Weather Alert: Johnston

The National Weather Service has issued a heat advisory for Polk County that includes the city of Johnston. The advisory went into effect at 7 a.m. today and will last until 7 a.m. Saturday.

Today is expected to be hot and sunny with temperatures near 96 degrees. Tomorrow, Independence Day, will be another hot and sunny day with temperatures near 98 degrees.

Every day through Friday, heat indices of 100 to 105 degrees are expected by afternoon. Even during the evening, the index will remain around 80 degrees or higher.

To escape the heat head to the Johnston Public Library, a designated cooling center.

The library is open Monday to Thursday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., Friday to Saturday 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., and Sunday 1 to 5 p.m.

Other day-time cooling stations are Merle Hay Mall, Valley West Mall and Jordan Creek Town Center.

For a full list of Polk County's daytime cooling centers see http://www.polkcountyiowa.gov/health/.