This study evaluated: (1) the vulnerability of broiler houses with different cooling systems, and (2) the spatial distribution of environmental variables during hot days. Four potentially vulnerable commercial broiler houses in southern Brazil were selected according to the following parameters: absence or presence of different cooling systems, broilers older than 28 days, and outside air dry-bulb temperature over 30°C. Broiler house vulnerability was classified according to the cooling and mechanical ventilation system: cellulose pad cooling (CPC), sprinkling (SPK), fogging (FOG), and mechanical ventilation without evaporative cooling system (VTL). The air dry-bulb temperature (Tdb, °C) and relative humidity (RH, %) were recorded every 10 min. For each broiler house, we evaluated: (1) relative cooling efficiency (RCE) and (2) inside spatial distribution of microclimate variables using a geostatistical technique. The CPC and SPK did not differ (P<0.05) in RCE (81.6% and 80.7%, respectively), but both differed from FOG (23.8%) and VLT (1.87%) systems. The highest variations in indoor Tdb were recorded in the FOG (7 °C), followed by the SPK (4 °C) and CPC (3 °C). In the CPC, there was an increase in RH from the middle to the end of the broiler house near the exhaust fans. In conclusion, the relative cooling efficiency and the inside spatial distributions of environmental variables in the broiler houses were influenced by the existing cooling system.