Charlottesville is preparing for the hot weather. Today is the first day this year the city has opened its downtown cooling center.
The Herman Key Recreation Center on East Market Street is open until 9 p.m. tonight. The city encourages neighbors to take advantage of its cooling centers, but historically not too many people show up to cool down.
Parks and Recreation says it typically sees less than a dozen people per day.
"We'll average probably six to 10 individuals a day that will come in, get a drink of water, cool down, sit down on the bleachers and watch the activities," says Vic Garber of Charlottesville Parks and Recreation.
The recreation center will stay open from 10:00 a.m. until 9:00 p.m. through Friday.
Parks and Recreation officials also expect the city's pools and splash grounds to see a lot of activity during the heat wave.
City of Charlottesville Press Release
June 20, 2012
Herman Key Recreation Center to Serve as Cooling Center during Heat Wave
CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA - The City will open the Key Recreation Center as a cooling center from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. today through Friday, June 22nd for residents affected by the extreme high temperatures expected in the area.
The Key Recreation Center is located at 800 East Market Street, at the end of the Downtown Mall adjacent to the nTelos Wireless Pavilion.
The National Weather Service has issued a heat advisory from noon until 10 p.m. with predicted temperatures in the high 90s and heat index values of up to 105 degrees. A heat advisory means that the combination of hot temperatures and high humidity will create a situation in which heat illnesses such as heat stroke or heat exhaustion are possible.
Click here for heat safety tips.
