Kent Under Excessive Heat Warning

Like much of Ohio, Kent is under an excessive heat warning issued by the National Weather Service until 9 p.m. tonight.

"Oppressive" heat and humidity will linger today, according to the NWS, and "this prolonged period of dangerously high heat and humidity will pose a significant risk of heat illness."

There are no designated heat shelters in the city, but residents without air conditioning do have options throughout Kent to keep cool and avoid heat exhaustion and other related illnesses.

• The pool at has an open swim from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. today. Click here for admission rates.
• also offers a leisure pool and a lap pool that is open to the public. Click here for admission rates and information.
• Public buildings with air conditioning include: the ; ; and the
• Click here for other .

The heat wave slowly moving across the country has drawn attention to a 2006 study by Kent State University geography professor Scott Sheridan, who has been doing the rounds on media outlets — including the Weather Channel — spreading the message of his report.

"I think the message is that everyone is vulnerable to the heat," Sheridan said. "We tend to like to do studies to identify people who are most vulnerable. And you hear that it’s the old, the sick, the traditional categories. It’s very easy for you to rationalize that you’re not part of those groups."

Sheridan's study focused on the fact many people age 65 and older don't see themselves as vulnerable to the heat. Instead, they think of people older than them as most likely to suffer heat-related illnesses when in fact they are most at risk themselves.

"You see plenty of examples of healthy younger people dying as well as older people," he said. "And so the message I like to get out is that there are groups that are more vulnerable than others, but there are no groups that are immune to the heat. So rationalizing yourself as invulnerable could be a bad thing to do."

The most common advice for days like today? Drink plenty of water, avoid exertion and stay out of the heat — if you can.