Swimming Holes, Cooling Centers Open In Bergen County Amid Heat: See List

BERGEN COUNTY, NJ — A heat advisory continues in Bergen County, and various cooling centers and swimming areas have opened to help residents take cover. There's a special number below for those who need a ride to a cooling center.

Several towns have also opened cooling centers in libraries and other facilities. See details from Bergen County and the state of New Jersey below.

Get the updated Bergen County forecast using links in this story.

Bergen County Cooling Centers

Bergen County Executive Jim Tedesco announces that the County of Bergen has opened several emergency cooling centers throughout the county to help residents stay cool during the current heat wave with temperatures are expected to climb over 90 degrees.

Bergen County has established 4 regional cooling centers. The following will be open which will be open tomorrow, Friday, June 21st through Sunday, June 23rd from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.:

• County Administration Building, One Bergen County Plaza, Hackensack, 1st Floor (201) 336-7300
• Garfield Senior Activity Center (973) 478-0502, 480 Midland Avenue, Garfield
• Northwest Bergen Senior Activity Center, 46-50 Center Street, Midland Park, NJ (201) 445-5690
• Southwest Bergen Senior Activity Center, 147 Hackensack Street, East Rutherford, NJ (201) 935-8920
• In addition, several municipalities are designating public spaces such as public libraries, shopping centers, recreation, and senior centers as cooling centers. Residents should consider visiting municipal cooling centers before travelling to the County facility to help avoid heat exhaustion or heat stroke.

NOTE: Residents requiring a ride to a County emergency cooling center may call 201-394-2882 during between the hours of 6:30 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. Emergency requests may be arranged after hours by dialing 201-707-1082.

It is recommended that residents stay indoors if possible from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. when the sun is at its strongest and burns and heat strokes are more likely to occur. All age groups are at risk for heat stroke so please take necessary precautions if you have to be outdoors, including wearing sunscreen, a hat, sunglasses and staying properly hydrated.

It is NOT okay to leave a child or pet in a locked vehicle even for a moment as temperatures can rise quite quickly. It is also imperative to lock all parked vehicles so children cannot accidentally lock themselves inside while playing games like hide and seek.

Swimming Areas Around North Jersey

Because of the heat, some North Jersey pools and swimmin' holes have increased their hours:

• The county of Bergen has opened the Darlington County Lake for daily swimming. Anyone can use the lake for a fee, including New Jersey and New York residents, but there are lower rates for Bergen County residents (information is here).
• The state of New Jersey has updated their 2024 swimming hours for various public lakes and swim areas. Get the schedules here.
• Weehawken has opened its pool from 4-8 p.m. this week for existing season pass holders, ahead of schedule. HOWEVER, no day passes are available until Tuesday, June 25, a few days into the regular season. The pool is open to all New Jersey residents, by law, but fees are allowed, and there is a limit on day passes to 30 per day. The pool goes to daily hours after this weekend, from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Get Updates With These Links

Forecasting weather is an imperfect science, so it's best to be prepared, then to check the most up-to-date numbers:

• Keep an eye on the radar here.
• See a current map of all watches and warnings in New Jersey here.

See the updated NWS forecasts, watches, and warnings for North Jersey:

• Bergen County here
• Essex County here
• Hudson County here

What about the rivers? This NWS map of the United States will show the potential for flooding.

Come back to Patch for updates.