West Hollywood Activates Plummer Park Cooling Center as High Heat Returns

The Plummer Park Community Center Senior Lounge is open Wednesday, August 19 from 10 AM to 5 PM as Southern California temperatures push toward 90 degrees, with free Cityline rides and a live map of every cooling center in and around the city.

WEST HOLLYWOOD, Aug. 19, 2026. With high temperatures expected across Southern California, the City of West Hollywood is opening its Cooling Center at Plummer Park today, Wednesday, August 19, from 10 AM to 5 PM.

The Cooling Center operates out of the Plummer Park Community Center Senior Lounge at 7377 Santa Monica Boulevard, and it activates whenever temperatures are expected to reach 90 degrees or above. Staff members at Plummer Park are available to direct people to the lounge.

Getting There, and Finding Every Cool Room

The city runs free transportation to Plummer Park through Cityline, its ADA-accessible shuttle service and a friendly alternative to the larger bus system. Cityline operates Monday through Saturday from 9 AM to 6 PM, with shuttles arriving roughly every 30 minutes. Route maps live at weho.org/cityline and on board every shuttle.

Plummer Park is not the only option. The city maintains a live map of every cooling center in and around West Hollywood, split between city-operated sites and LA-operated sites just across the border: Where to Stay Cool Around West Hollywood.

This is the center's second activation of the season. The first came at the end of July, under the same 90-degree trigger.

The Heat Rules Worth Repeating

The standard guidance applies: stay out of the sun where possible, avoid strenuous activity, drink plenty of water, and wear lightweight clothing.

The serious one is parked vehicles. On a 78-degree day, the temperature inside a parked car can soar to 120 degrees in just minutes; on a 90-degree day, it can reach 160 degrees in under ten, even with the windows cracked open. Children and pets are the most vulnerable, and it is never safe to leave either one in a parked vehicle, even for a moment.

Pet paws have their own test: press the back of your hand to the pavement for seven seconds. If the surface is too hot to hold for the full seven, it is too hot for paws. Avoid concrete, brick and asphalt during the heat of the day and walk early in the morning or late in the evening instead.

For weather alerts, sign up for Alert LA County, the county's emergency notification system. Planned Flex Alerts run through Southern California Edison at (800) 611-1911 or sce.com. Questions about the Cooling Center itself go to (323) 848-6530; California Relay Service assistance is available by dialing 711.

Cityline is the underused move here: free, ADA-accessible, and it drops you at the park. If you are checking on a neighbor, the Senior Lounge sits inside the Community Center on Santa Monica Boulevard and staff will point the way. And the seven-second pavement test is worth teaching every kid with a dog: back of the hand, seven seconds, too hot means morning walks only.

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