Sadly, the heat risk is now hitting the midwest and east 
Malls and libraries have access to free air conditioning but still might be running warmer than usual in trying to both keep pace and conserve energy for the sake of the grid.
One big problem is that night time temps wonāt hit low enough to help make things more comfortable.
As someone who grew up in and lives in the South year round and has spent much of all my years in either triple-digit temperatures, āfeels likeā 100Ā°+, or at risk, some of our tricks include:
- wait until dark to run dishwasher, washing machine, or dryer.
- no baking or oven use for meals. We grill outside, use a crockpot or air fryer, or go with room-temperature or cool foods.
- donāt open the refrigerator too much (yes, like all dads everywhere warn lol), and donāt hang out looking in it with the door open.
- use darkening blinds, shades, and curtains to help keep heat out. You can even pin or magnet blankets over the windows to help block light and heat. If you do need sunlight indoors, open the curtains on a window on the part of the house where the sun has already passed, or hasnāt been yet.
- try to stay home as much as you can.
- drink more than usual, and more than you feel thirsty.
- use standalone fans or battery-powered individual fans where/when needed (I have a vertical fan right next to my nightstand that I use at night, and one right by my workspace).
- adjust your clothing and bed linens for the weather.
- buy reusable cooling towels (and use them).
- do outdoor chores (moving trash, recycling, collecting mail, restocking bird feeders, etc) in the late evening or very early a.m., in low light.
- offer indoor shady spots for your pets to retreat to.
- keep your pets inside and the water bowl filled and refreshed.
- consider a cool bath before bed.
- stock up on frozen treats (most cone with sugar free options).