How to stay cool in a heat wave even without air conditioning

A person uses a fan as they wait in line to purchase Broadway tickets in Times Square, during a heat advisory in New York, May 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Adam Gray, File) By CALEIGH WELLS and MELINA WALLING Updated 9:30 PM MESZ, June 30, 2026 Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Share Share Facebook Copy Link copied Print Email X LinkedIn Bluesky Flipboard Pinterest Reddit Heat can be dangerous, but health experts say there are ways to manage the threat. Scorching temperatures, especially combined with high humidity, pose risks particularly for children, older people and those with certain health conditions. Anyone can suffer from heat-related illness. Climate Change is also exacerbating heat waves and heat stress. Dangerous heat is gripping much of the U.S. and Europe. Here’s what health experts recommend if you don’t have air conditioning, from finding public cooling spaces to creating a “cool place” to sleep at home. Dangers posed by hot weather depend on more than the temperature. The most detailed measurement is called the wet bulb globe temperature (WBGT), which includes temperature, humidity, cloud cover and wind. The heat index, which measures temperature and humidity, is less descriptive but easier to find on weather apps. Both explain why a shaded soccer field on a 90 degree F day (32 degree C) in arid Phoenix may be less risky than an exposed park on an 80 degree F (27 degree C) day in soupy Little Rock. The WBGT threshold isn’t exact, but recent research suggests that even some young, healthy people can’t endure hours of exposure to high heat and humidity. undefined AP AUDIO: How to stay cool in a Heat Wave even without air conditioning As a majority of the nation braces for major heat impacts leading into the 4th of July weekend, AP’s Lisa Dwyer reports on ways to stay safe. Grace Chyuwei pours water on Joe Chyuwei to help with the heat Aug. 3, 2025, in Death Valley National Park, Calif. (AP Photo/John Locher, File) Overnight temperatures can be a particularly dangerous part of a Heat Wave, said Ashley Ward, director of the Heat Policy Innovation Hub at Duke University. More from Be Well Autoimmune diseases can strike any part of the body, and mostly affect women. Here’s what to know 12 Calisthenics are making a comeback. Is body weight enough to get a good workout? 23 Gut microbiome tests are everywhere. Should you get one? 11 “Your body needs a reprieve,” she said. “You don’t get that overnight, we start the next day at a deficit.” Heat can worsen labor productivity and lead to more visits to the emergency room. “When we have overnight temperatures that don’t drop below 75 degrees” F (24 degrees C), she said, “you start to see some pretty extraordinary outcomes with respect to heat illness and heat stroke, and even mortality.” Ward said air conditioning can help, but she acknowledged that not everyone has access. If you can’t afford to cool the whole house, Ward said, create a “cool corner” and sleep there, so your body is prepared to tackle the next day. Evaporative or “swamp” coolers can help in dry heat, but they increase humidity and can make it more difficult to cool down. In humid places, just use a fan. If you don’t have air conditioning, find public places that do, including movie theaters, malls and libraries. Some communities set up cooling centers. Depending on where you live, the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program can help you buy a window air conditioning unit, according to the National Council on Aging. Some local nonprofits and civic organizations can also help. Workers climb down from a building during a heat advisory, May 19, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Adam Gray, File) Knowing what workplace protections you have is important. Some states have them, including Washington, Oregon, California, Nevada, Colorado, Minnesota and Maryland, according to the Natural Resources Defense Council. Other states don’t have any. If your state has work rules, try to learn them — though there are still challenges to ensuring regulations are actually enforced, said Bharat Venkat, director of the University of California, Los Angeles Heat Lab. He notes that sometimes shaded areas are too far away for workers to take breaks without losing wages, or that management can make it impossible for workers to advocate for themselves. “Most workers don’t actually have control over their time or control over where they work,” Venkat said. Within those constraints, finding ways to stay hydrated and lower your body temperature are important. You can do this by drinking lots of fluids, wetting clothing or putting cold water or a cold rag on your hands, feet, armpits and neck. A portable handheld fan or a cooling vest can also help. If you’re exercising, avoid the hottest times of day and bring more water than you think you need. Petrona Romero, right, drinks an electrolyte beverage while working alongside her husband, Cristino, in a sugarcane field in Niland, Calif., Sept. 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong, File) Heat illness symptoms can vary by person, Venkat said. Medications or existing health conditions can also make it harder to regulate body temperature or notice you’re getting too hot. Early trouble signs include heavy sweating, muscle cramps and headache. That’s when you stop what you’re doing and cool yourself off, for example by splashing yourself with cold water or finding an air-conditioned space. As heat exhaustion sets in, new symptoms arrive, including faster heart rate and dizziness. Next comes heat stroke, which can include confusion, slurred words and fainting. Ward said that’s when to call 911. “Don’t be embarrassed to call 911 or go to urgent care when you think you might have overdone it in the heat,” he said. Walling and Wells are former Associated Press reporters. The Associated Press’ climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP’s standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org. CALEIGH WELLS Wells reports on how people’s choices impact the environment for The Associated Press. She is based in Cleveland. mailto MELINA WALLING Walling covers the intersections of Climate Change and agriculture in the Midwest and beyond for The Associated Press. She is based in Chicago. twitter instagram facebook mailto