County Opens Cooling Centers as High Temperatures Arrive 

After a cooler and wetter than normal spring and early summer, high temperatures are expected to hit Southwest Washington with a vengeance this week. 

According to the National Weather Service, temperatures in Lewis and Thurston counties will reach the mid- to high-90s on Tuesday and remain in the 90s into the weekend. Some forecasters are even predicting triple-digit temperatures for the area on Tuesday. 

Overnight lows aren’t expected to dip much below 60, meaning it will be difficult to keep homes and businesses cool without air conditioning.  

The Lewis County Division of Emergency Management announced last week it has opened cooling stations for residents to escape the heat if needed. The majority of the stations were set to open Tuesday. 

Cooling Station Locations:

• All Timberland Regional Libraries (Centralia, Chehalis, Randle, Packwood, Salkum, Winlock)
  Hours of operation: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

- Centralia — 110 S. Silver St., Centralia

- Chehalis — 400 N. Market Boulevard, Chehalis

- Mountain View (Randle) — 210 Silverbrook Road, Randle

- Packwood — 109 W. Main St., Packwood

- Salkum — 2480 U.S. Highway 12 12, Salkum

- Winlock — 322 NE First St., Winlock

• Lewis County Senior Centers (Morton, Packwood, Pe Ell, Toledo, Twin Cities, Winlock)
  Hours of operation: 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

- Morton — 103 Westlake Ave., Morton

- Packwood — 12931 U.S. Hwy 12, Packwood

- Pe Ell — 416 First St., Pe Ell

- Toledo — 150 Coal St., Toledo

- Twin Cities — 2545 N. National Ave., Chehalis

- Winlock — 119 SW Kerron Ave., Winlock

• The Salvation Army, 303 N. Gold St., Centralia
  Hours of operation: 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
• Lewis County Gospel Mission, 72 SW Chehalis Ave., Chehalis
  Hours of operation: 7 a.m. to 2 p.m.
• Centralia City Council chambers, 118 W. Maple St, Centralia
  Hours of operation: noon to 5 p.m.
• Lewis County Fire District 3,  238 Mossyrock Road East, Mossyrock
  Hours of operation: 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.
• Lewis County Fire District 4, 214 Second St., Morton
  Hours of operation: 7 a.m. to 4 p.m.
• Lewis County Fire District 5, 102 Second Ave. NE, Napavine
  Hours of operation: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
• Lewis County Fire District 10, 12953 U.S. Highway 12, Packwood
  Hours of operation: 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.

For more information on how to protect yourself and your pets from the heat, visit https://www.ready.gov/heat https://www.cdc.gov/disasters/extremeheat/heat_guide.html https://www.aspca.org/pet-care/general-pet-care/hot-weather-safety-tips