Amid Excessive Heat, Here's Where You Can Cool Down In Mercer County

MERCER COUNTY, NJ — As extreme heat and humidity continue, communities around Mercer County have opened cooling centers for residents who need some reprieve from the brutal summer heat wave.

The heat advisory in Mercer County will remain in effect until 8 p.m. Saturday. Heat index values up to 110 are expected according to the National Weather Service.

"Oppressive heat and humidity will build in the area through Saturday," forecasters with the National Weather Service office in New York said.

People are at a higher risk of a heat-related illness at these temperatures and heat index levels, especially if they are working outside, forecasters said. Heat stroke can be life-threatening.

Officials in Mercer County have opened cooling centers in all townships. The Mercer County Library System branches and municipal senior centers serve as cooling sites, although daily hours of operation vary. These locations are open to all residents.

The Ewing, Hickory Corner, Hightstown, Hopewell, Lawrence, Robbinsville, Twin Rivers, and West Windsor library branches are open Monday through Thursday, 9:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m., and Friday and Saturday from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The Hollowbrook Branch is open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to noon and from 1 to 5 p.m. Call individual senior centers for hours of operation, restrictions and accommodations.

Mercer County library branch locations

• Ewing, 61 Scotch Road
• Hickory Corner, 138 Hickory Corner Road, East Windsor
• Hightstown Memorial, 114 Franklin St.
• Hollowbrook, 320 Hollowbrook Drive, Ewing
• Hopewell, 245 Pennington-Titusville Road, Pennington
• Lawrence Headquarters Branch, 2751 Brunswick Pike
• Robbinsville, 42 Allentown-Robbinsville Road
• Twin Rivers, 276 Abbington Drive, East Windsor
• West Windsor, 333 North Post Road

Municipal senior center locations

• Ewing – Hollowbrook Community Center, 320 Hollowbrook Drive; 609-883-1199
• Hamilton Senior Center, 409 Cypress Lane; 609-890-3686
• Hopewell Valley Senior Center, 395 Reading St., Pennington; 609-537-0236
• John O. Wilson Center, 169 Wilfred Avenue, Hamilton; 609-393-6480
• Lawrence Senior Center (not a cooling center but will be open until 7 p.m. on 28 for cooling purposes), 2751 Brunswick Pike, Lawrence; 609-882-9246
• Princeton Senior Resource Center, 101 Poor Farm Road, Building B; Suzanne Patterson Building, 45 Stockton St.; 609-751-9699
• Robbinsville Township Senior Center, 1117 Route 130; 609-259-1567
• Samuel Naples Senior Center (covering all of Trenton), 611 Chestnut Ave., 609-989-3462
• West Windsor Senior Center, 271 Clarksville Road; 609-799-9068

For assistance in coping with the heat or to contact local cooling site, call the Mercer County Office on Aging at (609) 989-6661 or toll-free at (877) 222-3737. During non-business hours, residents are encouraged to call 911 if they experience heat-related problems.