Amid scorching heat, Portland’s halls of knowledge offer cool relief

Ahead of a multi-day heat emergency throughout the Willamette Valley, libraries were preparing Friday morning for crowds of people to arrive, seeking cooler temperatures.

The National Weather Service has issued an extreme heat warning for the Portland metro area through Tuesday, with temperatures expected to hover around triple digits for several days. Heat watches and warnings are also in place through most of the rest of the state.

At Multnomah County’s Central Library in downtown Portland, the staff was stocking up on water bottles, towels and electrolyte packets.

Annie Lewis, director of libraries at Multnomah County, said libraries play an important role during weather-related emergencies.

“Libraries are one of the very few open public spaces that are open to everyone, and so we play a really critical role in being a place where people can come and get out of the heat,” Lewis said.

Three branches in Multnomah County — Central, Midland and Gresham — will remain open for two extra hours, until 8 p.m.

The Central Library branch typically sees around 1,200 people come through its doors every day, by far the busiest branch in the county.

Lewis said that, during the last heat wave earlier this month, they saw an additional 200 patrons. That means — in addition to more water bottles — the library also has staff members volunteering to work the extra hours.

Kyle Thornfeldt, a library assistant, said weather emergencies are when “the library is at its best.” Staff members try to make sure everyone is healthy and relaxed, he said.

“This past heat event, I worked at the Albina location and there were definitely folks that were looking just exhausted, a little bit out of it,” Thornfeldt said.

“Sometimes we have towels, sometimes we have electrolytes, whatever it takes to kind of make sure that they can kind of get to a nice place of calm.”

It can be a lifeline for those struggling in the heat. Andy Crowley, who lives in a recreational vehicle with no air conditioning, said he often uses the library to stay cool.

“It’s hard to deal with the sweltering heat and feel comfortable at all,” Crowley said. “It’s nice, at least, coming some place where it’s air-conditioned.”

He said, without libraries, he and many others would struggle to survive in such hot conditions.

Other libraries in the metro area will open late as well. The Beaverton Main Library will remain open from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. through Sunday. Clackamas County also maintains a list of cooling shelters on its website.

Multnomah County declared an emergency due to the extreme heat, and has opened two daytime cooling centers from noon to 9 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, in Gresham and downtown Portland.

Anyone who needs help finding a cool place can call 211 or visit 211info.org.

In Southern Oregon, an extreme heat warning is in effect through Monday night for much of Jackson and Josephine counties. High temperatures could reach 107 degrees Fahrenheit.

An extreme heat watch is also in place Saturday afternoon through Wednesday evening for much of north-central and northeast Oregon, including the Lower Columbia Basin and the Blue Mountains.

Related: Where to stay cool in Oregon, Southwest Washington during extreme heat