Cooling Center to Open, Librarians to Hand Out Water as Another Heat Wave Arrives

After a cool, wet spring, the heat is on in the Northwest.

Portland Bureau of Emergency Management Operations Analyst Jeff Perkins carries bottles of water to hand out at the Glenhaven Park misting station during the July 2022 heat wave. (Brian Burk)
By Ekansh Gupta

The city of Portland and Multnomah County will open a cooling center and librarians will hand out bottled water this week as another heat wave rolls in to bake the region.

The cooling center, located at 435 NW Glisan St., will be open from 2 to 10 pm on Wednesday. It will provide food and water and is pet friendly.

The Lloyd Center mall will stay open until 9 pm on Wednesday and Thursday. People who needs a free ride to a cool space can dial 211.

Wednesday’s heat wave will be short compared with the record-setting seven consecutive days at 95 degrees or more in July. The National Weather Service has issued a heat advisory for most of Multnomah County from noon Wednesday, Aug. 17, to 10 pm Thursday, Aug. 18.

Temperatures are expected to approach 100 degrees Wednesday, and overnight lows will stay near 70. The heat is forecast to linger into Thursday, perhaps touching 100 degrees.

Officials encouraged people to make use of Multnomah County libraries that are open until 8 pm. They are: Belmont, Gresham, Hillsdale, Hollywood and Midland. See library hours here.

Other cooling options include splash pads and fountains, the city and county said. Community and arts centers managed by Portland Parks & Recreation allow anyone to enter and cool off at no charge. Guests who can’t afford an admission fee can congregate in building lobbies.


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