Houston has opened approximately 112 cooling centers from July 22-23 in response to the extreme heat advisory given July 22.
What this means
During the regular city council meeting, Mayor John Whitmire said the city’s Office of Emergency Management will open 112 sites to operate as cooling centers throughout the day, including libraries, multi-service centers and community centers. The National Weather Service issued an extreme heat warning for the hours of 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Officials with the NWS said temperatures are expected to be between 97 and 104 degrees, with a feels-like temperature of up to 116 degrees.
“I would urge everyone to drink lots of fluids,” Whitmire said during the meeting. “Try to stay out of the sun. We're concerned about our workers who are in those elements.”
Something to note
However, Whitmire said one positive note is that the extreme heat is preventing Tropical Storm Bertha from intensifying further.
“I would never say that we've completely been safeguarded, but the best information we have this morning is it's not going to come to Houston due to this dome of high pressure,” he said, as of early July 22. “It is bringing this extreme heat, and in fact we might get a moderation in the temperature towards the weekend and maybe some rainfall. So this is a time where we need to come together.”
According to the NWS, the wind shear, dry air and land interaction with Louisiana are expected to limit Bertha’s strength as it gets to Southeast Texas.
One more thing
The cooling centers will be open during the daytime through July 23, with hours varying by location. The heat advisory will last through 8 p.m., NWS said. To see a map of all cooling center locations, visit here.
