Amazon opens cooling center in Seattle amid searing heat wave

Amazon is opening a cooling center in Seattle amid a blistering heat wave hitting the West.

The Amazon Meeting Center will open on Tuesday for residents to cool down with the ability to hold 1,000 people, according to Seattle’s city website.

Seattle is converting buildings to cooling centers as the Northwest endures some of its most extreme temperatures in years. 

Seattle hit a record high of 107 degrees Fahrenheit Monday, and temperatures are expected to rise throughout the week.

Residents in Seattle in particular are suffering because many people don’t have air conditioning in their homes due to seasonally mild temperatures in the city. Normally, the average high temperature for Seattle in June is around 70 degrees.

Businesses and schools in the West have closed due to the extreme heat, and residents are advised to avoid outside activities and stay hydrated.

Seattle Public School’s Summer Food Service Program was closed on Monday due to the extreme temperatures.

Oregon has also endured usually hot weather recently, with the city of Portland reaching 115 degrees Fahrenheit on Monday.

Portland’s infrastructure has not been weatherized for extreme heat — the city shut down its cable car services Monday after the wires began to melt. 

The heat wave started two weeks ago, with the National Weather Service saying it would be “dangerous” and “record-breaking.”