Orange County will open several facilities on Saturday to help give residents a reprieve from the extreme heat in the area.

Temperatures are expected to be in the upper 90s on Saturday with heat index values going well beyond 100 degrees. The National Weather Service has issued an excessive heat warning for Orange County and much of central North Carolina from 10 a.m. Saturday until 6 a.m. Sunday.

Orange County officials said the following facilities will be open until 8 p.m. Saturday:

  • Passmore Center in Hillsborough (open at 9 a.m.)
  • Seymour Center in Chapel Hill (open at 8:30 a.m.)
  • Main Library in Hillsborough (open at 9 a.m.)
  • Rogers Road Community Center (open at 10 a.m.)
  • Cedar Grove Community Center (open at 10 a.m.)
  • Efland-Cheeks Community Center (open at 10 a.m.)

More information from the county is available here. Residents can arrange transportation to one of the cooling centers by calling Orange Public Transportation at (919) 245-2008. OPT will be offering these rides from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday.

County officials stressed that the cooling centers are offering a break from the extreme heat, but they are not established as shelters and will not be open for overnight stays. Anyone using these locations is asked to bring their food or water, if necessary.

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