The outdoors in Oregon – particularly the Portland Metro area – feels like the surface of the sun. If your air conditioning is sluggish, broken or nonexistent, consider seeking refuge in a number of area cooling shelters.

Yamhill County Commissioner Casey Kulla provided a list of local entities that are providing air-conditioned shelter from the sweltering heat. Along with the list, he provided a brief statement on Facebook.

"With the hottest day of the heat wave here today, I am reupping the list of cooling centers open in Yamhill County," Kulla said on June 27. "Remember that extreme heat kills. And, if you go to a river or lake, please take precautions like bringing enough water and wearing a life jacket. We watched the LifeFlight helicopter approach and land at Wheatland yesterday... I don't know the outcome, but we said prayer for whomever was there.

"None of our systems are set up for long periods of extreme heat and while we should assess our infrastructure and systems … for future heat events, now is not the time to push them: please exercise caution."

In Newberg, the Newberg Emergency Shelter, 615 N. College St., is open from 1 to 7:30 p.m. The Chehalem Cultural Center is open 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. The Youth Outreach building on First Street is open for 11- to 22-year-olds from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. In Dundee, the Dundee Fire Station's conference room is open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.

For more information on local places to cool down, visit the city of Newberg's Facebook page, follow the Chehalem Park & Recreation District, and follow Yamhill County official accounts.