As temperatures climb to the mid-90s on Thursday and Friday, local governments and community partners across Southwest and Southside Virginia are opening cooling centers.
A map of cooling centers throughout Virginia is available on the Virginia Department of Health’s website. A guide to cooling centers in some of the communities we cover is available below; we will update this list as more information becomes available.
If your locality is operating a cooling center that’s not on this list, please send information to news@cardinalnews.org.
For more weather news, follow weather journalist Kevin Myatt on Twitter / X at @kevinmyattwx and sign up for his free weather email newsletter. His weekly column appears in Cardinal News each Wednesday afternoon.
Lynchburg
Multiple air-conditioned cooling centers will provide free bottled water across Lynchburg. Updates to the centers’ locations and hours can be found on the city’s website.
The following locations are open 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Thursday and Friday:
- The lobby of the Department of Human Services building at 99 Ninth St.
- The second floor customer service desk at the Miller Center at 301 Grove St.
Other locations include:
- The downtown branch of the Lynchburg Public Library, open 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Thursday and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Friday;
- The library hub at the Miller Center, open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Thursday and Friday;
- The Salvation Army, open 12 to 5 p.m. on Friday only.
Danville
The Redemption Center Church in Danville is opening its doors as a cooling center any day that temperatures climb above 90 degrees this summer.
The church, located at 625 Shelton St. offers an air-conditioned space, water, phone charging stations and restrooms for individuals and families.
The church is asking community partners, churches, businesses and others to “help us meet the growing needs of those we serve” by donating items listed on its Facebook page.
Other places, like public libraries in Danville and Pittsylvania and city recreation centers, may also offer refuge from the heat.
