures climb tens of degrees above the outside air in minutes — never leave children or pets in a vehicle for any reason during a heat event, even briefly, even with windows cracked.
Plan around the restoration time
If the outage will be long and the heat is dangerous, leaving for a cool place is the safe call. Check your address for the restoration outlook and set a free alert for when the AC can come back on.