EXTREME HEAT THROUGH THIS WEEKEND, COOLING CENTERS AVAILABLE

An excessive heat warning has been issued through Sunday. Hot weather is a part of summer in the Morongo Basin and heat waves are not uncommon. Take precautions to make sure you don’t suffer heat-related injuries. Long exposure to high heat can result in heat exhaustion, heat stroke, or even death. Warning signals include profuse sweating nausea, headache, and muscle cramps. If left unchecked, heat exhaustion can progress to heat stroke. Heat stroke is a life-threatening condition in which the body’s cooling system fails. Symptoms include a very high body temperature, failure to sweat, and red, dry skin. Take steps to keep cool: wear light, loose-fitting clothing, drink two to five times more than the usual amounts of water, stay inside during the hottest part of the day. There are several cooling centers in the Morongo Basin. In Yucca Valley, the community center is open during the hottest part of the day. The Hi-Desert Nature Museum is open Friday and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. In Twentynine Palms, the Senior Center on Adobe Road is a cooling center; if the heat index reaches 115 degrees, the building will open evenings and weekends. In Joshua Tree, the Hi-Desert Medical Center cafeteria is available from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. In addition, the libraries in Twentynine Palms, Joshua Tree, and Yucca Valley, while closed Friday, are open Saturday 9 to 5. Other places to get out of the heat are stores, restaurants, and theaters.