Triple-digit temps hit parts of western states

TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) — A heat wave in large parts of the West and Southwest has many scattering for reprieve from the sun.

In places like Arizona, the triple-digit temperatures are a way of life, but many still seek ways to escape it. Most are also equipped with cold air conditioning.

The heat wave is scorching Seattle and much of the Pacific Northwest, too. Temperatures are expected to reach to the lower 90s in the city this weekend - and owning air conditioning is not the norm in Seattle.

Just outside of the Tucson city boundary is the coveted Mount Lemmon, the highest point in the Santa Catalina Mountains, reaching over 9,000 feet of elevation at its peak.

Christy Robertson and her family decided Mount Lemmon was the best place to escape the heat while also exploring the outdoors.

Robertson and other adults had six children with them during a hike at one of the mountain trails. She said her family wants the kids to stay active during the summer and that Mount Lemmon is one of the few places they could do that in southern Arizona.

“You can go to a swimming pool, to a splash pad, but they’re a lot more packed,” Robertson said. “I think we want our kid to grow up loving being outside.”

Kim Deyo, of Tucson, said she and her husband and two kids go camping in Mount Lemmon to avoid the heat. The family was returning from a two-day camping trip.

“It’s cooler, it’s close. It gets the kids out from in front of the TV,” Deyo said.

The 2013 American Housing Survey says about two-thirds of residences in the U.S. have central air conditioning, but only 15.9 percent of homes have it in the metropolitan areas of Seattle, Tacoma and Everett.