Missouri has hundreds of cooling centers to help you beat the heat. Designated cooling centers throughout the state include senior centers, local health departments, community centers, Salvation Army locations and public libraries.

Rachel Grime, director of the Moberly Public Library, told Missourinet that her library is a popular spot during heat waves.

“Libraries are almost perfect for that because we have a thousand things you can do there,” she said. “We don’t expect you to spend money. We want you to come in and enjoy your time. It’s a building and a place for everyone.”

The Moberly Public Library is part of the Little Dixie Regional Libraries, a system of four libraries serving Randolph and Monroe Counties in northern Missouri. The other three locations – Madison, Paris and Huntsville – also serve as cooling centers.

“We have such a wide range of things,” Grime said. “So when you talk about spending money at a movie theater, we all know that costs a lot. That costs now. It’s a little bit. You can come in. We have Wi-Fi. We have internet. Public libraries are absolutely perfect for cooling and heating centers. We want people to feel comfortable and we want them to be safe.”

There are many cooling centers in Missouri libraries, and Grime said a wide variety of people go there.

“We get a lot of older people coming when it’s hot just because it’s very expensive to run the air conditioning,” she said. “It’s very expensive, especially when it’s as hot as it is now. A lot of families come to us. A lot of families get irritable when they spend a lot of time together and it’s very hot.”

The Little Dixie Regional Libraries system also serves as warming rooms during the winter.

Click here to view the list of cooling stations.

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