Tulsa Cooling Stations Open During Thursday Heat Advisory

NewsOn6.com

TULSA, OK -- Tulsa cooling stations are open Thursday as the National Weather Service issues excessive heat advisories.

Excessive heat advisories are in effect for several Oklahoma counties including Tulsa, Rogers, Creek, Osage, Mayes, Muskogee, Nowata, Okmulgee, and Rogers. For a full list of affect counties, go to NewsOn6.com Weather.

"Temperatures today will be a few degrees cooler, but we've had no appreciable air mass change behind the wind shift," said News On 6 meteorologist Alan Crone. "This means the temperature heat index values could still top 100 to near 104."

There is a slight chance of storms later Thursday in northern Oklahoma, Crone said.

Read the full weather discussion.

EMSA Paramedics responded to three heat-related emergencies Wednesday, making a total of 28 people transported for treatment since Friday at 7 a.m.

Patient ages ranged from a 7-year-old girl to a 94-year-old man, according to Public Information Officer Chris Stevens of EMSA.

The two cooling stations open to the public include:

• Tulsa County Social Services
2401 Charles Page Boulevard, Tulsa, OK
Operational Hours: 8:30 a.m. - 8:30 p.m. 7 days a week

• Salvation Army Center of Hope
102 N. Denver Avenue, Tulsa, OK
Operational Hours: open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week

"Libraries, malls, and movie theaters are all good places to take refuge from this excessive heat," Stevens said.

"If you must be outdoors, drink plenty of non-alcoholic/non-caffeinated fluids and take plenty of breaks. Check on your elderly neighbors as you would in the winter months. Do not leave children or pets in the car unattended even for a minute."

Watch out for symptoms of heat exhaustion:

• being dizzy, tired or weak
• fainting spells
• getting flushed
• heavy sweating
• fast heartbeat

Paramedics recommend calling 911 if these systems persist for about an hour after someone moves into a cool place.