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The National Weather Service Forecast Office in Lake Charles, Louisiana, has issued a weather forecast that would be too hot for television if it were a “Lifetime Movie,” or is it a “Hallmark Movie,” I forget. Unfortunately, the forecast is not fantasy, but reality for this Fourth of July weekend.

These are the heat index forecast values ​​for the next few days. And for those of you who don’t believe in heat indexes, the air temperature is expected to be between 94 and 97 degrees, which is hot no matter how you slice it.

Because it’s so damn hot, drivers in Louisiana are finding unique ways to escape the heat this summer. In fact, many of us are using a very simple trick to lower our vehicle’s interior temperature by as much as three degrees per minute during the first ten minutes in a very hot car.

I think we’ve all experienced the blazing inferno that reigns inside our cars, even after just a few minutes in the scorching summer sun. It can be relentless, and you’ve probably seen videos like this one that really show just how “oven-like” a car can become in Louisiana when the summer sun brings the heat.

The most remarkable thing about this hack to me is that it doesn’t cost you a dime. And you can probably be on a much cooler ride home in less than a minute. But before we dive into the inferno, let’s first understand why your car is getting so hot.

The insulation that makes your car a quiet place to drive is the reason it keeps the summer heat in. The windows and windshield actually turn the cabin of your vehicle into a sort of greenhouse. The sun’s radiant energy can get in, but can’t escape until you do something.

You can take preventative measures by using a sunshade or one of those cardboard windshield blockers. They can actually reduce the heat in your car by up to 20%. These devices are also gentler on the skin on your legs if you’re wearing shorts, and in this heat, you should be wearing shorts.

These screens keep your car seats and steering wheel cool, which is much more comfortable than driving on scorching hot seats while holding a steering wheel that’s the temperature of molten steel. However, plenty of heat is still retained in the cabin thanks to the ambient air heated by the sun.

Here’s how to get the hot air out of there. When you get to your vehicle in the parking lot, reach over the driver’s seat and open the passenger window. If you have a fancy car, just press the electric button to roll down the glass. Then you should “quick close” the driver’s door at least half a dozen times.

Fanning the door pushes the extremely hot air out the window, making the temperature inside your car more consistent with the outside temperature. This simple action can lower your car’s temperature by ten to twenty degrees in a matter of moments. Now roll up the windows and turn on the air conditioning.

When your vehicle’s air conditioning is working properly, the car’s cooling system can lower the interior temperature by as much as 3.6 degrees per minute by removing the extremely heated air. Make sure the system is set to draw in outside air instead of recirculating the hot air from inside the car. This can lower the temperature in your interior by as much as 20 degrees in just over five minutes.

Many car enthusiasts also recommend leaving your car windows open a crack if possible. Of course, your desire to do this will depend on the weather and the risk of crime. This simple measure can reduce the ambient temperature in your car by as much as 30 degrees, depending on how much direct sunlight hits your car.

Sure, you’ll look like a madman if you slam your car door multiple times in your office parking lot, but you’ll look like a million non-sweat-soaked dollars if you drive relaxed instead of sweaty just because you “literally popped out of your car at full throttle.”