Weather Alert: West Des Moines

The National Weather Service has issued a heat advisory for Polk and Dallas counties that includes the city of West Des Moines. The advisory goes went effect at 7 a.m. today and will last until 7 a.m. Saturday.

Today is expected to be hot and sunny with temperatures near 98 degrees. Tomorrow, Independence Day, will be another hot and sunny day with temperatures near 99 degrees.

Every day through Friday, heat indices of 100 to 105 degrees are expected by afternoon. Even at night, the index will remain around 80 degrees or higher.

Stay Cool

With temperatures soaring to near 100 degrees, the city of West Des Moines has designated and as the primary cooling centers for West Des Moines residents.

The malls will be open today through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. On Wednesday, Valley West Mall closes at 5 p.m. for the holiday, while Jordan Creek closes at 6 p.m.

Both the Holiday Park and Valley View aquatic centers will be open from noon to 6 p.m. on Wednesday at a discounted rate that day -- $3 per person instead of the typical $8 a head. 

Holiday Park's normal weekday hours are 11:30 a.m. to 7 p.m.; 11:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday; and noon to 5:45 p.m. on Sunday.

Valley View is open from noon to 5:30 p.m. and 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Sunday through Friday -- with the exception of July 4. The pool is open from noon to 6 p.m. on Saturday.