Fox 23 - Monday starts out 3-day stretch of 90-degree weather in Maine. A heat advisory is in effect for parts of Maine until 8 p.m. on Thursday. Mainers are urged to limit outdoor activities, drink plenty of water, and wear light colored clothing. Please check on your elderly neighbors to make sure they are okay, and never leave children or pets in parked vehicles. In response to the heat and humidity, some Maine communities are opening cooling centers.
Falmouth
- Cooling center open at the Family Ice Arena at 20 Hat Trick Drive in Falmouth Monday through Friday 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. (ADA accessible).
- Cooling center open at Mason-Motz Activity Center at 190 Middle Rd. in Falmouth Monday through Thursday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. (ADA accessible, device charging, Wi-Fi).
- Cooling center open at Falmouth Memorial Library at 5 Lunt Rd. in Falmouth Monday through Saturday 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. (ADA accessible, device charging, Wi-Fi).
Press Herald - Last summer was Maine’s hottest on record. And data from the Maine Climate Council show the state is getting hotter: we’re 3.5 degrees above the historical average already, with projections that it will be up to 10 degrees higher by the end of the century, depending on how successful the world is at reducing heat-trapping gas emissions from the burning of fossil fuels.
The hottest day of the year for the Portland area has historically been around 95 degrees, according to One Climate Future, the 2019 Portland-South Portland climate action plan. That annual high temperature is projected to climb as high as 108 by the end of the century if global emissions are not curbed....
Maine’s demographics and infrastructure make it especially vulnerable. Nearly a quarter of the population is 65 or older and the housing stock is among the oldest in the nation. And although the increasing use of heat pumps is helping, the number of Mainers with some form of cooling in their homes continues to lag behind the rest of New England — 78% compared with almost 90%.