The West Coast is experiencing a dangerous heat wave that saw record temperatures over the weekend and is expected to continue into mid-week, with temperatures across the US reaching over 100 degrees Fahrenheit and extreme heat warnings in place for much of California and southern Oregon.
More than 150 million Americans were under heat watches and heat advisories as of Friday, forecasters said. In Palm Springs, California, the temperature hit 124 degrees Fahrenheit on Friday, setting a new record.
During extreme heat, many people turn to electric fans and air conditioners. However, in West Coast cities such as Seattle, Portland, and San Francisco, the penetration rate of air conditioners in homes is low, and many residents struggle to cope with the heat.
The following cities have the lowest percentage of residential air conditioners:
What city is the least air-conditioned?
San Francisco is the city with the least air conditioning, according to data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Housing Survey. In 2021, the most recent data available, about 55% of homes in San Francisco did not have air conditioning. The American Housing Survey looked at the 15 largest metropolitan areas in the U.S. to determine which cities had the lowest rates of in-home air conditioning.
Seattle ranked second on the list with 46 percent of homes without air conditioning.
Vivek Shandas, founding director of the Lab for Sustainable Urban Spaces at Portland State University, previously told USA Today, “It’s no exaggeration to say that communities in the northern latitudes of the Pacific Northwest are woefully underprepared and most vulnerable to a heatwave attack because they’ve never had any prior planning experience.”
Scientists say increasing adoption of air conditioning won’t address the underlying causes of the increase in heat waves, but it could provide relief for at-risk residents who live in areas with less extreme heat.
“The cities with the least amount of air conditioning are often because the outdoor ambient environment doesn’t get above 90 degrees very often. Historically, we’ve designed a lot of our infrastructure based on historical patterns of what happens in the environment,” Shandas said.
Previously, Seattle was the least air-conditioned city in the U.S. The number of homes with air conditioning in the Seattle metropolitan area nearly doubled between 2013 and 2021. In 2013, about 31% of Seattle homes had air conditioning; by 2021, that figure was 53%.
Stay cool even in the heat without air conditioning
If you live somewhere without air conditioning, experts recommend opening the windows at night and closing them in the afternoon before it gets too hot.
The peak hours, when it’s usually hottest in most areas, are between 1pm and 6pm, and during these times it’s most important to stay cool, even if that means taking shelter in an office or restaurant, or carrying a fan or spray bottle to stay cool.
Dr. Fred Campbell, a professor at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, previously told USA TODAY that having multiple fans pointing directly at you can make a big difference in regulating your body temperature, which is especially helpful for older adults and young children, who don’t have as good a chance of regulating their own body temperature.
Stay Cool:Here’s how to stay cool and safe during the heatwave that has hit millions this week
Contributors: Claire Thornton and Olivia Manson and Sarah Elbeshvishi, USA Today
