Extreme Heat Precautions and Local Cooling Centers

The National Weather Service has issued an Excessive Heat Watch for all of Connecticut. Please prepare for extreme heat over the next several days.

Many cities and towns open cooling centers or shelters during heat waves and extreme hot weather. Local cooling shelters include:

East Haddam Municipal Office Complex
Meeting Room #3
One Plains Road
Saturday – Sunday
11:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.

New London Senior Center
120 Broad Street
Monday – Friday
8:00 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.

In addition, here are some tips to beat the heat:

• Slow down and avoid strenuous activity
• Check on those that are most at-risk several times a day (infants, young children and older adults)
• Drink plenty of water regularly, even if you don’t feel thirsty
• Take cool showers or baths
• Stay indoors as much as possible
• Avoid direct sunlight
• Wear lightweight, light-colored clothing

For more, please visit 2-1-1’s website.

Please also remember that it is never safe to leave a child or pet alone in a car. The inside of a parked car can quickly exceed a lethal 120 degrees, and leaving windows open does not help prevent a body from overheating; which happens even more quickly in small bodies. Children and pets cannot cool themselves with perspiration or removing clothing/changing their environment like adults can.

As temperatures rise, they will experience heat stress, then heat exhaustion – which causes anxiety, dizziness, headache and fainting – and finally heatstroke, or hyperthermia, a life-threatening condition where body temperature rises to approximately 104 degrees, causing delirium, convulsions, coma and death.

Make sure that you keep your car locked when you’re not in it, so that kids cannot get in on their own. And remember, pets need somewhere to stay cool as well, so make sure you have plans to ensure that any animal companions can avoid the dangerous heat during this time.

If you see a child or pet alone in a hot car, please call 911. Click here to learn more.