Milwaukee Health Department leaders urge residents to take precautions as an extreme heat watch has been issued by the National Weather Service from 10 a.m. Wednesday, July 23 through 7 p.m. Thursday, July 24.

Forecasts indicate dangerously hot conditions with heat index values up to 106 expected for Milwaukee County.

Prolonged exposure can lead to serious health risks, particularly for older adults, young children, individuals with chronic conditions and those without access to air conditioning. according to a news release.

Here are some ways you can safe and cool.

Splash pads and wading pools

Pools and other places to cool down at Milwaukee County Parks are open during regular business hours throughout the summer. Look for one of the eight free splash pads close to your neighborhood, or call the aquatics hotline at (414) 257-8098 for more information.

How to find a cooling center

1. Use your phone. Call Impact at 2-1-1, which can connect you to the overnight shelters and centers closest to you. You can also text your ZIP code to TXT-211.

2. Go online

You can also look at the city Health Department’s list of designated cooling centers.

Cooling center locations

Many senior centers serve as bad-weather shelters in extreme heat. Here are a few.

Washington Park Senior Center
4420 W. Vliet St.
414-933-2332
Open 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Wilson Park Senior Center
2601 W. Howard Ave.

414-282-5566
Open 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Clinton & Bernice K. Rose Senior Center
3045 N. Martin Luther King Drive
414-263-2255
Open 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

All Milwaukee Public Library locations allow individuals to cool down in the air-conditioning during regular business hours. Call 414-286-3000 to speak with a librarian regarding a specific branch.

Check the government website Airnow to monitor air quality.

Follow these tips from health officials to beat the heat.

1. Slow down and limit physical activity, especially if you are working outside or in hot settings.

2. Never leave children, persons with a disability, or pets in a parked car – as temperatures can become life threatening within minutes.

3. Use fans to increase ventilation, unless temperatures exceed 90 degrees at which point fans become ineffective in reducing heat-related illness.

4. Stay Hydrated! Drink plenty of water throughout the day regardless of thirst, to avoid dehydration.

5. Check in with neighbors and family to make sure they are staying cool.

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Extreme heat is in the forecast: Here’s how you can keep cool as temperatures rise

by PrincessSafiya Byers, Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
July 22, 2025

<h1>Extreme heat is in the forecast: Here’s how you can keep cool as temperatures rise</h1> <p class="byline">by PrincessSafiya Byers, Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service <br />July 22, 2025</p> <p>Milwaukee Health Department leaders urge residents to take precautions as an extreme heat watch has been issued by the National Weather Service from 10 a.m. Wednesday, July 23 through 7 p.m. Thursday, July 24.</p> <p>Forecasts indicate dangerously hot conditions with heat index values up to 106 expected for Milwaukee County. </p> <p>Prolonged exposure can lead to serious health risks, particularly for older adults, young children, individuals with chronic conditions and those without access to air conditioning. according to a news release.</p> <p>Here are some ways you can safe and cool. </p> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Splash pads and wading pools</strong></h2> <p>Pools and other places to cool down at Milwaukee County Parks are open during regular business hours throughout the summer. Look for one of the&nbsp;<a href="https://county.milwaukee.gov/EN/Parks/Explore/Water-Parks--Pools/Splash-Pads"><strong>eight free splash pads</strong></a>&nbsp;close to your neighborhood, or call the aquatics hotline at (414) 257-8098 for more information.</p> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>How to find a cooling center</strong></h2> <p>1. Use your phone. Call Impact at 2-1-1, which can connect you to the overnight shelters and centers closest to you. You can also text your ZIP code to TXT-211.</p> <p>2. Go online</p> <p>You can also look at the city Health Department’s list of&nbsp;<a href="https://city.milwaukee.gov/Health/Cooling-Sites"><strong>designated cooling centers</strong>.</a></p> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Cooling center locations</strong></h2> <p>Many&nbsp;<strong>senior centers&nbsp;</strong>serve as bad-weather shelters in extreme heat. Here are a few.</p> <p>Washington Park Senior Center<br />4420 W. Vliet St.<br />414-933-2332<br />Open 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.</p> <p>Wilson Park Senior Center<br />2601 W. Howard Ave.</p> <p>414-282-5566<br />Open 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.</p> <p>Clinton &amp; Bernice K. Rose Senior Center<br />3045 N. Martin Luther King Drive<br />414-263-2255<br />Open 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.</p> <p>All&nbsp;<strong>Milwaukee Public Library&nbsp;</strong>locations allow individuals to cool down in the air-conditioning during&nbsp;<a href="https://mpl.org/hours_locations/"><strong>regular business hours</strong></a>. Call 414-286-3000 to speak with a librarian regarding a specific branch.</p> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Check the </strong><a href="https://www.airnow.gov/"><strong>government website Airnow</strong></a><strong> to monitor air quality. </strong></h2> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Follow these tips from health officials to beat the heat.</strong></h2> <p>1. Slow down and limit physical activity, especially if you are working outside or in hot settings.</p> <p>2. Never leave children, persons with a disability, or pets in a parked car – as temperatures can become life threatening within minutes.</p> <p>3. Use fans to increase ventilation, unless temperatures exceed 90 degrees at which point fans become ineffective in reducing heat-related illness.</p> <p>4. Stay Hydrated! Drink plenty of water throughout the day regardless of thirst, to avoid dehydration.</p> <p>5. Check in with neighbors and family to make sure they are staying cool.</p></p> <p>This &lt;a target=&quot;_blank&quot; href=&quot;https://milwaukeenns.org/2025/07/22/nns-summer-survival-guide-ways-to-beat-the-heat/&quot;&gt;article&lt;/a&gt; first appeared on &lt;a target=&quot;_blank&quot; href=&quot;https://milwaukeenns.org&quot;&gt;Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service&lt;/a&gt; and is republished here under a &lt;a target=&quot;_blank&quot; href=&quot;https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/&quot;&gt;Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;img src=&quot;https://i0.wp.com/milwaukeenns.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/cropped-NNS-Favicon.png?resize=150%2C150&amp;amp;ssl=1&quot; style=&quot;width:1em;height:1em;margin-left:10px;&quot;&gt;</p> &lt;img id=&quot;republication-tracker-tool-source&quot; src=&quot;https://milwaukeenns.org/?republication-pixel=true&amp;post=89236&amp;amp;ga4=G-HGM4XK3QCM&quot; style=&quot;width:1px;height:1px;&quot;&gt;&lt;script&gt; PARSELY = { autotrack: false, onload: function() { PARSELY.beacon.trackPageView({ url: &quot;https://milwaukeenns.org/2025/07/22/nns-summer-survival-guide-ways-to-beat-the-heat/&quot;, urlref: window.location.href }); } } &lt;/script&gt; &lt;script id=&quot;parsely-cfg&quot; src=&quot;//cdn.parsely.com/keys/milwaukeenns.org/p.js&quot;&gt;&lt;/script&gt;

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