Communities plan to open cooling centers as extreme heat takes over

Portland’s Public Library will be among several area cooling centers available over the next two days as Maine braces for an onslaught of heat and humidity that will make it feel like it’s 95 to 99 degrees.

The National Weather Service in Gray has issued a heat advisory beginning at 11 a.m. Thursday and continuing through Friday. The heat index on both days is expected to make temperatures feel like the mid to upper 90s. The heat index is what the temperature feels like when humidity is combined with air temperature.

Abdalla Abdelbashir of Portland cools off in the water at Deering Oaks Ravine in 2021. Derek Davis/Staff Photographer

Portland said its library, located at 5 Monument Square, will serve as a cooling center from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Thursday and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Friday. Portland is also urging residents to take advantage of other options for cooling off, including the Deering Oaks Ravine, the Kiwanis Pool and several splash pads around the city.

South Portland announced it will open the main branch of its public library as well as the Casco Bay Room at the South Portland Community Center, 21 Nelson Road, on Thursday and Friday to residents seeking relief from the oppressive heat. Both locations will be open during normal business hours.

Scarborough Public Library at 48 Gorham Road will serve as a cooling center from 9 a.m. until 7 p.m. Thursday and from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday, according to the Maine Emergency Management Agency’s list of cooling centers in Maine. Gray’s public library, 5 Hancock St., will be available from 9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Thursday and from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday.

Heat advisories are issued when hot temperatures and high humidity have the potential to cause heat illnesses. The weather service recommends drinking plenty of fluids, staying in an air conditioned room, staying out of the sun, and checking on relatives and neighbors.

Derek Schroeter, a weather service meteorologist, said humidity levels, with percentages expected to be in the low to mid 70s Thursday, will be “oppressive,” and advised people to stay indoors if possible on Thursday.

Portland could also experience severe thunderstorms capable of producing damaging winds and heavy rain Thursday afternoon and evening. Schroeter said those storms will be capable of producing tornadoes, though the risk is very low.