STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:
OK. One of the times I went running this week in our nation's capital, it was early in the morning but already 82 degrees and 82% humidity. Washington, D.C., has had daytime temperatures over 100 this week, rainforest-style rainstorms, and this is not exceptional across the Midwest and East Coast. Boston has been over 90. It was over 100 in Indiana, where my mom luckily just got her AC fixed. We may need to prepare for more heat waves like this. From the climate desk, NPR's Julia Simon has some advice on what to do.
JULIA SIMON, BYLINE: Let's start with our homes. If you're getting ready for the next heat wave, Daniel Barber, architectural theory professor at Eindhoven University of Technology in the Netherlands, says to think about sunshine coming in through your windows.
DANIEL BARBER: The sunlight that's coming in, bringing in light, is also bringing in heat.
SIMON: That's why he says people should consider shades on the outside of the window, going down vertically. It's called external shading. That can keep out the sun and the heat.
Another tip comes from Dorit Aviv, professor of architecture at the University of Pennsylvania. She says to prepare for increased heat, think about your roof.
DORIT AVIV: The roof is usually exposed directly to the sun. So it's where we get the most solar radiation.
SIMON: Many roofs are made of dark-colored materials, which absorb even more heat. All that rooftop heat then gets absorbed into your home. That's why Aviv suggests coating your roof with a white or silvery color - a reflective roof.
AVIV: We're literally reflecting that heat back into the atmosphere instead of letting it go into our house.
SIMON: For Americans without air conditioning - or who don't like to run it because it's too expensive - figure out where your local community cooling shelter is.
Michael Mendez, an environmental policy professor at the University of California, Irvine, says another way to prepare for more heat waves is by thinking about shade. He says communities are planting more trees to cool urban areas down.
MICHAEL MENDEZ: That's been a strategy that many cities around the world, including Paris, have done.
SIMON: Another heat wave solution, Mendez says, is to increase solar energy, plus large-scale batteries. It reduces the use of planet-heating fossil fuels, and it reduces stress on the antiquated electric grid, which can break down during heat waves when people need air conditioning most.
MENDEZ: By moving to more renewable energies and also storing it through batteries, we can ensure that all parts of the communities have access to affordable energy options during these extreme heat days.
SIMON: And in this heat wave and future ones, experts say to check in on your neighbors - particularly if they're older - to make sure they're OK.
Julia Simon, NPR News.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "TOO DARN HOT")
ELLA FITZGERALD: (Singing) 'Cause it's too, too, too darn hot. It's too darn hot. It's too, too darn hot. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.
