Cooling Centers are open in South Brunswick as New Jersey faces a heat wave also impacting other parts of the United States.
The South Brunswick Office of Emergency Management issued a warning to residents that they limit their outdoor activity over the next several days on July 20.
South Brunswick public buildings open for cooling are the South Brunswick Public Library on 110 Kingston Lane and the South Brunswick Senior Center on 540 Ridge Road, according to South Brunswick.
The public library is open from Wednesday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday, 1-5 p.m. The senior center is open weekdays from 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.
Use of the South Brunswick Police Department lobby as a cooling station is available also after the library closes.
With the heat index expected to exceed 100 degrees over the course of several days, South Brunswick Mayor Charlie Carley stressed residents use township air-condition public buildings if a break is needed from the high temperature weather.
“Staying indoors, drinking plenty of fluids, or using one of our community buildings with air conditioning will help us get through this high heat,” Carley said.
South Brunswick is not the only municipality advising residents of its cooling centers.
North Brunswick Township’s Senior Center on 15 Linwood Place and Public Library on 880 Hermann Road have been open for residents to use as cooling centers Monday through Friday the week of July 23.
On July 20, the National Weather Service (NWS) advised American citizens that excessive heat warnings and heat advisories were in effect throughout 28 states from California to New Hampshire.
The service noted that high temperatures into the 90s and 100s will increase the risk of heat related illnesses.
“Above-normal temperatures will continue to prevail across much of the U.S. through the end of the week, with a significant portion of the population remaining under heat-related advisories and warnings,” the service said on July 21.
NWS further said from eastern New York to New England and lower Mississippi to the Carolinas conditions are expected to be “favorable” for storms creating damaging winds across those areas.
Very warm and humid air will remain in place along the East Coast, according to NWS.
Due to the heat wave, New Jersey American Water has encouraged customers in Somerset County, Middlesex County, Mercer County, Hunterdon County and Union County to conserve water now to prevent potential restrictions.
“Our systems are currently operating normally at expected capacity, but we are seeing a steep increase in demands across these counties,” said Tom Shroba, vice president of operations at New Jersey American Water.
“Adopting an odd/even schedule for outdoor watering will have minimal impacts on the individual customer but will provide a significant relief in demand on our source of supply.”
