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The forecast for Friday calls for hot and humid conditions, not a great mix at the best of times. The problem is that in the middle to late afternoon, you could see temperatures up to 95 degrees with a 102-degree heat index. Hot temperatures are expected to continue into next week but luckily won’t be quite as high. 

Dennis Sleighter with the National Weather Service station in Wakefield gave a reminder of some basic tips to stay safe during this spike in temperatures. People are encouraged to, if possible, stay indoors in the air conditioning to keep cool. For anyone going outside, make sure to drink plenty of fluids, especially non-alcoholic beverages, to stay hydrated as high temperatures can cause dehydration to come on quickly.  

“It’s very important when leaving your vehicle to make sure not to leave pets or children inside,” said Sleighter. “It can be fatal to do so.

As of Thursday afternoon, all high school football games will go on as scheduled Friday night. Prince Edward will play at home against Chatham. Buckingham is at home against Appomattox and Cumberland will stay home to take on William Campbell. Fuqua doesn’t start their season until Aug. 31. All of Friday’s games are scheduled to start at 7 p.m. If anything changes, we’ll post updates on our social media accounts and on here.

As heat index rises, where are cooling centers?

Seven cooling centers exist throughout this region, covering Buckingham, Charlotte, Cumberland, Prince Edward and Lunenburg counties. 

Those cooling centers are at: 

Buckingham County 

• Central Virginia Regional Library
  16266 N. James Madison Highway, Dillwyn
  Cooling Center will be open today from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., then from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on both Friday and Saturday.

Cumberland County 

• Cumberland Library
  1539 Anderson Highway
  Cooling Center will be open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. today and Friday, then from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday

Town of Farmville

• Farmville-Prince Edward Community Library
  1303 W. 3rd Street
  The Cooling Center will be open today from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday and from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday.

Charlotte County

• Phenix Library
  6830 Charlotte St.
  Cooling Center will open today and Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
• Wylliesburg Library
  1225 Barnesville Highway
  Cooling Center will be open Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m
• Keysville Fire Department
  Will be available as a cooling center from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday and Saturday.
• Bacon District Fire Department
  Bingo Hall will be open as a cooling center from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. today, tomorrow and Saturday.

Lunenburg County 

• Ripberger Library
  117 S. Broad Street, Kenbridge
  The Cooling Center will be open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. today, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday and from 9 a.m. to noon on Saturday.
• Victoria Library
  1417 7th Street
  The Cooling Center will be open Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.