As Chicago and much of the Midwest brace for what might be the hottest days of the summer, many people are cranking up their air conditioning and following the advice to stay indoors.
But for those who can’t afford air conditioning, staying inside during a heat wave can still be dangerous.
A recent study reveals that many families without central air conditioning are unknowingly exposed to extreme indoor heat, which poses serious health risks.
The study, conducted by the nonprofit organization Elevate, Northwestern University Professor Daniel Horton, and a coalition of Chicago advocates, highlights the dangers of extreme heat, which is the leading cause of weather-related deaths in the United States.
The findings were published by Elevate in collaboration with the Illinois Institute of Technology and included contributions from the Chicago Department of Environment (DOE) and the Chicago Department of Public Health (CDPH).
The study was supported by Northwestern University’s Buffett Institute for Global Affairs, which is working on developing Chicago’s first public health-informed Heat Vulnerability Index (HVI). This index aims to identify the city’s most heat-vulnerable communities and guide efforts to protect them.
“Over recent decades, nighttime summer temperatures have been rising twice as fast as daytime temperatures, partly due to human-caused climate change,” said Horton, professor of Earth and planetary sciences at Northwestern and co-leader of the Buffett Institute’s HVI development project. “Warmer nights prevent the body from recovering from the heat of the day, increasing health risks. Our study’s findings suggest that we need to do more to protect the most vulnerable people, both indoors and outdoors.”
The research team monitored indoor temperatures and humidity in 10 Chicago homes during a four-week period in the summer of 2023, which included one of the city’s hottest heat waves on record. These homes represented the five most common types of housing in Chicago.
During the worst heat wave, all of the homes reached a dangerous heat index level of 90°F, which the National Weather Service labels as “Extreme Caution.” In some cases, the conditions inside the homes were even more severe, with a maximum heat index of 120.1°F and a temperature difference of 32°F between the basement and second floor in one home.
“Chicago residents need better access to affordable cooling to stay safe during these increasingly frequent and intense heat waves,” said Dr. Anne Evens, CEO of Elevate.
“Fortunately, there’s new city, utility, and federal funding available to help homeowners and renters improve energy efficiency and install heat pumps that can both heat and cool homes. This is a chance to prioritize those most at risk, such as seniors living alone, people with chronic health conditions, and homes without central cooling.”
As climate change continues, Chicago’s average summer temperatures are expected to rise earlier and stay higher throughout the season. Extreme heat waves are likely to become more common, intense, and long-lasting.
To address this growing threat, the Buffett Institute’s Defusing Disasters Working Group, along with community organizations, CDPH, and DOE, is partnering with Elevate to address heat vulnerability in Chicago.
They are developing a Heat Vulnerability Index that will help the city create policies, programs, and strategies to improve heat resiliency in vulnerable communities.
This effort builds on last year’s indoor air temperature study, which was coordinated by Elevate and Illinois Tech as part of NOAA’s Urban Heat Island Mapping Campaign.
The HVI will use climate data, death certificate data, and demographic information to better understand who is most at risk from extreme heat and guide future heat mitigation efforts.
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