SAN ANTONIO – Scorched by near-constant triple-digit temperatures, San Antonio residents, businesses and workers have tried creative methods to stay cool in the extreme heat.
July was San Antonio’s third hottest month ever on record. According to KSAT meteorologists, a driving factor for the hot summers is the La Niña weather pattern.
All summer long, KSAT has reported on how San Antonians from different walks of life have dealt with the heat.
Below are stories about how a woman survives living without a working air conditioner, how Haven for Hope continues its mission to help unsheltered people and how auto shops encourage vehicle safety.
San Antonians without A/C don’t beat the heat, but they bear it
One East Side resident describes how she survives living without a working air conditioning unit.
Maria Sullivan’s home was built in 1950 without central air conditioning. A window unit broke, and its replacement only blew uncooled air.
With the help of WestCare Texas, an East Side community group, Sullivan was able to have a new air conditioning unit installed.
KSAT’s Garrett Brnger speaks with Sullivan to learn how she has stayed cool and safe.
Haven for Hope pushes outreach efforts for unsheltered people as heat persists in San Antonio
Pete Barrera, outreach coordinator at Haven For Hope, works six days a week serving people experiencing homelessness.
Jacqueline Rodriguez has lived in a tent for nine months. The visits from Barrera and the Haven For Hope staff let her know that she has not been forgotten as temperatures soar.
KSAT’s Avery Everett reports alongside Barrera as he helps the community.
SAWS field crews cool off with portable HVAC units
After success with one mobile HVAC unit in 2022, SAWS implemented four more to cool their workers at job sites around the city.
The utility put the units to use in late June.
Garrett Brnger speaks with workers to hear how the units are keeping them cool.
City pushes forward with cool pavement pilot program as summer in San Antonio heats up
Casey Holton, owner of Bark Dog Walking Services, was forced to change how he operated his business due to the heat.
Holton resorted to walking dogs at night when the temperatures weren’t as brutal.
Avery Everett reports on how 12 San Antonio streets were selected to be paved as part of the city’s new Cool Pavement Pilot Program — the water-based asphalt treatment that aims to reduce hot temperatures on asphalt.
Blistering heat means tire blowouts, dead car batteries
Auto shops around San Antonio are seeing more tire blowouts and dead car batteries due to the heat.
Roads can reach temperatures upward of 160 degrees.
12 On Your Side’s Marilyn Moritz talks to area auto shops about how to properly care for your car during the summer sun.
San Antonio area high school football teams start practice amid extreme heat
Part of the mystique of Texas high school football is summer practices; yet, for some area schools during extreme heat, that means starting at 6 a.m.
KSAT’s RJ Marquez talks to coaches from La Vernia and Marion, who are doing what they can to beat the heat and keep their players safe.
San Antonio businesses look for solutions to cool down as extreme heat continues
Angela Cordoba, who owns Freshest Ice Creams on the Northwest Side, grew concerned when the ice cream in her freezers began to melt.
Cordoba utilizes fans to cool her freezer and her customers.
Avery Everett brings this report from behind the ice cream counter.
Farmers work to keep livestock alive as drought drains Texas resources dry
Despite some ranchers in Texas building their farms out to combat temperatures and drought, the grass is just not growling like it used to.
Robert Ragels, the owner of Goatalicious in New Braunfels, is forced to import hay from Kansas.
Avery Everett speaks with a farmer trying to keep his animals safe and fed.
Listen to what KSAT Meteorologist Adam Caskey has to say about the heat in the video player below.
- Read more from the meteorologists on the Whatever the Weather page
- Download KSAT’s weather app for customized, accurate forecasts in San Antonio, South Texas or wherever you are
- Find the latest forecasts, radar and alerts on the KSAT Weather Authority page
