The Big Apple offers more than cooling centers for relief from sweltering heat. Those New Yorkers looking for places to cool down safely can use the cool it tool NYC Parks Department.
The platform helps New Yorkers locate NYC spray showers, drinking fountains, and shaded areas in all five boroughs.
DEW SHOWERS
During the summer, the Parks Department runs sprinklers at hundreds of playgrounds throughout the city. In general, the staff turns on the spray showers on days when the temperature reaches 80 degrees or higher. This year, the agency added hundreds of new locations, meaning residents will have even more ways to cool off. NYCHA also maintains spray showers in public housing complexes throughout the city.
DRINKING WATER SOURCES
Each year, thousands of drinking fountains are turned on throughout the city, including more than 950 in areas of greatest need. Many of the drinking fountains are accessible and some are designed to refill bottles. There are also waterers designed for pets. Use the map of Cool It! to find a perfect drinking fountain in your area.
SHADOW AREAS
To locate the coolest and shady areas in New York, the Cool It! it highlights parks with particularly thick tree cover, as well as the leafiest city blocks.
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