Cooling center opens in San Marcos area due to intense heat forecasted

The forecast this week has San Marcos in double digit temperature mode, bringing a heath risk to humans and pets– signaling the need for keeping indoors as much as possible and drinking fluids.

Hay County officials noted that the heat became a primary concern for residents starting on June 15, with forecasted temperatures today at 101, peaking to a high sometime Tuesday of 106, according to meteorologist Eric Platt of the the National Weather Service Austin/San Antonio.

He said this is well above normal heat for this time of year. “We’ve got high pressure parked over us,” accounting for the heat wave, Platt said.

The risk of thunderstorms was likely to remain north of San Marcos through Monday, in contrast to the severe weather including large hail in Fredericksburg and the recent devastation caused by a tornado in Perryton. “The pattern as far as South Central Texas is [that] we can still get severe weather in mid-June,” Platt said. Mid-June offers the potential for more catastrophic weather but the coming week appears to offer less in the way of rain or storms. Platt said that the area will see temperatures coming down into the 90s as the week progresses, offering some respite from the high heat index numbers currently affecting the San Marcos area.

The Southside Community Center, a local nonprofit in San Marcos, announced that it was open as a cooling center to those needing to seek relief from the heat, starting this past Friday and through today, and as needed, especially for those experiencing homelessness. Last year, the center opened from Monday to Sunday from 3 to 5:30 p.m. on days when temperatures were in the 90-95 degree range. The center is located at 518 S. Guadalupe St. in San Marcos. There is bottled water available and summer clothing for those in need. For heat safety tips and resources, visit https://www. weather.gov/safety/heat.