Cooling centers provide air conditioning, water, food, support services and cooling resources during extreme heat.

PORTLAND, Ore. — With temperatures in the Portland metro area expected to jump above 100 degrees on Monday and Tuesday, some counties have opened cooling centers and are extending their hours.

KGW has issued Weather Alert Impact Days through Wednesday. Temperatures will reach or exceed 100 degrees on Monday and Tuesday, while night-time temperatures in the upper 60s in the morning may also set records for the warmest overnight lows. Highs on Wednesday will hold in the low 90s, bringing uncomfortable heat for people without air conditioning.

Cooling centers and shelters differ only in their hours of operation. Both provide air conditioning, water, food, support services and cooling resources, but centers are open only during the day, while shelters operate at all hours. 

In addition, the nonprofit Cultivate Initiatives is offering community members in need access to their mobile shower trucks from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. daily. You can find updated shower schedules here.

"We all want a good shower at this time," said Matthew McCarl with Cultivate Initiatives. "I think [it's something] many of us who have that take for granted."

The nonprofit is also running the Multnomah County-sponsored cooling Center at Cook Plaza in Gresham.

"It's devastating to hear that anybody was threatened or lost their life due to heat exposure," said McCarl. "For us, it just really reinforces the need to be telling our neighbors about this and that we need to be consistently showing up."

Here's a look at centers and shelters open across the Portland metro area. This list will be updated as cooling centers and shelters are announced. 

Cooling centers and shelters

Clackamas County

  • Father’s Heart Street Ministry - 603 12th Street, Oregon City. Open 24/7 until Tuesday, July 9 at 8 p.m. Service pets are accepted when on a leash or in a carrier.
  • Gladstone Community Center - 1050 Portland Avenue, Gladstone.
  • Ledding Library - 10501 SE Main Street, Milwaukie. Open Saturday through Monday from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.
  • Wilsonville Community Center - 7965 SW Wilsonville Road, Wilsonville.
  • Other cooling centers, such as public libraries and resource centers are also open. Full list here.

Clark County

  • Living Hope Church - 2711 NE Andresen Road, Vancouver. Open Monday, July 8 and Tuesday, July 9
  • 1 p.m. to 7 p.m.
  • Mill Plain United Methodist Church - 15804 SE Mill Plain Boulevard, Vancouver. Open Monday, July 8 and Tuesday, July 9 from 2 to 8 p.m.
  • Other cooling centers, such as public libraries are also open. See an interactive map here.

Columbia County

  • Scappoose Public Library - 52469 SE 2nd Street, Scappoose. Open Monday and Tuesday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
  • St. Helens Alano Club - 215 N. 6th Street, St. Helens. Open through Tuesday from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.
  • St. Helens Public Library - 375 S 18th St A, St Helens. Open Monday and Tuesday, July 8-9 from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.
  • St. Helens Senior Center - 375 S. 15th Street, St. Helens. Open Monday and Tuesday, July 8-9, from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.
  • Oregon Trail Lanes - 735 S. Columbia River Highway, St. Helens. Open Monday and Tuesday from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Multnomah County

  • Eco Lloyd at the Lloyd Center - 2201 Lloyd Center, Portland. Open noon to 7 p.m. on Monday, July 8.
  • Cook Plaza - 19421 Southeast Stark Street, Gresham. Open noon to 10 p.m. on Monday, July 8 and Tuesday, July 9.
  • Portland Covenant Church - 4046 Northeast Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, Portland. Open noon to 10 p.m. on Monday, July 8 and Tuesday, July 9.
  • Congregation Beth Israel - 1972 N.W. Flanders Street, Portland. Open noon to 10 p.m. on Monday, July 8 and Tuesday, July 9.
  • Central Library - 801 S.W. 10th Avenue, Portland; and Gresham Library - 385 N.W. Miller Avenue, Gresham, will extend their hours until 9 p.m. through Monday, July 8.
  • See an interactive map here.
  • Information in Spanish

Washington County

  • Beaverton City Library Main - 12375 SW 5th Street, Beaverton. Extended lobby hours from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Monday, July 8 and Tuesday, July 9.
  • Beaverton City Library at Murray Scholls - 11200 SW Murray Scholls Place, Suite 102, Beaverton. Open during normal business hours.
  • Beaverton Community Center, 12350 SW 5th Street, Beaverton. Open 24/7 through Monday, July 8.
  • Washington Street Conference Center, 102 SW Washington Street, Hillsboro. Open 24/7.
  • Other cooling centers, such as public libraries and community and recreation centers are also open. See an interactive map here.

Marion County

  • Salvation Army Salem Kroc Center - 1865 Bill Frey Drive NE, Salem. Open 1 to 9 p.m. on Monday and Tuesday, July 8-9.
  • Salem Public Library - 585 Liberty St SE, Salem. Open Tuesday 10:00 a.m. to 6 p.m.
  • Salem-ROCC - 1190 Broadway St NE, Salem. Open daily 10:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m., and open at noon on Tuesday.
  • Other cooling centers, such as public libraries, day centers and churches are also open. See an interactive map here.

Yamhill County

  • Newberg Public Library - 503 E. Hancock Street, Newberg. Open Tuesday, July 9 from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.
  • McMinnville Public Library - 225 NE Adams Street, McMinnville. Open Tuesday, July 9 from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Help available

To find cooling centers in your area and locate possible transportation options, call 211 or 1-866-698-6155. Help is available 24/7 by calling or visiting 211info.org. 

TriMet is offering free rides to anyone going to a cooling space who can't otherwise pay their fare through Tuesday, July 9, from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily.

Due to excessive heat and @multco state of emergency, TriMet won't turn away anyone riding to/from a cooling center who cannot pay fare between 10 a.m. and 10 p.m. daily, today through Monday, July 8.

Please tell your bus operator that you're heading to/from a cooling center.… pic.twitter.com/12ggAiOYsg

— TriMet (@trimet) July 5, 2024

Other places to cool off

There are also fountains and splash pads across the city of Portland where people can cool off during the heat:

Interactive fountains in Portland (you can play in them)

  • Bill Naito Legacy Fountain at Waterfront Park - SW Ankeny near the Burnside Bridge (operates 24 hours a day) 
  • Teachers Fountain at Director Park - 815 SW Park Avenue (7:00 am - 8:00 pm)
  • Grant Park - NE 33rd Avenue and US Grant Place (11:00 am - 7:00 pm) 
  • Holladay Park - NE 11th Avenue and Holladay Street (7:00 am - 10:00 pm) 
  • Jamison Square - 810 NW 11th Avenue (7:00 am - 10:00 pm)  
  • McCoy Park - N Trenton Street and Newman Avenue (7:00 am - 10:00 pm)  
  • Salmon Springs Fountain at Waterfront Park - Naito Parkway at SW Salmon Street (operates 24 hours a day)

Splash Pads

There are expanded splash pad summer hours from 10 a.m.-8 p.m. every day through Labor Day.

  • Colonel Summers Park - SE 17th Avenue and Taylor Street
  • Columbia Park and Annex - N Lombard Street and Woolsey Avenue
  • Dawson Park - N Stanton Street and Williams Avenue
  • Earl Boyles Park - east of SE 107th Avenue and Francis Street
  • Elizabeth Caruthers Park - 3508 SW Moody Avenue
  • Errol Heights Park - SE 45th Avenue and Tenino Drive 
  • Essex Park - SE 79th Avenue and Center Street  
  • Fernhill Park - NE 37th Avenue and Ainsworth Street
  • Happy Valley Park - 13770 SE Ridgecrest Road, Happy Valley
  • Gateway Discovery Park - 10520 NE Halsey Street
  • Irving Park - NE 7th Avenue and Fremont Street 
  • Kenton Park - 8417 N Brandon Avenue
  • Khunamokwst Park - 5200 NE Alberta Street 
  • Max Patterson Park Splash Pad - 400 E Exeter Street, Gladstone
  • Northgate Park - N Geneva Avenue and Fessenden Street
  • Peninsula Park - 700 N Rosa Parks Way
  • Pier Park - N Lombard Street and Bruce Avenue 
  • Raymond Park - SE 118th Avenue and Raymond Street
  • Rivercrest Park Splash Pad - 131 Park Drive, Oregon City
  • Spring Garden Park - 3332 SW Spring Garden Street 
  • Woodlawn Park - NE 13th Avenue and Dekum Street 

Multnomah County has an interactive map that shows the location of places to cool down, including libraries, community centers, interactive fountains and splash pads.

How does Multnomah County decide when to open cooling shelters?

Multnomah County has specific thresholds that dictate when they open cooling shelters. In fact, there's one specific measurement: if the Portland region hits the highest level on the National Weather Service's HeatRisk assessment, the county will always open shelters. The county will also consider opening cooling centers at the second-highest level, but it will depend on additional factors.

The National Weather Service's HeatRisk tool is an online map that color-codes the entire United States based on heat risk for each day of the coming week. The map has five levels, each with its own number and color.

  • Level 0 (Green): Little or no heat risk
  • Level 1 (Yellow): Minor heat risk
  • Level 2 (Orange): Moderate heat risk
  • Level 3 (Red): Major heat risk
  • Level 4 (Magenta): Extreme heat risk

Multnomah County on its website says it starts to consider whether it will open formal cooling centers of shelters at Level 3, and at Level 4, it's no longer a maybe: the county opens 24-hour shelters.

As of Friday morning, Portland is at Level 3 where it is expected to remain into Monday. Level 3 means anyone without effective cooling and/or adequate hydration is affected the most.