The City of Cleveland announced it will keep warming centers open through Friday, Jan 19.
Cleveland warming sites are located at four recreation centers:
Michael Zone – 11:30 a.m. – 10 p.m.
6301 Lorain Ave. 44102
Sterling – 11:30 a.m. – 10 p.m.
1380 E. 32nd Street 44114
Collinwood – 11:30 a.m. – 10 p.m.
16300 Lakeshore Blvd. 44110
Zelma George – 11:30 a.m. – 10 p.m.
3155 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. 44104
How does the city decide when to open warming centers?
Marie Zickefoose, Mayor Justin Bibb’s press secretary, told Signal Cleveland by email that “the city takes a variety of factors into account when activating warming centers, including temperature, wind chill, weather conditions, power outages and the like.”
“The Office of Emergency Management and the departments of public health and public works are consulted in the decision-making process,” Zickefoose said.
The city works with its partners NEOCH and Frontline to check with unsheltered residents and determine their needs as well as provide opportunities to get to warming centers or seasonal overnight shelters.
Warming centers close at 10 p.m. – what if you need a place to stay overnight ?
Anyone seeking overnight shelter should call United Way 211.
United Way 211 call takers may also have additional information and resources for youth, veterans, and survivors of domestic violence and human trafficking. They can also point callers to programs that offer utility payment assistance, rent assistance, food, legal aid, and other social services that may help to prevent or delay the loss of stable housing.
A warming center extension doesn’t come a moment too soon. The weather forecast for this week is cold, cold and more cold. Our partners at 3News predict it will be another five days before our temps jump above freezing. And the wind chill will make it feel even colder, with an increased risk of frostbite.
What is wind chill?
We often hear the terms “wind chill” or real feel temperature, what does that mean?
The National Weather Service (NWS) explains on its website:
“In simple terms, the colder the air temperature and the higher the wind speeds, the colder it will feel on your skin if you’re outside. So even if it remains the same temperature, but the wind speed increases, it will actually feel colder to your skin.”
The weather service suggests thinking about wind chill like blowing on a hot bowl of soup. The air that blows across the soup takes the heat the liquid emits and blows it away from the bowl. The NWS says the same thing happens when the wind blows across our bodies. The faster the wind, the faster our body heat is blown away and the colder it feels.
According to the NWS wind chill chart, if it is 5 degrees and the wind is 30 mph, the wind chill–or real feel– temperature is -19. Exposed skin could get frostbite in 30 minutes.