Heat strains California infrastructure

An October heat wave continues to bake California, pushing the mercury well above average and putting schools, homes and other infrastructure to the test as the state grapples with extreme temperatures.

The heat wave is affecting parts of California and the Desert Southwest, with unusually high temperatures expected to continue through midweek. Temperatures across affected areas are running above average, with daytime highs reaching as high as 40 C, according to the National Weather Service.

The agency said the heat has pushed HeatRisk levels to "Major" and "Extreme" — levels 3 and 4 on a five-tier scale.

In the San Francisco Bay Area, a heat advisory has been extended through Thursday night. Temperatures in inland valleys are expected to range from about 35 C to 41 C, while some coastal communities will remain considerably cooler.

The unusually hot start to October is drawing renewed attention to a challenge facing California, particularly in coastal communities where air conditioning has historically been less common.

In San Francisco County, about 65 percent of homes lacked air conditioning in 2023, while about one-fourth of homes in San Diego County had no air conditioning, according to estimates by the US Census Bureau.

The issue has become particularly visible on college campuses, where students at several University of California campuses have raised concerns about dormitories and other buildings lacking air conditioning.

The University of California, San Diego, has directed students to air-conditioned "cool zones", while the school's housing website says: "The Housing units do not include air conditioning. We rely on the mild temperature of La Jolla and our proximity to the ocean breeze to keep our units comfortable."

Students have also taken to social media to describe conditions inside their dormitories. Many California university buildings, particularly residence halls, were built without air conditioning.

"Our rooms have 3 to 6 fans in them, but they do nothing but push around hot air since the windows barely open," a student wrote on Reddit. "It has gotten up to 94 F (34 C) in our room sometimes, and the bathroom feels even worse."

The problem extends well beyond universities. In Oakland, where many public schools were built decades ago, the school district has been working to retrofit campuses for hotter conditions.

A district resolution this year said 81 percent of Oakland Unified School District campuses were built before the 1970s and that about 2,100 classrooms lacked forced-air cooling. Some classrooms have reached 29 C, even when outdoor temperatures were lower, according to the district.

mingmeili@chinadailyusa.com