Air-conditioned space for protection from hot weather
A cooling center is an
air-conditioned public or private space to temporarily deal with the adverse health effects of extreme heat weather conditions, like the ones caused by
heat waves.[1][2] Cooling centers are one of the possible mitigation strategies to prevent
hyperthermia caused by heat, humidity, and poor
air quality.[3]
As the danger of heat waves has risen in the public consciousness, cooling centers are increasingly used in larger cities such as
Los Angeles,[1]New York City,[4]Chicago,[5]Boston,[6] and
Toronto,[7][8] as well as less urban population areas.[3][9] Cooling centers may also be used in places like
Portland and
Seattle where home air conditioning is rare but summer can bring temperatures exceeding 90 °F (32 °C) for several days.[10][11] Similarly, during the
2018 heat wave and fires that reached northern Scandinavia, a supermarket in Finland was temporarily used as a cooling center.[12]
As various studies have projected more intense, more frequent, and longer-lasting heat waves in the future, many
state and
federal governments in the US would be including cooling centers as part of their heat adaptation strategy and
warning system.[13]
Organization and ownership
Formal
In general, formal or official cooling centers are implemented and operated by a variety of local actors such as municipalities, fire departments, county agencies, and non-profit organizations.[13] They are usually sited at multiple locations throughout a municipality, such as
public libraries,
community centers,
senior centers, and
police stations.[3][5][6] Another health measure sometimes taken during heat waves is to extend operational hours at public
beaches and
swimming pools.[6][14] Some cities, particularly
Barcelona, Spain, have recently instated a network of
climate shelters, which are broader forms of cooling shelters that aim to provide refuge from extreme weather events as the effects of climate change worsen.
Cooling centers provide shade, water, and restrooms; medical attention and referrals to social services may also be offered. Their services are aimed at the
homeless, those without access to adequate air conditioning and at-risk populations such as the elderly, children and those with mental disability or chronic medical conditions.[3][5][15][16]
Informal
Informal cooling centers are places such as
shopping malls, markets, pools, recreation centers or businesses that people use during extreme heat.[17] A
University of California, Los Angeles study published online in January 2023 in the journal Applied Geography analyzed smartphone data to examine how formal and informal cooling centers were being used in
Los Angeles County. Researchers found that overall, about 20% of the population used cooling centers. Of the population that used cooling centers, 90% used 610 shopping malls and other informal cooling centers in the study rather than county cooling centers (10%).[2][18]