Special Weather Advisory—It's Too Hot For Man Or Beast In Waterford

With temperatures in Waterford hitting 90 degrees today (and feeling even hotter than that thanks to the humidity) the National Weather Service has issued a heat advisory through 8 p.m. tonight. 

Here are a few tips to help you stay cool. The Waterford Community Center on Rope Ferry Road is open as a cooling center from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. every day except Sunday (when the center is normally closed—although that may change if emergency cooling centers are needed on Sunday.) The Community Center has wifi and television, so come in and cool off. 

We're likely to see more advisories as the week goes on. The forecast suggests this hot weather will be unrelenting until the weekend. 

A new law that took effect in Connecticut on July 1 now makes it illegal to tie your dog up outside when a weather advisory is in effect, so no dog should be tied outside today. 

It should go without saying that you should never leave children or pets in a hot car, but enough people still do this that it's worth saying it again. The heat will turn your car into an oven, even with the windows open.

If the temperature is 85 degrees outside, the temperature inside a vehicle with the windows cracked will rise to 102 degrees in 10 minutes; in half an hour, it will reach 120 degrees. That's enough for a pet to suffer irreversible organ damage or die. Animals pant to cool off and when the weather is humid, this doesn't work well. 

If you see an animal in distress in a parked car, contact the nearest animal shelter or police. 

Always make sure your pet has plenty of water and keep walks short. Remember that asphalt and sand gets really hot, so walk on grass whenever possible. Find additional tips for helping pets stay cool on the Humane Society's web site.