How To Stay Cool In Harlem During NYC's Heat Wave

HARLEM, NYC — Due to heat vulnerability in many parts of Harlem, residents should prepare a plan to stay cool during the current heat wave affecting New York City.

Temperatures are expected to reach the low 90s on Tuesday and Wednesday, and are projected to rise further, reaching up to 94 degrees on Thursday and Friday, according to the National Weather Service.

The forecast temperatures for the city for the next few days are expected to be "dangerously high," NYC Emergency Management Commissioner Zachary Iscol said Monday.

In fact, extreme heat is the "most dangerous" weather phenomenon in New York City, he said, with about 350 New Yorkers dying prematurely each year due to extreme heat conditions.

Much of Central and South Harlem are classified with a Heat Vulnerability Index 5, meaning their residents are at high risk of heat injury or death based on typical temperatures, air-conditioning rates, green space and racial inequities.

To stay cool, New Yorkers should note nearby cooling centers, beaches, community pools, misting stations and other options, emergency officials warned.

Here's a list of where those spots are in Harlem:

Cooling centers:

• Harlem Library: 9 West 124 Street
• Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture: 515 Malcolm X Boulevard
• Museum of the City of New York: 1220 Fifth Avenue
• PSS King Towers (seniors only): 50 Lenox Avenue
• Harry Belafonte - 115th Street Library: 203 West 115th Street
• Pelham Fitz Recreation Center: 18 Mount Morris Park West
• Harlem Temple Corps Comm Center: 540 Lenox Avenue
• George Bruce Library: 518 West 125 Street
• Macomb's Bridge Library: 2633 Adam Clayton Powell, Jr. Blvd.
• Grant Community Center: 1301 Amsterdam Ave.

The neighborhood also has dozens of drinking fountains, misting stations, spray showers and "tree canopies" that neighbors can use to stay cool. Find a searchable map of those options here.

Nearby Public Pools:

New York City's outdoor pools will open for the season on June 27. Indoor pools remain open year-round.

• Abe Lincoln Pool: Fifth Avenue and East 135th Street
• Frederick Douglass Pool: Amsterdam Avenue between 100th and 102nd streets
• Jackie Robinson Pool: Bradhurst Avenue and West 146th Street
• Marcus Garvey Pool: 124th Street and Fifth Avenue
• Sheltering Arms Pool: West 129th Street and Amsterdam Avenue
• Thomas Jefferson Pool: East 112th Street and First Avenue
• Wagner Pool: East 124th Street between First and Second avenues