Minnesota's least air-conditioned areas face greatest risk during heat wave
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Open embedded content from datawrapper.dwcdn.netIt's the hottest week of the year so far, and more than 89,000 Minnesota households are enduring it without air-conditioning.
The big picture: An estimated 3.9% of Minnesota households lack AC, including some 37,000 in the Twin Cities, according to data the U.S. Census Bureau released in May.
- Households without AC face the greatest risk from the massive heat dome parked over the Great Plains this week.
Threat level: Extreme heat has been the nation's deadliest weather hazard for decades, killing more Americans than tornadoes, floods and hurricanes combined. Recent warming summers have compounded the threat.
- While Minnesota sees fewer deaths, the state's emergency rooms average between 700 and 800 visits for heat-related illnesses every year.
State of play: This week's heat wave is also scorching parts of Minnesota known for their temperate weather.
- Many North Shore residents take advantage of the "free AC" of Lake Superior, which moderates the region's temps, making it a favorite vacation destination.
🚢 The least air-conditioned part of Minnesota? Downtown Duluth, where in one lakefront census tract, just 61% of homes have AC.
- The three Minnesota counties where homes are least likely to have AC — St. Louis, Lake and Cook counties — are all on the North Shore.
🌡️ Yes, but: Even the normally cool Canal Park waterfront could see temps spike into the upper 90s Tuesday, the National Weather Service says.
Plus: Itasca County doesn't benefit as much from cooling breezes off the Big Lake — but 12.8% of its households don't have AC, and temps in Grand Rapids are also headed for the mid-90s Tuesday.
- Extreme temperatures and wildfire risk prompted U.S. Forest Service officials to close the entire Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness for the rest of this week.
Zoom in: The vast majority of the Twin Cities is air-conditioned, but coverage is spotty in some neighborhoods with more lower-income residents or older housing stock.
- At least 10% of households lack AC in much of downtown St. Paul and in parts of North Minneapolis, as well as in the Phillips, Whittier, Uptown and Cedar-Riverside neighborhoods.
Be smart: Ramsey and Hennepin counties both have maps of places to cool off — and watch out for symptoms of heat exhaustion!