The D.C. region is bracing for some extremely hot weather next week, with temperatures above 95 degrees expected multiple days in a row.
Clint Osborn, acting director of the D.C. Homeland Security and Emergency Management Agency, is reminding residents about places they may want to go to cool off.
“We have 128 cooling centers, and that’s a combination of rec centers, libraries and senior centers,” Osborn said. Pools and spray parks are also part of that list.
An interactive map of cooling center locations shared by the D.C. Homeland Security and Emergency Management Agency. (Courtesy DCHSEMS via ArcGIS)
In preparing for the heat, D.C. decided to loosen the hours at spray parks.
They have been moved from being open only on weekends to being open every day, which wasn’t scheduled to happen until later this month.
“Water comes up from the ground and comes back down, so it’s a great way to cool off,” Osborn said. “Kids tend to use them, but it’s a great way to cool off for anybody.”
Outdoor swimming pools are on a weekend-only schedule until Monday, June 24, when they will be switched to being open six days a week.
Osborn encouraged all residents to take care of themselves, check on seniors and other vulnerable neighbors, and keep an eye out for pets that may be left out in the heat. Periods of high heat and humidity can cause medical problems such as heat exhaustion and stroke.
The potential start of volatile summer weather
There’s an 85% chance that the Atlantic hurricane season will be above average in storm activity, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announced last month.
The weather agency predicted between 17 and 25 named storms will brew up this summer and fall, with 8 to 13 achieving hurricane status (at least 75 mph sustained winds) and four to seven of them becoming major hurricanes, with at least 111 mph winds.
An average Atlantic hurricane season produces 14 named storms, seven of them hurricanes and three major hurricanes.
“This season is looking to be an extraordinary one in a number of ways,” NOAA administrator Rick Spinrad said.
He said this forecast is the busiest in the 25 years that NOAA has been issuing in May.
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7News First Alert Forecast
SATURDAY: Sunny skies. Highs in the lower to middle 80s.
Winds: North 5-15 mph
SATURDAY NIGHT: Clear skies. Lows in the 60s.
Winds: Northeast 5-10 mph
FATHER’S DAY SUNDAY: Mostly sunny. Highs in the middle 70s to lower 80s.
Winds: Northeast 5-15 mph
MONDAY: Hot. Highs in the lower to middle 90s.
Winds: South 5-10 mph
TUESDAY: Hotter than Monday. Highs in the lower to middle 90s, with a heat index between 95 and 100.
Winds: North 5-10 mph
Current weather
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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