Libraries and community centers become places of refuge as heatwave continues

A second day of high humidity and temperatures in the 90s was enough to send Dan Gotter to the Central Library in downtown Minneapolis on Tuesday morning, where he plopped in a chair and relaxed for a few hours in air-conditioned comfort.

Gotter is homeless, and the library on Nicollet Mall provided a place to escape the heat that has gripped much of Minnesota and the central United States this week while, across the Atlantic, Europe swelters under record-breaking temperatures.

"I am lucky to have this," Gotter said while looking out the bank of windows facing 3rd Street, sipping an energy drink and listening to his radio. "The heat's tough. They don't bother me here."

For others seeking relief, malls, movie theaters and recreation centers put out the welcome mat. Hennepin and Ramsey counties have opened buildings and recreation centers to offer free, climate-controlled places to hang out. The Salvation Army opened its eight centers across the metro as cooling sites, including the Eastside Worship and Service Center on Payne Avenue in St. Paul, where fans were running, jugs of water were available and a food giveaway was in progress Tuesday.

"When it gets hot, we are here," said center Capt. Scott Spicer. "Sometimes we are a home away from home."

But for some, staying inside wasn't an option.

Zyias Ulis, who serves as an ambassador for the Minneapolis Downtown Improvement District, had to be on the streets Tuesday to sweep up trash and help people who needed directions. He managed to duck inside the IDS Center and restaurants for 10-minute breaks throughout the day to try to keep cool, and he dumped water over his head a few times to keep from overheating.

"It could be worse," Ulis said while picking up litter near the library on Nicollet Mall, noting that he's a native of Arkansas, a place accustomed to prolonged heat and humidity. "I just try to keep a smile on my face."

Joe Bowers, who works for Dan's Towing and Recovery, said the key to staying cool was drinking a lot of water and staying in his air-conditioned truck as much as possible. He admitted the hot spell has made for sweaty work as he towed cars and fixed flat tires.

"Winter is fun, but I'd rather work in the summer," he said between calls while parked at 7th Street and 11th Avenue S. in downtown Minneapolis.

A few clouds dropped showers in parts of the state Tuesday morning, prompting the National Weather Service to drop a Heat Advisory that was to be in effect until 6 p.m. — but "it will still be warm and above normal," the Weather Service warned.

Across the pond, the United Kingdom shattered the record for its highest temperature as the mercury Tuesday touched 104.5 degrees in Coningsby in eastern England. That topped the country's previous high mark of 101.7, set in 2019. The intense heat led to the country's first extreme heat warning Monday. Hundreds have died as a result of the heat in Spain and Portugal, and fires have broken out in France.

Stateside, triple-digit high temperatures were forecast for much of the central and southern Plains on Tuesday, including 112 degrees in Dallas. Many records were expected to fall, the Weather Service said.

In Minneapolis, James Freid, the owner of Big Bell Ice Cream who jokingly calls himself its "chief eating officer," said he'd like the temperature to drop about 15 degrees.

"That is our sweet zone," he said.

At 75 to 80 degrees, people have their windows open and can hear ice cream trucks rolling through neighborhoods. When heat is intense, "people don't come out."

Freid won't get his wish anytime soon. The streak of hot weather will continue through the weekend with highs closer to 90 degrees rather than the mid-90s originally forecast, but temperatures could cool off into the upper 80s by Sunday and Monday, the Weather Service said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.