Mayor Michelle Wu today announced a heat advisory for the City of Boston beginning today, July 9, through Friday, July 12, due to the upcoming weather forecasts.
High temperatures will reach into the high 80s, with the heat index expected to reach the 90s. The current City of Boston heat advisory threshold is 3 days or more of 90 degrees heat index, sustained for 2 or more hours per day.
“City staff are working to ensure Boston has an enjoyable and safe summer, and we’re asking residents to do their part to protect themselves from hot and humid weather,” said Mayor Michelle Wu. “While this is not a heat emergency, we are advising people to take the necessary precautions such as taking breaks when working outside, staying hydrated, and checking on each other in the heat.”
“The Office of Emergency Management is coordinating closely with the National Weather Service (NWS) and Boston Public Health Commission on the weather and its impacts to our constituents. We are in communication with our partners, particularly those that work directly with vulnerable populations, to ensure they have what they need and will be available to support any resource or coordination needs that may arise,” said Chief of Emergency Preparedness Adrian Jordan. “We want to remind residents that extreme heat can be dangerous. Sustained periods of high heat increases the risk of heatstroke and other heat-related illnesses, especially for children, older adults, and those with chronic health conditions.”
The City of Boston is taking critical immediate action to provide heat relief, including short-term, actionable steps toward relief during heat waves. The City of Boston has been engaging in a variety of projects to support extreme heat mitigation and improved health for residents. Anyone, regardless of their medical conditions, can feel the impacts of extreme heat. During a heat wave, Boston Emergency Medical Services typically experience an 10-15% increase in calls to 9-1-1 for people of all ages.
Splash pads will be open at parks and playgrounds throughout the City. Several city pools are open for people to cool off and operating hours can be found at boston.gov/pools. Memberships to all City pools are free. Learn more about how to create a membership and register for a swim session at Boston.gov/BCYF-registration. Because of a collaboration between Boston Public Schools, Boston Centers for Youth & Families, the Public Facilities Department, and the Property Management Department, investments of City funding, and improved facilities assessment, the City is on track to have more pools open this year than in previous summers. The BCYF Mildred pool opens tomorrow and the BCYF Perkins pool opened just yesterday.
Boston Public Library locations are also available for residents to seek relief from the heat. Patrons are always welcome to participate in BPL’s summer programming for kids, teens, and adults.
Information on heat safety tips can be found online at boston.gov/heat and by following @CityofBoston on Twitter. Residents can sign up for AlertBoston, the City's emergency notification system, to receive emergency alerts by phone, email, or text. Sign up online here. Residents are also encouraged to call 311 with any questions about available City services.
The Mayor issued the following heat safety tips:
Helping Individuals Experiencing Homelessness:
Playground Safety:
Outdoor Fires and Grilling:
The City of Boston’s work is guided by the Heat Resilience Solutions for Boston framework to prepare for hotter summers and more intense heat events. The Heat Plan presents 26 strategies that will help build a more just, equitable, and resilient Boston. Visit boston.gov/heat regularly to learn more about the latest strategies for staying cool and to access the most up-to-date resources available. Each individual, family, and community’s plan may look different: from accessing one of Boston’s public pools or parks, or requesting a pop-up cooling kit for use at an outdoor event. You can read more about the strategies to stay cool this summer in the Summer Cooling Guide. In all extreme heat situations, please look out for your community, specifically heat-sensitive residents like elders, children, or unhoused people.