Fresno opens cooling centers to combat extreme heat, but where can rural-area residents go?

As another heatwave lands in Fresno, city leaders have reopened cooling centers to combat the extreme summer heat.

Fresno County officials say residents in rural and unincorporated communities can cool down at local library branches during regular business hours.

Joshua Dean, a Fresno County spokesperson, said the county recommends residents search for resources closest to their homes.

“Fresno County encourages local unincorporated areas to assess their needs and identify the closest cooling centers,” Dean said. “Many of our unincorporated cities are adjacent to local communities that do have cooling centers, libraries, and other air-conditioned areas open to the public.”

Fresno County has a list of cities with cooling centers on its website. Some county libraries have extended hours this weekend due to the upcoming heat wave. Visit the Fresno County Library website for a map of locations as well as hours of operation.

The City of Fresno is again making its cooling centers available to the public.

The centers will be open every day this week, according to the city, from noon to 8 p.m. With drinking water available, centers will remain open until temperatures fall below 100 degrees.

Where to find cooling centers in Fresno

Ted C. Wills Community Center, 770 N. San Pablo

 Mosqueda Community Center, 4670 E. Butler

 Pinedale Community Center, 7170 N. San Pablo

Maxie L. Parks Community Center, 1802 E. California Ave.

The centers are open to all in Fresno, and the city’s transportation department (FAX) will provide free bus rides along its regular routes to its cooling centers whenever they are activated.

To ride for free, passengers must say they are traveling to one of the centers.

These secure centers come only a year after a 2022 City of Fresno ordinance cited an “increase in heat waves over the last few years, with a record-breaking number of days with temperatures of 100 degrees or greater.”

Fresno City Councilmember Luis Chavez, who supported the cooling center ordinance, spoke with Fresnoland about the importance of these spaces.

“We saw vulnerable populations such as homeless, seniors, mentally ill folks, and folks that have substance abuse issues get sick or die in the streets,” says Chavez. We’ve seen an increase in senior citizens living on fixed income utilizing cooling centers, and we will continue to support this initiative.”

Temperatures expected to cool in Fresno – briefly

Fresno should get some slight relief from a brief cooldown Monday, said Carlos Molina, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Hanford, but weekend temperatures are expected to climb as high as 114 in Fresno and other parts of the central San Joaquin Valley.

“What we’re seeing is a heat dome in the valley,” says Molina. “But by Monday, we’ll have a cool air weather maker from Alaska passing through the valley that will push our heat dome into Nevada. These systems kept the valley unusually cool at the start of the summer, but they are much weaker now.”

But the cooldown won’t last long.

Molina says that from Monday and on, we’ll see temperatures return to the low 100s for the following days.

With extreme heat on the way, it’s important to stay safe.

“The highest priority is drinking water,” warns Molina. “Drink as much water as possible, and if you have to work outdoors, do so before noon.”

Fresnoland’s Omar Shaikh Rashad contributed to this report.