People needing to beat the extreme heat in Hanover have two free spots they can head to for a cool down.
The Town of Hanover announced Monday it is opening cooling centres at the Hanover Public Library and Civic Centre and the Hanover P&H Centre.
The cooling spots will be located in the main lobbies of the two facilities.
The civic centre will be open to the public from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday to Wednesday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Thursday and Friday, and from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday. The P&H Centre hours of operation are 6 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Monday to Friday, 6a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, and 10a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday.
The town is opening the spaces for locals to keep cool as midwestern Ontario is under a heat warning. The dangerous heat and humidity that moved in over the weekend is expected to continue through to mid-week. Environment Canada is calling for daytime highs of 33 to 36 C, that will feel like 42 to 46 C with the humidity. There will be little relief from the heat overnight, as the low will only dip to 22 C. The normal daytime high for this time of year is 25 C and the low is 13 C.
Sauble Beach and Wiarton have opened similar cooling centres.
The Township of Howick has opened a cooling centre and is offering free public swimming the Howick Community Centre during the intense heatwave. The upstairs auditorium at the community centre is accessible to anyone who needs to cool off, with plenty of water and popsicles available. There is an elevator in the facility for anyone who needs it.
Free public swimming will be held noon until 2 p.m. on Monday. The cooling centre will operate from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. Monday and Tuesday.
Georgian Bluffs has opened the Shallow Lake Community Centre as a cooling centre until 10 p.m. on Monday. Council Chambers at the Township Administration Office are also available to the public for cooling during business hours, from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
This is the first significant heat event of the season.
To avoid heat-related illness, people are advised to drink plenty of water even when not feeling thirsty, wear loose-fitting, light-colored clothing made of breathable fabric, take breaks from the heat in cool, air-conditioned places, avoid sun exposure, and limit physical activity.
Early signs of heat-related illness include headache, nausea, dizziness, thirst, dark urine, and intense fatigue.
Additional safety tips to avoid heat related emergencies can be found on the Grey Bruce Public Health website.