BOSTON — Ahead of what is expected to be an extremely hot and humid weekend, Boston’s Mayor Marty Walsh has issued a heat emergency for the city.
While Sunday and Monday are expected to be the hottest days, temperatures on Saturday will also be high, along with oppressive humidity. Temperatures on Sunday and Monday are expected to range between 96 and 100 degrees.
With that in mind, Walsh declared a heat emergency for the city on Friday afternoon, announcing some Boston Centers for Youth & Families (BCYF) community centers will be open to the public as cooling centers to help people stay cool.
I have declared a heat emergency in the @CityofBoston for Sunday and Monday. Please remember to:
— Mayor Marty Walsh (@marty_walsh) July 17, 2020
✅Stay hydrated!
✅Keep cool
✅Limit outdoor activity to the morning and evening
✅Use sunscreen
✅Continue to practice social distancing and wearing a face covering
“Please take the necessary steps to protect yourself from COVID-19 and from the heat and humidity that we expect over the weekend,” said Mayor Walsh. “Continue to practice social distancing, avoid crowds, wash your hands often, and wear a face covering. If the face covering causes you to overheat, find a shaded area where you can maintain 6 feet of distance from others, and then remove the face covering so that you can breathe easily and cool down.”
Twenty BCYF community centers will be open for residents to use the air conditioned rooms to cool off. Tot sprays are open at playgrounds in the City, with restrictions. Boston Public Libraries and City-operated pools remain closed to the public at this time due to COVID-19 safety measures. A full list of centers including hours of operation and resources to beat the heat is available here.
Of course, we’re still going through a pandemic, so social distancing measures will be in place and residents are urged to wear masks whenever they’re out in public and cannot socially distance.
If you start feeling overheated from wearing a face covering, find a shaded place away from others and remove it while you cool off. Go to https://t.co/oG7TEBo3Zo for the list of cooling centers and more information on how to protect yourself.
— Mayor Marty Walsh (@marty_walsh) July 17, 2020
All cooling center visitors will be screened before entry and must wear a face covering (covering both the nose and mouth), maintain 6 feet of distance from others, and wash their hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds.
Occupancy at cooling centers will be closely monitored to ensure no more than 40 people at a time are inside the building.
Aside from cooling centers, all DCR-run pools will be open to the public.
Remember to stay hydrated, wear sunscreen and wear a mask! Check back with our meteorologists on Boston 25 News and on our digital platforms for the latest forecast and severe weather updates.
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