Cooling Centers Open Across Harlem This Week As Heat Bakes NYC

HARLEM, NY – As another heatwave cooks the neighborhood – it will feel like 95 to 100 degrees outdoors in the city on Wednesday and Thursday, per the National Weather Service – cooling centers are open to provide some relief.

A map of these centers is available here, and includes hours of operation. Be sure to check closing times, as some locations shutter as early as 4 p.m.

Another map, from the city's Parks Department, displays leafy blocks, spray showers, park shade (tree canopy), and of course, public pools.

Although Central Park’s Harlem Meer Center – formerly known as the Lasker Pool – is currently closed and undergoing an extensive renovation, most Harlem pools are generally open until 7 p.m. (the Wagner Houses Pool is currently closed, but scheduled to reopen on Thursday).

Due to the heat, olympic and intermediate-sized pools will stay open an extra hour on Wednesday, until 8 p.m.

Heat kills an estimated 350 New Yorkers every summer, according to NYC Health, and black New Yorkers are particularly at risk, with a heat-stress death rate that is twice as high as that of white New Yorkers.

Harlem is one of the city’s heat vulnerable neighborhoods, where high temperatures pose a significant risk of injury or death.

If you or someone you know feels weak or faint, go to a cool place and drink water. If there is no improvement, call a doctor or 911.