Where to beat the heat this week

Mar 21, 2024

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News flash: It’s hot outside this week! Evanston is facing an Excessive Heat Warning in effect from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Wednesday and an Excessive Heat Watch from now through 8 p.m. Thursday, as designated by the National Weather Service.

Details of the oppressive heat vary depending on which forecast you consult, though most agree on temperatures peaking in the middle to upper 90s, with the humidity making things feel even hotter. AccuWeather, for example, expects temperatures to hit 97 degrees around 4 p.m. on Wednesday and Thursday.

Try to stay in cool, shady areas when outside this week, and run fans and air conditioners while inside. Check in on elderly loved ones and people with pre-existing conditions at a greater risk for heat-related illness, and be mindful of heat exhaustion symptoms, including dizziness, heavy sweating, muscle cramps and general weakness.

For folks hoping to beat the heat this week, here are some local options you can explore.

The Evanston area has a number of indoor and outdoor aquatic centers:

The Devonshire Aquatic Center in Skokie is closed for the season, and the Centennial Family Aquatic Center in Wilmette does not have any public swim availability scheduled for this week.

Clark Street Beach is open for swimming from 10:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. every day this week, and the dog beach immediately south of Clark Street Beach is available from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. Otherwise swimming is off-limits for the remainder of the season, though the beaches are open until 11 p.m. daily.

Evanston’s Health and Human Services Department announced in a Tuesday press release that the following locations will be operating as emergency cooling centers for residents in need of a place to go the rest through Friday:

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Duncan Agnew covers Evanston public schools, affordable housing, City Hall and more for the RoundTable. He also writes long-form investigations, features and the morning email newsletter three times a... More by Duncan Agnew