Extreme Heat

Cooling Centers

For the health, safety, and comfort of Fresno County residents, these designated locations may open as Cooling Centers by local governments when temperatures are forecasted by the National Weather Service (NWS) to exceed certain highs.

Please note that hours and locations are subject to change, and not all locations are guaranteed to be open. For more information about cooling centers in your area, please contact your local city government directly or call the locations below.

 Click here for the heat index. 

City of Fresno

Cooling Centers:

The City of Fresno will activate the following four Cooling Centers and will remain open from 12:00 pm - 8:00 pm from July 14 - July 17, in accordance with State guidelines.

  • Frank H. Ball, 760 Mayor
  • Ted C. Wills Community Center, 770 N. San Pablo
  • Maxi L. Parks Community Center, 1802 E. California 
  • Mosqueda Community Center, 4670 E. Butler 
  • Pinedale Community Center, 7170 N. San Pablo

For more information, visit: https://www.fresno.gov/parks/cooling-and-warming-center-policy/ 

Community Centers:

 *Will be open from 12:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.

  • Dickey Youth Development Center, 1515 E. Divisadero Street
    (At the corner of Divisadero and Glenn in downtown Fresno)
  • Einstein Neighborhood Center, 3566 E. Dakota Avenue
    (At Millbrook and Dakota in Central Fresno)
  • El Dorado Neighborhood Center, 1343 E. Barstow Avenue
    (Adjacent to Wesley United Methodist Church in Northeast Fresno at Fourth and Barstow)
  • Fink-White Neighborhood Center, 535 S. Trinity Street
    (Near Amador and Whitesbridge in Southwest Fresno)
  • Frank H. Ball Neighborhood Center, 760 Mayor Avenue
    (Near Inyo and A Street in Southwest Fresno)
  • Highway City Neighborhood Center, 5140 N. State Street
    (North of Shaw and East of Highway 99 in the Highway City Community)
  • Holmes Neighborhood Center, 212 S. First Street
    (West of First and South of Tulare near the historic Huntington Blvd.)
  • Inspiration Park, 5770 W Gettysburg Avenue
    (South of Shaw and West of Highway 99 near Teague Elementary)
  • Lafayette Neighborhood Center, 1516 E. Princeton Avenue
    (West of Blackstone and South of Shields at Princeton and Glenn)
  • Mary Ella Brown Community Center, 1350 E. Annadale Avenue
    (South of Jensen and West of Elm in Southwest Fresno)
  • Maxie L. Parks Community Center, 1802 E California Avenue
    (At the corner of Elm and California in Southwest Fresno)
  • Melody Neighborhood Center, 5935 E. Shields Avenue
    (At the corner of Fowler and Shields in East Central Fresno)
  • Mosqueda Community Center, 4670 E. Butler Avenue
    (Southeast corner of Maple & Butler in Southeast Fresno)
  • Pinedale Community Center, 7170 N. San Pablo Avenue
    (Next to Pinedale Elementary, North of Herndon and West of Blackstone)
  • Quigley Neighborhood Center, 808 W. Dakota Avenue
    (South of Ashlan at Northwest corner of Fruit and Dakota)
  • Romain Neighborhood Center, 745 N. First Street
    (Between Belmont and Olive in Southeast Fresno)
  • Sunset Neighborhood Center, 1345 W. Eden Avenue
    (Next to Sunset Elementary, West of West Ave. and South of Kearney in West Fresno)
  • Ted C. Wills Community Center, 770 N. San Pablo Avenue
    (Between Olive and Belmont in the Tower District in Central Fresno)

Splash Pads:

  • Dickey Playground, 50 N Calaveras Street
  • Martin Ray Reilly Park, 750 N. Chestnut Ave
  • Melody Park, 5935 E. Shields
  • Figarden Loop Park, 4265 W. Figarden
  • Mosqueda Community Center, 4670 E Butler
  • Inspiration Park, 5770 W. Gettysburg
  • Vinland Park, 4695 E. Gettysburg
  • Todd Beamer Park, 1890 E. Plymouth Way

Pools:

Fresno FAX Bus System:

The City’s FAX Bus system will provide free transportation along normal routes to and from Cooling Centers. To ride free, residents must indicate they are traveling to a Cooling Center.

For information or assistance with the City Heat Relief Plan call (559) 621-CITY (2489).

City of Biola

Biola Community Services District
Address: 4925 N. 7th Street, Biola, CA
July 18 - July 31 from 12:00 pm - 6:00 pm


City of Clovis

Sierra Vista Mall

  • Address: 1050 Shaw Ave. Clovis, CA
  • Mon-Sat: 11:00 am - 8:00 pm
  • Sun: 12:00 pm - 6:00 pm

Clovis Transit is free when temperatures exceed 105 degrees, visit the City of Clovis Transit Webpage or call (559) 324-2770

City of Coalinga

Coalinga-Huron Recreation District (Fitness Center)
Address: 191 E. Forest Ave
(559) 935-0896

Mon-Fri: 5:00 am - 9:00 pm
Sat: 9:00 am - 12:00 pm
Sun: Closed

Coalinga-Huron District Library
Address: 305 N. 4th St
(559) 935-1676

Mon-Thur: 9am-7pm
Fri-Sat: 9am-5pm
Sun: Closed

City of Firebaugh

1575 11th Street
Firebaugh, CA 93622
Open from 2:00pm to 8:00pm

For more information, please call:
(559) 659-2043  

City of Fowler

City of Fowler (Activated when temperature reaches/exceeds 105 degrees)

128 S. 5th Street, Fowler, CA 93625

When the temperature reaches/exceeds 105 degrees until 7pm


City of Huron

Huron Senior Center
16900 5th Street
Huron, CA 93234
Mon-Fri: 10:00 am to 1:00 pm

Huron Police Department Sky Room
17051 12th Street
Huron, CA
24 hours, monitored by dispatch 





City of Kerman

City of Kerman: For more information, please call (559) 846-8804 

Scout Hut in Kerckoff Park (off 4th Street)
Monday – Friday, Noon – 9:00 pm
Call (559) 846-9383 to have facility opened
 
Kerman Senior Center
720 Eighth Street
Kerman, CA 93630
Monday – Friday, Noon – 4:00 pm

Kerman Library
15081 W. Kearny Blvd, Kerman, CA
Kerman, CA 93630
Monday – Wednesday 10:00 am – 6:00 pm
Thursday - 12:00 pm - 8:00 pm
Friday 12:00 pm – 4:00 pm
Saturday – 10:00 am – 2:00 pm
Phone Number: (559) 846-8804


City of Kingsburg

Kingsburg Senior Center
1450 Ellis St. 
Kingsburg, CA 93631
Phone Number: (559) 897-3013
Mon-Fri: 8:00 am - 2:00 pm

Kingsburg City Hall
1401 Draper St. 
Kingsburg, CA 93631
Phone Number: (559) 897-5821
Mon-Fri: 2:00 pm - 5:00 pm

Kingsburg Fire Department (open after hours and weekends as needed)
1880 S Bethel Ave. 
Kingsburg, CA 93631
Phone Number: (559) 897-2931 (Police Department)

Crandell Swim Complex (free swimming from June 5th - August 11th when temperatures are over 105 degrees) 
1900 18th Ave. 
Kingsburg, CA 93631
Phone Number: (559) 897-0305
Hours: 12:00 pm - 4:00 pm

City of Mendota

City Hall Council Chambers (Activated when temperature reaches/exceeds 100 degrees)

643 Quince St. 
Mendota, CA 93640
(559) 655-4298
Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday 8:00AM - 5:00PM (excluding holidays)


City of Orange Cove

Senior Center
699 6th Street
Orange Cove, CA. 93646
(559) 626-4488



City of Parlier

Senior Center
690 S Newmark Ave.
Parlier, CA 93648
(559) 646-3545

(Anytime it is over 100 degrees)

City of Reedley

Sierra View Homes Retirement Community Center (Activated at 104 degrees or higher)

1155 E. Springfield Ave.
Reedley, CA 93654
(559) 638-9226

8:00 am – 8:00 pm


City of Sanger

City Annex Building (When temperatures exceed 103 degrees)
1789 Jensen Ave.
Sanger, CA 93657
12:00pm – 6:00pm


City of Selma

Police Department Community Room
2055 Third Street
Selma, CA 93662
2:00pm – 7:00pm


Fresno County Libraries:

All Fresno County Libraries have water fountains and provide cool air during the summer months. Below is a list of library locations that are extending their hours due to high temperatures.

  • All Regional locations (Betty Rodriguez Regional Library, Clovis, Fig Garden, Sunnyside, Woodward Park) plus the Central Branch Library will be open until 8 PM this Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday (July 14 - July 17) due to the heat wave.
    • Every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday until the end of the month (July 30) all these large branches will also remain open until 8:00 pm as opposed to 5:00 pm due to the excessive heat.
  • Auberry, Bear Mountain, Caruthers, and San Joaquin will also be open this Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday (July 14 - July 17) until 8:00 pm with a variable start time, either at 10:00 am or 12:00 pm depending on usual coverage and opening schedule.

Most other branches are open until 6 pm (Mon-Thurs) and 5 pm on Fridays and weekends.

Official hours are listed here: https://www.fresnolibrary.org/branch/all.html

 

The Public Health Communication team manages this webpage. If you are a City Manager, Mayor, or local government representative and would like to add a new cooling center to this site or edit details to this page, please email DPH@fresnocountyca.gov.

Schools:

Extreme Heat Guidance for Schools

Extreme heat is a grave public health threat. The Fresno County Department of Public Health (FCDPH) monitors unusual spikes in emergency room visits through syndromic surveillance. This summer, heat related illnesses triggered several syndromic surveillance warnings. Although the very young and very old are most vulnerable to extreme heat, those who must be outside are also at increased risk. Those participating in outdoor sports, such as football are at particular risk, both because of the time of year when training and games are scheduled, as well as the heavy equipment worn. Fatalities in high school and college football players - PubMed (nih.gov)

The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) recently released a comprehensive set of recommendations to keep school-age youth safe during extreme heat CDPH Schools guidance for sports and strenuous activities during extreme heat. CDPH has common sense recommendations for youth who are outside while participating in sports training or competitions including:

  • Stay in an air-conditioned indoor location as much as you can. 
  • Assess your hydration and be aware of your individual hydration needs (urine color, body mass changes, thirst).* 
  • Schedule outdoor activities carefully. 
  • Wear loose, lightweight, light-colored clothing and sunscreen. 
  • Pace yourself. 
  • Take cool showers or baths to cool down. 
  • Check on other participants or teammates and have someone do the same for you. 

The CDPH Extreme Heat Guidance also calls for use of the National Weather Service (NWS) Heat Risk map to guide decisions about sports participation during extreme heat. To find the NWS Heat Risk forecast for Fresno for the coming week click here: NWS HeatRisk (noaa.gov)

CDPH offers specific recommendations that FCDPH endorses, when the NWS Heat Risk is “Major” or “Extreme”:

When the HeatRisk level is forecast to be "Extreme" (Magenta / Level 4):

  • Cancel all outdoor and unconditioned indoor activities A
  • And, if feasible reschedule all outdoor activities and unconditioned indoor activities to a different day when the HeatRisk level is no longer "Extreme" (Magenta / Level 4) or "Major" (Red / Level 3)
  • Or move to alternative activities in an air-conditioned or cooled indoor environment

When the HeatRisk level is forecast to be "Major" (Red / Level 3):

  •  Cancel all outdoor and unconditioned indoor activities during the heat of the day (usually 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.)
  • And, if feasible reschedule all outdoor activities and unconditioned indoor activities to a cool time of the day if there is one (for example, very early morning)
  • Or reschedule all outdoor activities and unconditioned indoor activities to a different day when the Heat Risk level is no longer "Extreme" (Magenta / Level 4) or "Major" (Red / Level 3)
  • Or move to alternative activities in an air-conditioned or cooled indoor environment

FCDPH works closely with and communicates regularly with the Fresno County Superintendents of Schools and the California Interscholastic Federation Central Section on a range of issues including these extreme heat recommendations. Decisions regarding school activities are made by individual school districts. To protect the health and safety of our youth, FCDPH strongly recommends that all school districts in Fresno County adopt the CDPH Health Guidance for Schools on Sports and Strenuous Activities During Extreme Heat. 

Risks Associated with Poor Air Quality

Poor air quality exacerbates risks associated with extreme heat.

The American Lung Association reports on two of the most widespread and dangerous air pollutants, fine particles and ozone. Fresno has the worst short-term particle pollution in the nation. City Rankings | State of the Air | American Lung Association. Widespread wildfires also degrade air quality. To learn more, visit the CDPH site: Wildfire smoke (ca.gov)

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) updates air quality reports on a daily basis for all regions of the country. AQI data is posted on the AirNow website. The AirNow AQI reports are the basis for the California Dept of Education recommendations for steps for schools to take when air quality is poor School Air Quality Activity Recommendations - Air Quality (CA Dept of Education)

To protect the health and safety of our youth, FCDPH strongly recommends that all school districts in Fresno County adopt the California Department of Education School Air Quality Activity Recommendations.

What You Can Do to Reduce the Risk of Extreme Heat And Poor Air Quality

We can all do our part to reduce the risks to individuals and our planet posed by extreme heat and poor air quality. Increases in greenhouse gases are linked to rising global temperatures. Overview of Greenhouse Gases | US EPA The release of carbon through the burning of fossil fuels such as gasoline is the main contributor of greenhouse gases. Some things we can do include:

  • Use alternatives to fossil fuels such as solar and electricity in our businesses, homes, and cars to reduce fossil fuel consumption.
  • Conserve energy by turning off lights and other appliances when not in use.
  • Use equipment labeled as energy efficient.
  • Reduce the use of air conditioners and heaters by setting thermostats higher (up to 78 degrees) in the summer, and lower (62-65 degrees) during the winter.
  • When possible, walking or biking rather than driving reduces creation of greenhouse gases.
  • Plant trees which absorb carbon dioxide and provide shade.

Heat-Related Safety Tips:

Extreme Heat often results in the highest number of annual deaths among all weather-related hazards. It is considered a period of high heat and humidity with temperatures above 90 degrees for at least two to three days. In extreme heat your body works extra hard to maintain a normal temperature, which can lead to death.

Follow these tips to stay cool:

  • Stay hydrated.
  • Wear loose, light-colored clothing, sunscreen, sunglasses, and a hat for protection.
  • Stay indoors and, if possible, in an air conditioned place (shopping mall, library, etc.).
  • Check on neighbors who might be vulnerable to the heat, especially those without air conditioning. 
  • Never leave infants, children, elderly, or pets in a car. Temperatures inside a car can quickly skyrocket to deadly levels.
  • Keep pets indoors if possible. If kept outside, give them plenty of water and shade to rest in. 
  • If you work or play outside, take frequent breaks to hydrate and cool off in the shade. 
  • Symptoms of heat-related illness may include dizziness, fatigue, faintness, headaches, muscle cramps, and increased thirst. If you experience these symptoms, seek medical attention.

Heat-Related Illnesses:

Common heat-related illnesses are heat exhaustion, heat stroke, and heat cramps. Heat exhaustion occurs when the body has difficulty cooling itself; dehydration is a main factor of heat exhaustion. Heat stroke take place when the body's temperature cannot be regulated. The body's temperature rises fast and is unable to cool itself. Heat cramps are muscle pains and spasms due to heavy activity, it usually involves the stomach muscles or the legs. Heat cramps are the least severe, although, they are often the first signal that the body is having trouble with the heat.

Know the signs of heat-related illness and the ways to respond to it:

                                              (English) (Español)

Heat-Related-Illness-6.29.2023.jpg

People at Increased Risk for Heat-Related Illness:              
  • Young children
  • Adults 65 and older
  • People with chronic disease or disability
  • Pregnant women
  • People who work outside
  • People without access to air conditioning

Resources:

California ISO - Flex Alerts

CDC - Extreme Heat Tips

FEMA - Extreme Heat Information Sheet

FMAA - Cooling Centers

Location of Fresno Cooling Centers

Prepare for a Public Safety Power Shutoff