TL;DR: Households facing extreme heat, wildfire smoke and flash-flood risk on Aug. 5, 2026 can use daytime cooling centers, 24-hour severe-weather shelters and New York City cooling centers opening Thursday and Friday.

Why shelters activated this week

Emergency managers in Oregon and New York City pointed to the same combination of hazards: prolonged high temperatures, degraded air quality and, in the New York area, sudden heavy rain.

In New York, Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani and New York City Emergency Management activated the City's Heat and Flash Flood Emergency Plans on Aug. 5, according to the New York City Emergency Management press release titled "Mayor Mamdani Activates Heat and Flash Flood Emergency Plans Ahead of Dangerous Heat and Isolated Severe Storms." The National Weather Service issued a Heat Advisory from 11 a.m. Thursday through 8 p.m. Friday, with heat index values expected to reach around 100 degrees. Isolated to scattered thunderstorms with localized heavy downpours were possible beginning Wednesday, with storm chances increasing Thursday. Friday afternoon into evening carried the greatest risk of heavy rainfall.

In Washington County, Oregon, county officials activated inclement weather shelters in response to worsening air quality and rising temperatures, according to the Washington County announcement titled "Washington County Provides No-Turn Away Shelters for Severe Weather Event." That activation added severe-weather shelter capacity from noon Aug. 4 through noon Thursday, Aug. 6.

In southern Oregon and northern California, local officials activated cooling shelters and centers in Medford, Ashland and parts of Siskiyou County to help residents escape dangerous heat, according to the KDRV report titled "Various cooling centers open in Siskiyou and Jackson County." In the Eugene-Springfield area, St. Vincent de Paul of Lane County opened cooling and smoke shelters as a heat wave and smoky air settled over the region, according to the Lookout Eugene-Springfield report titled "St. Vincent de Paul opens cooling, smoke shelter at Lane Events Center."

For households, the practical meaning is direct: daytime relief sites are open in several Oregon counties through Friday, overnight-capable severe-weather beds are open around the clock in Washington County through midday Thursday, and hundreds of cooling centers in New York City open Thursday and Friday.

New York City: hundreds of cooling centers Thursday and Friday

Where to go for cooling

The Mamdani administration will open hundreds of Cooling Centers across the five boroughs on Thursday and Friday, according to the New York City Emergency Management press release. New Yorkers can find locations, including accessible and pet-friendly sites, at finder.nyc.gov/coolingcenters/ or by calling 311. Service animals are always welcome.

Thousands of LinkNYC kiosks will provide real-time walking directions to the nearest cooling center within a 10-minute walk. Residents can also find spray showers and other places to cool off through the City's Cool It NYC resource at on.nyc.gov/CoolItNYC.

The City's roughly 50 outdoor pools are free and open daily from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. On Tuesday and Wednesday, Olympic- and intermediate-sized pools remained open until 8 p.m. Public beaches are free and open daily, with lifeguards on duty from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Swimming outside designated areas or when lifeguards are off duty is prohibited and extremely dangerous, the release stated.

Outreach, shelter access and flood planning

The City will activate Code Red outreach from noon to 8 p.m. Thursday and Friday, expanding street outreach to connect homeless New Yorkers with shelter, cooling centers and essential services. Shelter is available to anyone experiencing homelessness, and walk-ins are welcome. Anyone concerned about someone who may need assistance is encouraged to call 311.

Twenty-one COOL vans will provide wellness checks, medical care, electrolytes, sunscreen, meals — including vegetarian, kosher and halal options — transportation to cooling centers or health care facilities, and home visits for older adults. City agencies are clearing catch basins, inspecting flood-prone neighborhoods and preparing emergency response teams.

The City urged residents to stay hydrated, limit outdoor activity during the hottest parts of the day and spend time in air-conditioned spaces whenever possible. Residents should check on vulnerable neighbors — especially older adults, people with disabilities and people with chronic health conditions — and know the warning signs of heat illness. Anyone experiencing hot, dry skin, difficult breathing, a rapid heartbeat, confusion, disorientation, dizziness, nausea or vomiting should call 911 immediately.

For storms, the guidance was to stay indoors whenever possible, use caution while traveling and avoid downed power lines and fallen trees. Residents of basement apartments were urged to sign up for Basement Alerts at on.nyc.gov/basements and make a plan now for where to go if flooding occurs. Anyone in immediate danger or trapped by rising water should call 911 immediately. Downed trees, blocked catch basins and other nonemergency hazards should be reported to 311. Residents can sign up for Notify NYC by texting NOTIFYNYC to 692-692 and find health and safety guidance at nyc.gov/beready.

Washington County, Oregon: no-turn-away shelters open 24 hours

Washington County opened additional severe-weather shelter capacity from noon Aug. 4 through noon Aug. 6, according to the county announcement. The beds supplement the county emergency shelter program, which currently offers over 400 beds and rooms for families with children, veterans, youth and medically fragile individuals.

Unhoused people seeking shelter were directed to present in person at two access centers:

  • Project Homeless Connect Access Center, 1440 SE 21st Ave, Hillsboro, accessible via TriMet route number 57
  • Just Compassion Access Center, 12264 SW Hall Blvd, Tigard, accessible via TriMet route numbers 12 and 43

Shelters remain open 24 hours throughout the severe-weather event. Hot meals are provided for guests, no one will be turned away, and pets are okay, with guests asked to work with shelter staff because individual pet policies may vary.

The county said if someone outside is unsheltered and life appears to be in danger, call 9-1-1. Otherwise, witnesses concerned about someone during the severe weather should call the police non-emergency number at 503-629-0111 and request a welfare check. If forecasted weather continues to require activation, updated information can be found at wcor.us/SevereWeatherShelter.

For a household helping a neighbor or family member, that structure matters: go in person to the listed access center, expect round-the-clock coverage during the stated window, and use 911 only for apparent life danger versus the non-emergency line for welfare checks.

Medford: severe-weather shelter open noon to 8 p.m. through Friday

With high temperatures expected over 100 degrees for much of the week, Medford's severe weather shelter was scheduled to be open from noon to 8 p.m. through Friday, according to the Rogue Valley Times report titled "'Life-saving services': Medford cooling shelter open through Friday as heat spikes."

The site is at 332 W. 6th St. in Medford. It is operated by nonprofit ACCESS, a Community Action Agency of Jackson County. It offers air conditioning and water, resource navigation for those in need of housing, and, depending on available supplies, food, dry storage, emergency kits, popsicles on hot days, sanitation supplies and lightly used clothing and shoes.

The shelter contains 60 beds with a 74-person capacity. ACCESS Chief Program Officer Melanie Doshier called it one of the most critical, life-saving services for vulnerable residents and said daily visits vary drastically, with summer days ranging from 20 visitors to 70 visitors.

ACCESS coordinates with the city of Medford on when to open the shelter, which is used for extreme heat and cold and hazardous smoke indexes. Funding includes state and federal funds, while daily staffing relies heavily on volunteers alongside ACCESS staff and security. ACCESS started coordinating with the city on the severe-weather shelter in 2020 and became operator in 2022.

The shelter primarily serves people without homes, but free resources are open to any community members, including people without air conditioning. Non-aggressive pets are welcome. For updates by text, the report directed readers to text MED4SHELTERS to 888777. Those interested in donating volunteer hours or supplies were directed to accesshelps.org/get-involved/.

Although the site closes at 8 p.m. during the heat opening this week, it can be used as an overnight shelter during winter cold or if summer smoke levels become hazardous.

Ashland and Lane County: daytime heat and smoke relief

Ashland cooling center

The City of Ashland partnered with OHRA, Opportunities for Housing, Resources and Assistance, to provide a severe-weather shelter this summer, including cooling centers when temperatures pass a threshold and cleaner-air centers when air quality passes a threshold, according to the City of Ashland notice published by The Ashland Chronicle-Oregon. The thresholds were established in Resolution 2022-33, with cooling-center activation when temperatures exceed 95 degrees Fahrenheit.

For the week of Aug. 4, a cooling center was activated Tuesday, Aug. 4 through Friday, Aug. 7, due to extreme heat. The center is a low-barrier, daytime shelter open to anyone needing relief, staffed by OHRA employees and volunteers, operating from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., with limited space available.

OHRA is located at 2350 Ashland Street. For assistance, the notice listed 541-631-2235. To receive text notifications when the severe-weather shelter is activated in Ashland, residents can text 97520SHELTER to 888777. OHRA staff are trained in emergency response, first aid, abuse prevention, de-escalation, trauma-informed care and emergency communications.

Eugene-Springfield smoke and heat shelter

St. Vincent de Paul of Lane County opened cooling and smoke shelters at the Lane Events Center Tuesday, Aug. 4 through Friday, Aug. 7, from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. each day, according to Lookout Eugene-Springfield. The shelter offers protection for anyone experiencing homelessness or needing a place to go in unhealthy air as wildfire smoke coincided with a heat advisory.

St. Vincent de Paul also offers free transportation via Lane Transit District to the shelter. Anyone can board a bus, say they are going to a cooling center, and ride free with no pass or documentation required.

What households should do before going

Do not wait until symptoms appear to identify the closest option. In New York City, look up finder.nyc.gov/coolingcenters/ or call 311 before Thursday's heat peak, and sign up for Notify NYC. In Washington County, confirm current status at wcor.us/SevereWeatherShelter. In Medford and Ashland, enroll in text alerts before travel because space is limited and hours differ by site.

Officials in Siskiyou County reminded people to drink plenty of water even if they do not feel thirsty, stay indoors or in air-conditioned spaces during the hottest part of the day, wear lightweight, light-colored clothing and take frequent breaks if outside, according to KDRV. They also asked people to check on older adults, neighbors and anyone more vulnerable, ensure pets have fresh water and shade, avoid walking pets on hot pavement and never leave people or pets in a parked car, even for a few minutes.

Bring identification only if you have it; Lane County's transit access requires no pass or documentation. Prepare to work with staff on pet rules in Washington County, while Medford explicitly welcomes non-aggressive pets and New York City welcomes service animals at all cooling centers with additional pet-friendly sites listed in the finder.

Sources referenced