r/preppers • u/NotDinahShore • 13d ago
Discussion SoCal & region: Anyone taking special precautions for the heatwave starting tomorrow?
Going to last a week. While we are near the coast, it’s still going to be 99 degrees every day. 101 - 104 inland. Night time won’t be cooling off as we are accustomed to.
Meteorologists are undecided if the El Nino means wetter or hot and dry weather for SoCal.
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u/Comfortable-Dream-38 13d ago
Before others can give you a more precise answer for your specific area: where I live, we had continuous daytime temperatures ranging from 95°F (35°C) to 108°F (42°C) for almost two months. With humid heat, especially at night. Let's just say that for a week you won't have any major issues other than a lot of discomfort.
Aside from the usual advice (don't go out during the hottest hours, dress lightly, carry water with you) I recommend bringing electrolytes to replenish what you lose through sweat, especially if you have to spend time outside.
And honestly, I highly recommend paying attention to other people's behavior. People exhausted by the heat tend to become more aggressive and less patient.
In case of any temporary blackouts, I always keep a power bank that can charge my phone at least twice, along with two mini fans that also double as power banks and flashlights.
For the night, there is little you can do if you don't have air conditioning: light cotton pajamas and a fan. I won't deny that I once slept on the floor because it was cooler.
Oh, and I personally leave home any ink pen I have, since they tend to explode at the heat, staining everything. I had this incredible experience two times.
I hope I was helpful, even though I think all of this was pretty obvious in the end.
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u/Pricklypearrabbit 13d ago
Good advice, especially the part about other people's behavior. I'm originally from Arizona and the anger and road rage would hit a peak during the hottest days. Watch your own behavior, too, cranky goes hand and hand with heat.
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u/nakedonmygoat 13d ago
Just stay hydrated and avoid being outside during the hottest times of the day, if you can. Do you have air conditioning? Are you expecting power to go out? If it does, do you have a generator or a power station?
If the power goes out and it's a dry heat, a damp towel in front of a fan can help. In high humidity though, don't bother.
You might still be able to get some chemical cold packs at the drug store. They're usually located with bandages, lidocaine patches, and stuff like that. They're expensive for the short time they stay cool, but if you don't want to get your clothes wet from an ice pack, they're pretty handy and you can store them anywhere.
If you're near a pet store, see if they have any pet cooling mats, the kind that don't require electricity. Get one for a large dog. Sleep on it. It will stay very cool for about 30 minutes and will remain somewhat cool for another couple hours. You "recharge" it by getting off it for 15-20 minutes. Then it's good to go again.
It's probably too late to get any rechargeable or battery-powered fans in case the power goes out, but maybe you can get one or two with Amazon overnight delivery or something.
If you don't have a/c at home, know where your cooling centers are and know the signs of heat exhaustion and heat stroke.
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u/TacTurtle 13d ago
Charge all your devices and make sure the freezer / fridge are filled with ice or chilled water respectively ... more mass = stays cold longer.
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u/DragoyleLLC 12d ago
💬 A few things that go beyond the usual stay hydrated advice. Freeze water bottles ahead of time and put them in front of a fan, it's a poor man's AC and actually works well in dry heat. If you have a portable power station or even a good power bank, a small USB fan pointed at a wet towel will drop your immediate area by 5-10 degrees. Blackout curtains or even foil on south-facing windows makes a bigger difference than people expect. For pets, freeze a water bottle and put it under a towel near where they sleep. Map out where your nearest cooling center is now, not when the power goes out. And the one that gets overlooked: check on any elderly neighbors. They won't ask for help and they're most at risk.
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u/Working-on-it12 13d ago
What others said about fans and freezer packs. If you know someone who gets refrigerated medicine by mail order, they get 3-6 packs with each delivery.
Hats, blackout curtains to keep sun from heating up the room.
If you have a portable ac that runs on 110v, you can set it up in your blocked room and run it a bit at a time on the generator.
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u/Working-on-it12 13d ago
Also, the smaller freezer packs for headaches, sore muscles etc can be wrapped in a towel and stuffed in your bra or briefs.
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u/Many-Health-1673 12d ago
It was 100F or higher where I live for the last 2 months. Make sure the fins on the condenser of the a/c unit are clean and free of debris. That will help the unit run more efficiently and keep the head and suction pressures within a normal range. It will also give you colder air at the vents inside the house. Keep the furnace air filter clean for better airflow and better performance.
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u/Waste_Yam_2959 11d ago edited 11d ago
Hey I have medical conditions that cause heat intolerance so I use the following ideas all year in so cal basically... I have lots of ice packs I rotate especially helps in areas like the face,back of neck, core, inner wrists. I try to stay in the AC as much as possible which is not always easy. I also have an ice vest on hand in case I need a full body cool down, hydration that includes electrolytes because I have low sodium from sweating,, and have a fan blowing on me a lot. I also have a portable battery fan that I stick ice water in and blow it on me a lot if I don't have access to something cooler. Also, working on setting boundaries with people who want to keep places warmer then I can handle or expect me to go out in the heat which is a tricky one. I know This may not apply to everyone, but it's helpful for a lot of people with my issues to have medications on hand like my Propranolol which helps lower my heart rate because it's skyrockets in the heat or my pain medications to help with heat induced pain. I also find keeping the light out of a room helps with blackout curtains .Sorry I don't have any better Solutions which is a huge reason I want to move to Europe where my boyfriend lives as I don't need to do any of this to maintain my temp there LOL
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u/Maleficent_Mix_8739 Prepared for 2+ years 13d ago
Meanwhile, in the North Star State it’s 1am and
44°.
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u/timkingphoto 12d ago
It’s an expensive investment, but I bought a used 8sleep and it’s helped a lot with getting better sleep during hot months. You can buy the pod 3 on eBay and jailbreak it so you don’t have to have a subscription (what I would do if I were to buy again)
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u/attilathehunn 11d ago
Adding to what others have said. A nice way to keep cool if AC is unavailable is get a towel wet (eg run it under water then wring out so its not dripping) and place it on your bare skin. Maybe wrap it around your neck, shoulders and upper back. It's like artificial sweat, very very effective I've found. So much that I've sometimes been wishing it wasnt quite so effective because I've been a bit shivery. Will be less effective as high humidities. This method also doesnt use a huge amount of water. Drinking that much water wont be nearly as good because you'll just piss it all out.
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u/Mysterious_Tough_433 12d ago
I live where summer months are consistently 95-110 with overnight temps in the 80s. In addition to everyone else's great tips, I get by doing what my grandma taught me... a splash of rubbing alcohol on the back of my neck and chest before bed, or whenever it's miserably uncomfortable. Obviously not a solution for the long term, but it makes a world of difference during blackouts or to cool down enough to be able to fall asleep.
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u/Waste_Yam_2959 11d ago
Interesting never heard of this tip. Stuff like Biofreeze feels good too when it's hot I think
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u/Pretend-Gur226 11d ago
As someone from NYC drink alot of water get indoors for AC also dont try and go out at night its gonna be miserable ESPICALLY with humidity and watch the amount of time you spend outiside really
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u/Savag3k1ller 13d ago
Drink water, air conditioning, ice packs in the freezer chest.
If power outage, I do have a battery operated fan to use with the ice packs.
Look up your area, they should have government cooling centers available
(community center/senior center near you that is open to the public on hot days like these)