Southold Town opens cooling center as temperature soars

TIM KELLY PHOTO

The Town of Southold opened a cooling center Tuesday as the temperature climbed to 100 degrees.
The town announced kept the Southold Town Human Resource Center, located at 950 Pacific Street, Mattituck open until 9 p.m. as a place for residents to cool off.
The move was just one of several forced by the heat this week.
Suffolk County Water Authority issued a water alert, saying the current heat wave and lack of recent precipitation has dramatically increased the demand for water on the East End.
In an advisory on its Web site, The SCWA is calling for residents to voluntarily reduce water usage immediately.
“In an effort to avoid a more serious problem that would hinder the Authority’s ability to provide water for fire protection and other essential services, we are asking all customers to only use water when needed,” the statement reads.
There has been zero precipitation in the area so far this month, and
none since nearly an inch of rainfall June 22. There has only been
two inches of recorded precipitation since June 1, according to the
National Weather Service in Upton.
The advisory comes on the same day the National
Weather Service issued an air quality alert for the five East End towns
due to increased ozone levels. People are being advised to limit
strenuous outdoor activity.
Temperatures are expected to soar above 90 degrees again Wednesday.
LIPA is advising residents to limit power usage as much as possible to avoid brownouts. Advised preventative measures include: