Cooling Shelter and Cooling Centers to Open Tuesday

Misting stations to open, libraries to extend hours at some locations.

Multnomah County and the City of Portland, along with community partners at Do Good Multnomah and Cultivate Initiatives, will open four overnight cooling shelters and one daytime cooling center beginning Tuesday, July 26, as forecasts show temperatures potentially surging to triple digits during the day Tuesday with little relief at night.

Officials are continuing to monitor weather forecasts and are preparing to add additional cooling sites as needed to ensure no one is turned away.

Overnight cooling shelters will open Tuesday at 2 p.m. at the following locations:

Charles Jordan Community Center: 9009 N. Foss Ave.
East Portland Community Center: 740 S.E. 106th Ave.
Portland Building: 1120 S.W. 5th Ave.
Sunrise Center: 18901 E. Burnside

A daytime cooling center will be open Tuesday, from 2 to 10 p.m., at the following location:

Old Town: 435 N.W. Glisan St.

Transportation

Beginning today, and for the extent of the emergency declaration, TriMet will not turn away anyone riding to a cool place who cannot afford to pay fare. TriMet asks riders to let their driver know they are headed to a cool place.

When riding transit during extreme heat, riders will want to plan extra time and check trimet.org/alerts before traveling, as there may be heat-related delays to service.

Anyone who needs transportation support to a cool space can also dial 2-1-1.

Other cool spaces

Libraries

Many libraries are open until 8 p.m. Monday, and three locations will offer extended hours, opening until 9 p.m., Tuesday through Thursday:

Find these and all locations and hours on the Multnomah County Library website.

Misting stations

cooling centers misting kids Kids play at a misting station in Knott Park, July 2021 (Photo/Multnomah County)
The City of Portland will host misting stations from noon to 8 p.m. beginning Tuesday, July 26, at six parks:

East Portland Community Center: 740 S.E. 106th Ave.
Glenhaven Park, near skate park: 7900 N.E. Siskiyou St.
Harney Park, near restroom: S.E. 67th Ave. and S.E. Harney Street
Knott Park, west restroom: N.E. 112th Ave. and N.E. Russell Street
Lents Park, at Walker Stadium: 4808 S.E. 92nd Ave.
Mt. Scott Community Center, near playgrounds: 5530 S.E. 72nd Ave.

Community spaces, including Lloyd Center

Find pools, community centers and other cool community spaces on the county’s interactive map.

Among those locations offering people a place to beat the heat are private businesses including the Lloyd Center.

The mall is extended hours beginning Tuesday at least through Thursday, opening from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.

“I’m grateful to the folks at Lloyd Center for offering their iconic building as a cooling center.

"They show a real commitment to the community by welcoming everyone and extending their hours during this heat,” said Jonna Papaefthimiou, chief resilience officer for the Portland Bureau of Emergency Management. “And really, what could be better than eating a pretzel, sipping an Orange Julius and watching ice skaters on a hot day?”

Homelessness outreach supplies

The Joint Office of Homeless Services’ supply center in downtown Portland continues to distribute water and other cooling supplies through community partners, including mutual aid groups and contracted outreach teams. That work began last week, July 19, and will continue throughout the duration of the heat event. So far, thousands of bottles of water and hundreds of cooling kits and gallon jugs of water have been distributed.

Water safety

As temperatures rise, rivers and lakes may offer relief from the heat.

For those playing in or around the water, please wear a life jacket. Life jackets may be borrowed for free at many destinations and boat ramps across Multnomah County, including at the M. James Gleason Memorial Boat Ramp near Broughton Beach, Dabney State Park, Blue Lake Park, Oxbow Park, and Glenn Otto Park.

Lifeguards are present at Glenn Otto Park. Not only can lifeguards show you the safest place to swim, they can help visitors select a life jacket that fits best.