The city is opening cooling centers so Atlanta residents can take extra precautions , as the city and other parts of the state are expected to get dangerously hot weather this Summer. 

According to the National Weather Service, a heat advisory is in effect from 1 p.m. Tuesday to 8 p.m. Wednesday for counties across north and central Georgia, as the heat index could potentially reach between 100 and 107 degrees. 

Weather forecasters say a heat dome, or a large area of high pressure in the upper atmosphere that traps heat and humidity, is the source of the extreme temperatures across the country. 

“We’re urging all Georgians to take precautions as we experience the hottest weather so far this year,” said Gov. Brian Kemp in a social media post on Monday. 

For Atlanta’s Black residents, signs of heat exhaustion and heatstroke are something to stay extra aware of during this time, as some Black communities in the city are disproportionately impacted by extreme urban heat compared to white communities.

Researchers say this is a result of discriminatory urban practices like redlining, which left some Black communities with less cooling infrastructure and green spaces, like trees and parks, and high concentrations of concrete and asphalt that absorb heat. 

Here are some places residents can cool off around the area and beat the summer heat:

Atlanta

The city has a list of multiple indoor and outdoor pools as well as recreational centers that the public can make use of to escape the heat. 

DeKalb County

The following libraries and recreation centers will be open June 24 and June 25 to serve as cooling centers, according to Decaturish: 

  • Frontline Response International, 2585 Gresham Road, Atlanta. Open 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.
  • North DeKalb Senior/Community Center, 3393 Malone Drive, Chamblee. Open 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
  • Mason Mill Recreation Center, 1340 McConnell Drive, Decatur. Open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
  • Tobie Grant Recreation Center, 593 Parkdale Drive, Scottdale. Open 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.
  • Exchange Park Intergeneration Center, 2771 Columbia Drive, Decatur. Open 7 a.m. to 9 p.m.
  • County Line – Ellenwood Library, 4331 River Road, Ellenwood. Open 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.
  • Covington Library, 3500 Covington Highway, Decatur. Open 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.
  • Decatur Library, 215 Sycamore St., Decatur. Open 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.
  • Dunwoody Library, 5339 Chamblee-Dunwoody Road, Dunwoody. Open 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.
  • Embry Hills Library, 3773 Chamblee-Tucker Road, Chamblee. Open 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.
  • Flat Shoals Library, 4022 Flat Shoals Parkway, Decatur. Open 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.
  • Gresham Library, 2418 Gresham Road SE, Atlanta. Open 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.
  • Hairston Crossing Library, 4911 Redan Road, Stone Mountain. Open 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.
  • Lithonia-Davidson Library, 6821 Church Street, Lithonia. Open 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.
  • Northlake-Barbara Loar Library, 3772 LaVista Road, Tucker. Open 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.
  • Redan-Trotti Library, 1569 Wellborn Road, Lithonia. Open 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.
  • Salem-Panola Library, 5137 Salem Road, Stonecrest. Open 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.
  • Scott Candler Library, 1917 Candler Road, Decatur. Open 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.
  • Scottdale-Tobie Grant Homework Center, 593 Parkdale Drive, Scottdale. Open 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.
  • Stone Mountain-Sue Kellogg Library, 952 Leon St., Stone Mountain. Open 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.
  • Stonecrest Library, 3123 Klondike Road, Stonecrest. Open 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.
  • Toco Hill-Avis G. Williams Library, 1282 McConnell Drive, Decatur. Open 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Cobb County

The MUST Ministries Hope House  will be open until June 27 as a cooling center between noon and 6:30 p.m., and the organization will also serve lunch and dinner. The Hope House shelter is located at 1297 Bells Ferry Road in Marietta.

Gwinnett County

There are aquatic centers available throughout the county that remain open all year that offer pools, air conditioning and more:

  • Bethesda Park Aquatic Center; 225 Bethesda Church Road, Lawrenceville. The leisure pool is open from noon to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 1 to 6 p.m. on Sunday. 
  • Bogan Park Aquatic Center; 2723 N. Bogan Road NE, Buford. The leisure pool is open from noon to 6 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 1 p.m to 6 p.m. on Sunday.
  • Collins Hill Park Aquatic Center; 2200 Collins Hill Road, Lawrenceville. The leisure pool is open from noon to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 1 to 6 p.m. on Sunday.
  • Mountain Park Aquatic Center; 1063 Rockbridge Road SW, Stone Mountain. The leisure pool is open from noon to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 1 to 6 p.m. on Sunday.
  • West Gwinnett Park Aquatic Center; 4488 Peachtree Industrial Blvd., Norcross. The leisure pool is open from noon to 6 p.m Monday through Saturday and 1 to 6 p.m. on Sunday.

Alyssa Johnson is Capital B Atlanta's enterprise reporter.