Acton taps libraries as cooling centers ahead of expected heat wave
An “extreme heat warning” is set to take effect across most of Massachusetts Wednesday morning.
Blistering heat, begone: Acton is designating its libraries as cooling centers as potentially record-breaking temperatures approach.
The Main Library at 129 Main Street in Acton Center is open Wednesday and Thursday from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. The Fowler Branch at 1322 Main Street in West Acton is open on those days from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Both branches will be closed on Friday and Saturday for the Independence Day holiday. The libraries are also closed on Sunday as part of their regular schedule.
Town Emergency Communications Center staff are available at (978) 318-3400 and can help arrange transportation for people who need to get to a cooling center, town Communications Manager Donna McIntosh told The Acton Bridge.
Emergency workers will remain available outside library hours, and officials are urging people to call with questions about cooling center access. Anyone with a medical emergency, such as heat stroke or severe heat exhaustion, should call 911.
McIntosh said the town can open the Harvey Wheeler Community Center as a cooling option “if there’s a big need.”
An “extreme heat warning” is set to take effect across most of Massachusetts Wednesday morning. Forecasts suggest temperatures could soar close to 100 degrees on Wednesday and surpass 100 on Thursday, and the heat could linger through the holiday weekend.
Thursday’s record high temperature for the Acton area was 98 degrees, set in 1963, according to National Weather Service records.
Officials have asked residents to limit water use as they manage the town’s supply.
The state has compiled tips to manage extreme heat.
For those looking to swim away the heat locally, state beaches such as Walden Pond will have lifeguards on duty from 10:15 a.m. to 5:45 p.m. daily, per an announcement this week.
The town-run White Pond is open daily from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
