Be prepared! Excessive Heat Watch in effect this week

The National Weather Service has issued an excessive heat watch for the mid-Peninsula from 11:00 am on Tuesday, July 2, until 11:00 pm on Friday, July 5. Please monitor local weather reports for updates and prepare as necessary. Be prepared to drink plenty of fluids, stay inside and out of the sun where possible and check up on relatives and neighbors. See more tips on how to stay safe.

What’s the difference between a heat watch, a heat warning and a heat advisory?

1. Excessive Heat Watch—Be prepared! An Excessive Heat Watch is generally issued when conditions are favorable for an excessive heat event in the next 24 to 72 hours. A watch is used when the risk of a heat wave has increased but its occurrence and timing is still uncertain.

2. Excessive Heat Warning—Take action! An Excessive Heat Warning is issued within 12 hours of the onset of extremely dangerous heat conditions. The general rule of thumb for this warning is when the maximum heat index temperature is expected to be 105 degrees or higher for at least two days and nighttime air temperatures will not drop below 75 degrees. However, these criteria vary across the country, especially for areas not used to extreme heat conditions.

3. Heat Advisory—Take action! A Heat Advisory is issued within 12 hours of the onset of extremely dangerous heat conditions, generally when the maximum heat index temperature is expected to be 100 degrees or higher for at least two days and nighttime air temperatures will not drop below 75 degrees. However, these criteria vary across the country, especially for areas that are not used to dangerous heat conditions. Take precautions to avoid heat illness. If you don’t take precautions, you may become seriously ill or even die.

Cooling centers

Menlo Park has air-conditioned facilities where you can escape the heat. This always includes City libraries and recreation centers, during regular operating hours and during designated cooling center hours. From June to October, these locations operate as official cooling centers at all times during their regular operating hours.

On dates when the National Weather Service issues an excessive heat warning, the City Manager may designate additional cooling center capacity to respond to community needs during hot weather, including but limited to: extending the operating hours of cooling center locations, opening cooling centers on holidays or other planned closure dates and/or designating additional city facilities as cooling centers.

For more information, visit the City of Menlo Park’s Excessive Heat information webpage.