For two decades, Becky Lichenstein embraced a custom of the Seattle area: doing without air-conditioning. With a thrifty populace living in such a temperate climate, box fans rigged to blow over ice and nighttime breezes off Puget Sound were enough to keep the peak of summer at bay.
But summers in the Pacific Northwest aren’t what they once were. With more regular bouts of soaring temperatures, Ms. Lichenstein a few years ago surrendered and bought a portable air-conditioning unit. This year, considering a changing climate and how it’s hitting home, she decided to turn to a more powerful solution — a permanent system installed just this week.
“I’m very grateful that I’m getting it done,” said Ms. Lichenstein, as workers finalized the installation at her split-level home in Tacoma, south of Seattle. “But there’s this level of sadness — almost like an era is gone and we are entering a new era.”
The timing couldn’t be better for Ms. Lichenstein, as the Northwest is set to experience a record-breaking heat wave this weekend that has placed more than 13 million people under excessive heat alerts. Portland, Ore., another city where many people live without air-conditioning, could reach 109 degrees, which would be a record. Inland areas such as Spokane could also set new highs.