It is officially getting dangerously hot in Washtenaw County, which is why the County’s Office of Community and Economic Development is opening three designated cooling sites for Tuesday, July 14.
There will be one in the Towner Human Services Building on the east side of Ypsi at 555 Towner Street, one in Learning Resource Center next to the Washtenaw County Jail at 4135 Washtenaw Avenue, and one in the Administration Building at 200 North Main Street in downtown Ann Arbor.
All of the locations will open at 8:30 a.m. and stay open to 8:00 p.m. The Towner location will also provide opportunities for people to rehydrate if needed.
“The heat advisory ends at 8 p.m., which is why he have our hours until 8 p.m.,” Hannah Lane, a communications and policy specialist with the OCED said. This is the fourth time that Washtenaw County has gotten hot enough that the OCED has had to do this, according to Lane. “I do think that it seems like it’s becoming more common.”
There is no official metric for when they do or do not declare heat advisory’s according to Lane. She says that they generally consider doing them when the heat index passes 90 Fahrenheit.
The Delonis Center – Washtenaw County’s main homelessness shelter on the western side of downtown Ann Arbor run by the Washtenaw Housing Alliance – is another option.
According to a press release from Washtenaw County “The Delonis Center activates ‘weather amnesty’ when temperatures reach dangerously high temperatures. During times of extreme heat when the heat index is 90 degrees or above, the Delonis Center will open extra space to be used as a cooling center during the day and into evening hours.” You can call 734-662-2829 to find out more.
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The average temperature is predicted to be a high of 95 with a heat index of up to 100 degrees at Ann Arbor Municipal Airport, according to the National Weather Service. Washtenaw County has a list of places where you can wash or cool down on its website.
More cooling sites are available around the county and their hours are centrally located on the OECD website. You can also follow the OCED’s Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram accounts to get regular updates on what is available where.
Drew Saunders is a freelance business and environmental journalist who grew up just outside of Ann Arbor. He covers local business developments, embraces his foodie side with reviews restaurants, obsesses over Michigan's environmental state, loves movies, and feels spoiled by the music he gets to review for Ann Arbor!
