Savannah residents have multiple options to escape dangerous heat conditions today as the National Weather Service warns temperatures could feel like 115 degrees.
🌡️ Why It Matters: Extreme heat can be deadly, especially for children, elderly residents, and people without reliable air conditioning. The city is mobilizing resources to keep people safe during what forecasters are calling potentially life-threatening conditions.
What is the Heat Index?: The heat index refers to what the temperature feels like when the air temperature is combined with relative humidity. The thermometer in your car may report 90 degree temperatures, but the humidity means that to your body, it will feel like it is over 100 degrees. The heat index is sometimes called the “apparent temperature.”
🏢 Where to Find Relief: Five community centers across Savannah are open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. today, according to the City of Savannah’s Office of Communications. The Delaware Center on Lincoln Street, Moses Jackson Center on Richards Street, Tompkins Regional Center on Ogeechee Road, Windsor Forest Community Center on Briarcliff Road, and W.W. Law Regional Center on Bolton Street are all available as cooling centers.
💦 Cool Off in the Water: Four city pools are extending hours with two sessions daily – 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. Ten splash pads throughout the city are open from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m., including the popular Forsyth Park location.
🏠 Help for Homeless Residents: Three partner organizations are providing daytime cooling relief for people experiencing homelessness. Union Mission on Fahm Street opens at 8:30 a.m., Come As You Are on Pennsylvania Avenue serves from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., and The Salvation Army on Montgomery Street operates from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The CSAH Outreach Team is available all day at 912-784-1794.
🐴 The Big Picture: The heat advisory runs until 8 p.m. and the city is taking the threat seriously enough to enforce its equine safety ordinance. Horse-drawn carriage tours must stop operating when the heat index exceeds 110 degrees. Officials are reminding residents to drink plenty of fluids, stay indoors when possible, and never leave children or pets in vehicles.
The Sources: City of Savannah Office, National Weather Service
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- Truth doesn’t change because we dislike it
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- Blaming the press for bad news is like blaming a thermometer for a fever.
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- What evidence supports this story?
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B.T. Clark
B.T. Clark is an award-winning journalist and the Publisher of The Georgia Sun. He has 25 years of experience in journalism and served as Managing Editor of Neighbor Newspapers in metro Atlanta for 15 years and Digital Director at Times-Journal Inc. for 8 years. His work has appeared in several newspapers throughout the state including Neighbor Newspapers, The Cherokee Tribune and The Marietta Daily Journal. He is a Georgia native and a fifth-generation Georgian.
