Community centers, libraries, and senior centers across Orange County are acting as cooling centers for residents looking to escape the tropical heat and humidity after tropical storm Marie sparked high surf along the coast since this past weekend.
To find a cooling center near you, click here.
The combination of high heat and humidity makes it feel even hotter than what’s recorded in the thermometer.
The National Weather Service has issued an extreme heat warning in inland Orange County including Anaheim, Santa Ana, Garden Grove, Fullerton, Orange, Mission Viejo and Irvine in effect till Thursday night at 8 p.m with temperatures reaching between 90 -100 degrees tomorrow.
Forecasts also show overnight temperatures hovering around 80 degrees tonight — making it difficult to get solid sleep and cool down, especially for people who don’t have air conditioning.
“Based on the current forecast, we are not meeting the Excessive Temperature Annex implementation criteria of predicted ambient air temperatures of 95°F (Coastal Orange County) and/or 100°F (Inland Orange County) for three (3) or more consecutive days in five (5) or more Orange County cities,” Orange County Health Care Agency officials wrote in an unsigned Wednesday email.
Late last month amid a previous heat wave, local county health officials warned that high temperatures can raise the risk of heat-related illnesses like heat stroke and heat exhaustion especially for kids, seniors, people with chronic illnesses, pregnant women and outdoor workers.
“Prolonged exposure to excessive temperatures may cause serious conditions like heat cramps or heatstroke and can even be fatal,” reads an Aug. 26 news release.
“Symptoms of heat exhaustion include heavy sweating, muscle cramps, weakness, headache, nausea or vomiting and dizziness. Warning signs of heat stroke include an extremely high body temperature, unconsciousness, confusion, hot and dry skin (no sweating), a rapid pulse, and a throbbing headache.”
Officials recommend staying indoors, drinking plenty of water, wearing loose clothing and taking frequent breaks if working outside. For those without air conditioning, they point to local cooling centers.
In Santa Ana, both the Delhi and Newhope libraries act as cooling centers along with a host of local community centers and senior centers opened during the extreme heat warning.
In Garden Grove, both the Chapman and Tibor Rubin Libraries as well as the local community center serve as cooling centers.
Northwest in Fullerton, residents can go to the city’s community center located in downtown to escape the heat.
And in Anaheim, residents living in the western part of town can cool down at the Brookhurst Community Center as well as Haskett library among a host of other cooling centers across the city.
According to state health officials, climate change is leading to more severe and longer lasting extreme heat episodes, with heat killing more people than other weather related hazards despite such deaths being preventable.
“Extreme heat describes temperatures that are much hotter than average, and an extreme heat event is two or more days and nights of unusually high heat for a given geographic area,” reads the California Department of Public Health’s website.
“High levels of humidity can make outdoor temperatures feel hotter.”
