Houston city officials advising residents about cooling centers ahead of record breaking heat this weekend

HOUSTON - "The National Weather Service is predicting heat index values will surpass 105 for the duration of the weekend," said Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner.

It's hard to imagine living in triple digit heat, but that's a reality for some Houstonians.

RELATED: Heat advisory issued for much of Houston area through Saturday night

Everyone can escape the heat this weekend by visiting cooling centers.

"We're going to have 28 city libraries that are going to be open for people to go to and 18 park community centers," said George Buenik, OEM Director.

RELATED: Beat the Houston heat this weekend by going to these cooling centers

People who suffer from heat cramps or heat exhaustion will be OK if they go inside an air-conditioned building. 

That's not the case with heat stroke.

"This is a life-threatening emergency. Yes you can go from normal, right into heatstroke," said Chief Medical Officer Dr. David Persse. "It occurs when your body's cooling mechanisms are overwhelmed, and your body stops cooling itself."

The signs of heatstroke are confusion and hot red dry skin.

"This year in 2022, we've already seen two heat related deaths in the city of Houston," said Fire Chief Samuel Pena.

RELATED: Houston Health Department offering tips for hot weather week ahead

The high temperatures we've been experiencing have caused fire department calls for service to skyrocket.

"If we average the last three years between April to May, we've seen almost a 130% increase in the number of heat related calls that we've responded to here in the city of Houston," Pena said.

The city has had to operate its swimming pools on a rotating basis due to a lifeguard shortage.

There are only enough lifeguards for about half of the city's 37 pools.

"We are increasing the hourly rate from $15 to $20 an hour and a signup bonus. Instead of $300, I've authorized it to go up to $500," Turner said.