Multnomah County to open cooling centers as extreme heat arrives Thursday

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – Multnomah County will open two daytime cooling centers for those seeking relief from extreme heat as temperatures rise to nearly triple digits starting Thursday.

Multnomah County Chair Jessica Vega Pederson declared a state of emergency effective 10 a.m. on Thursday, Sept. 5. In response, the county will open cooling centers at Cook Plaza and Portland Covenant Church from noon to 9 p.m. 

Cook Plaza (Gresham)

Staffed by Cultivate Initiatives
19421 SE Stark St

Portland Covenant Church (Portland)

Staffed by Do Good Multnomah
4046 NE Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.

Additionally, Multnomah County Library will extend its hours on Thursday and Friday at its Central and Gresham locations until 8 p.m. Transition Projects’ Bud Clark Commons Resource Center is also expected to extend its hours to 6:30 p.m.

Multnomah County officials say cooling centers will not open Sept. 4 because “it will not be warm enough to meet thresholds” to open the centers, though temperatures are expected to exceed 90 degrees mid-day.

A decision on whether conditions will require cooling centers to reopen Friday, Sept. 6, will be announced Thursday.

Stay with KOIN 6 News as this story develops.