NEW YORK (VINnews) — Mayor Zohran Mamdani on Monday activated New York City’s Heat Emergency Plan as forecasters warned of a prolonged stretch of dangerous heat beginning Wednesday, with heat index values expected to reach as high as 109 degrees by the end of the week.

The city said hundreds of cooling centers will open across all five boroughs on Wednesday, including public hospitals, libraries, senior centers and other municipal buildings. In response to the expected duration of the heat wave and the July Fourth holiday, some public schools, the Javits Center and the city’s Emergency Management headquarters will also serve as cooling centers.

The administration is also launching several new initiatives, including mobile “COOL” vans staffed with medical personnel to distribute water, sunscreen, electrolytes and cooling supplies, perform wellness checks and transport people to cooling centers or hospitals when necessary. Separate teams will conduct in-home wellness visits for older adults considered most vulnerable to extreme heat.

More than 2,200 LinkNYC kiosks will display real-time walking directions to the nearest cooling center, while pop-up cooling stations equipped with misting fans, cold water and cooling towels will be established for outdoor workers, including street vendors, delivery workers and day laborers.

City agencies are also expanding outreach to homeless individuals, coordinating with hospitals and health insurers, and preparing for increased electricity demand and the possibility of thunderstorms later in the week. Officials noted that most heat-related deaths occur indoors in homes without air conditioning.

Residents are urged to stay hydrated, avoid strenuous outdoor activity during the hottest parts of the day, seek air-conditioned spaces whenever possible and check on elderly neighbors and others at heightened risk of heat-related illness. Officials also reminded residents never to leave children or pets inside parked vehicles.