Heat Safety
We encourage everyone in Seattle to take extreme heat seriously and act with caution this week. You can take simple steps to help prevent heat related illness and death.
- Stay hydrated. Drink plenty of water before you feel thirsty.
- Keep your home cooler by shutting blinds or drawing curtains. Use fans or air-conditioners, if you have one.
- Check on your neighbors, friends, and family in the area – particularly seniors and people with medical conditions – to ensure they are not suffering heat illness at home. Cooling centers are available.
- Avoid outdoor activities if possible during the heat of the day, generally from 11:00 AM – 6:00 PM.
- Never leave children or pets in a vehicle. Temperatures inside of cars can skyrocket to deadly levels quickly during extreme heat.
- Use life jackets or other flotation devices on the water to prevent drowning.
- The City’s Seattle Animal Shelter also reminds residents to protect their pets from the heat by never leaving them unattended in the sunlight, keeping ventilation and water flowing for them, avoid overexerting them, and never leave them unattended in a vehicle. For a full list of pet safety tips, please visit the shelter’s website.
For more information from Public Health – Seattle & King County about heat safety, including information in multiple languages, visit KingCounty.gov/BeatTheHeat.
Cooling Centers
Cooling centers are open across the city at libraries, community centers, and other facilities. City-affiliated sites are listed below. Anyone visiting a cooling center is encouraged wear a mask and maintain distance from people from outside your household to prevent the spread of COVID. Many local businesses also offer air-conditioned spaces.
Community Centers
Four Seattle Community Centers have air conditioning and will be open to serve as cooling centers beginning July 26th through at least July 28th from 2:00 PM – 8:00 PM each day.
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Rainier Beach Community Center, 8825 Rainier Ave S, Seattle, WA 98118
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International District Chinatown Community Center, 719 8th Ave S, Seattle, WA 98104
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Northgate Community Center, 10510 5th Ave NE, Seattle, WA 98125
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Magnuson Park, Building #406 6344 NE 74th ST Seattle, WA 98115
Libraries
The Central Library and 17 branches of The Seattle Public Library have air conditioning. Everyone is welcome to come in, cool down and stay hydrated during open hours. The nine branches that do not currently air conditioning may need to close if temperatures inside exceed 80 degrees for over an hour.
For a current list of air-conditioned library hours and updates about closures, please visit spl.org/Today.
Senior Centers
Please call ahead to confirm hours and availability. All sites listed below have air conditioning.
- Central Area Senior Center (500 30th Ave S), Monday – Friday, 8:30 AM – 5:00 PM; 206-726-4926 (temperature checks, masking, and physical distancing protocols are in effect)
- Greenwood Senior Center (525 N 85th St), Monday – Thursday, 9:30 AM – 7 PM and Friday 9:30 AM – 6 PM; well-behaved small dogs permitted; 206-297-0875 (masks are required indoors when not actively eating or drinking)
- Pike Market Senior Center (85 Pike St, Suite 200), Monday – Friday, 8:20 AM – 4:00 PM; 206-728-2773 (masks and proof of vaccination required)
- Senior Center of West Seattle (4217 SW Oregon St), Monday – Friday, 8:30 AM – 4:30 PM; 206-932-4044 (sign-in and masks required)
- Southeast Seattle Senior Center (4655 South Holly St), Monday – Friday, 8:30 AM – 4:30 PM; 206-722-0317 (masks required in the building)
Parks
Seattle Parks and Recreation offers a variety of pools, spray parks, wading pools, lifeguarded beaches, and other recreational sites. For a full listing of these sites and their hours of operation, visit the Seattle Parks and Recreation website.
Resources for People Experiencing Homelessness
The King County Regional Homelessness Authority (KCRHA) manages the overall emergency response for unsheltered people in Seattle and the King County region, leading all contract holder engagement and coordination for emergency preparations and planning. In anticipation of the heat wave this week, KCRHA has activated its Tier 1 response and is making funding of up to $2,000 available to homeless service providers to support those living unsheltered countywide.
The Human Services Department’s HOPE Team, in partnership with outreach providers, will be providing water, performing welfare checks, sharing information on cooling center locations, and making referrals into shelters throughout the week.
For a list of indoor daytime cooling spaces operated in partnership with KCRHA municipal and provider partners from Tuesday, July 25th through Friday, July 29th, visit KCRHA.org/Severe-Weather-Update.
Protecting Critical Infrastructure and Maintaining City Services
Seattle Department of Transportation
Extreme heat can damage our roads as expanding pavement gets pushed up creating “buckles” in the road. Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) crews are standing ready to respond to potential road damage and will prioritize repairs based on public safety and impact to the traveling public. The public can report road damage by calling 206-684-ROAD, emailing 684-ROAD@seattle.gov or using the Find It, Fix It app.
SDOT crews will also spray cool water on Ballard, Fremont, and University Bridges throughout the day to help reduce the risk of the draw bridges’ movable steel parts expanding and getting stuck. Travelers should plan for brief closures of similar length to normal draw bridge openings. SDOT will continue these cool water baths as long as temperatures remain above 85 degrees.
Seattle Fire Department
The Seattle Fire Department will be prepared to respond to any heat-related medical emergencies and fires. All residents can take steps to help prevent brush fires from occurring in these hot weather conditions, including properly discarding of smoking materials and ensuring vehicles don’t cause sparks on roadways. If you or someone you observe is showing signs of heat stroke, call 911 immediately (temperature above 103 degrees, nausea or vomiting, loss of consciousness, rapid and strong pulse, throbbing headache/confusion, no sweating).
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