Thousands without power on record hot day in Mass.
Thousands of customers were without power across Massachusetts on Tuesday evening, as the hottest day of the year was winding down.
The Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency reported that more than 11,000 were in the dark across the state shortly before midnight, down from nearly 15,000 hours earlier.
Most of the town of Middleborough lost power at one point — town officials said their gas and electric utility informed them of a significant outage about 5 p.m.
They opened Nichols Middle School as a cooling center, and said Middleborough Public Library will be open through 11 p.m., according to Town Manager Jay McGrail.
MEMA did not show outages there later in the evening.
NE-ISO, which oversees New England’s power grid, said it had to dip into reserves on Tuesday after an unexpected loss of power generation. The organization issued an Energy Emergency Alert, its lowest of three levels, but did not urge anyone in New England to conserve power.
Boston hit 101 degrees on Tuesday — the hottest June day not only of the year, but in the city’s history. Other cities across the region set heat records as well.
We are all looking for ways to stay cool during this heat wave, and these DIY tricks may make the weather a little bit more bearable.
Tips for keeping cool without AC
With scorching temperatures blanketing the region, people have been doing doing what they can to stay cool.
“Try to drink some water bottles, try to keep cool, try to stay in the shade, but, I mean, it’s tough,” said Seamus Dowling while gardening in Needham. “I haven’t dropped yet, so I’m doing good.”
You’ve heard the tips a thousand times – drink water, wear a hat and stay inside with air conditioning if you can. But on social media, users are sharing their creative hacks for staying cool during a heat wave using things you already have at home.
For a DIY air conditioner, one user says you can fill a bowl with ice and cold water and place it in front of a standing fan. When you turn the fan on, the air will chill as it passes over the ice to create a refreshing breeze in the room. Another social media user used frozen water bottles and placed a damp towel over the bottles for a similar result. With this method, you’ll want to put the bottles on a tray to collect the condensation.
Another effective way to cool your home down is by blocking sunlight from entering through the windows. You can tape tin foil to the windows — shiny side out — to reflect the sun. One social media user used insulation board to achieve a similar effect. It’s also a good idea to close curtains and blinds to keep the heat out.
At night, you can place your pillowcase in the freezer for a couple of hours before bed. One user even said they put their whole pillow in the refrigerator or freezer for a more comfortable slumber.