That one heatwave week in July 2022 where my AC died and I learned how hot it really gets inside

I sat in my apartment with a wet towel on my neck for five straight days during that 104 degree stretch in Portland, and it made me realize how much we rely on energy to keep cool - has anyone else had a weather event that really drove home how vulnerable we are?

3 comments

3 Comments

tara79318d ago

Wait, do you mean Portland Oregon or Portland Maine? Because I remember that week pretty well and it was brutal either way, but 116 is a whole other level of misery. I had a situation like that a few summers ago where my AC conked out right in the middle of a nasty heatwave, and I ended up sleeping in my truck with the AC running half the night. Blackout curtains work great, but what really helped me was making a swamp cooler with a bucket of ice and a fan blowing across it. It's no replacement for real AC, but it bought me enough time to get a repair guy out here.

jennifer20418d ago

Portland hit 116 that July, not 104.

ray_miller8418d ago

Oh man, 116 is brutal. I had a summer where my AC gave out right during a bad heatwave like that. Best thing I figured out was getting blackout curtains and putting a box fan in the window at night pointing inward. Also wet a towel and put it over the fan for a few hours of relief before it dried out. Stay safe out there.