Cooling centers reopen in anticipation of extreme weekend heat

The city reopened its cooling centers Thursday as temperatures climb dangerously high into the weekend.

Relief from the heat will remain until Sunday evening, according to the city’s Office of Emergency Management and Communications.

The weekend forecast calls for temperatures in the mid-90s, with a heat index reaching 105 degrees.

A full list of where residents can cool down, including libraries, can be found online or by calling 311. A separate list of parks with splash pads is on the park district’s website.

Only one of the city’s six cooling centers, the Garfield Center at 10 S. Kedzie Ave., will remain open until Sunday evening. It will be open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily.

The other centers are open through Friday, also from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.:

• Englewood Center, 1140 W. 79th St.
• King Center, 4314 S. Cottage Grove Ave.
• North Area Center, 845 W. Wilson Ave.
• South Chicago Center, 8650 S. Commercial Ave.
• Trina Davila Center, 4312 W. North Ave.

The city is also using its six senior centers as cooling centers from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. through Friday. The downtown Renaissance Court center, 78 E. Washington St., will also be open on weekdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The city opened cooling centers for the second time this year on July 7 when temperatures reached the mid-90s. The first time was June 2 when temperatures reached 90 degrees.

This year marks the 25th anniversary of Chicago’s 1995 heat wave that claimed the lives of 793 people. Thousands of other people were hospitalized as the city’s heat index reached 126 degrees.