Winter Weather Thresholds for Activation

Stormy Weather - 35 degrees or lower (overnight) with wind or rain:

• Additional shelter bed space is activated for unsheltered individuals. See below for shelter locations.

Cold Weather - 32 degrees or lower (overnight):

• Additional shelter bed space is activated for unsheltered individuals. See below for shelter locations.

Locations for Shelter and Warming Centers

• Catholic Community Services’ Nativity House (702 South 14th Street) – 20 beds for adults 18 and over
• Beacon Young Adult Shelter (415 South 13th Street) – 20 beds for young adults ages 18-24

• Saint Vincent de Paul – Expanded motel shelter capacity for up to 20 households (all household types).
• Tacoma Public Libraries are available to the public as warming centers during regular library hours. Visit the Tacoma Public Library’s page for a complete list of locations and hours.

• Pierce County Libraries are open during business hours for the public. Visit https://mypcls.org/visit-the-library/locations-hours/ for a complete list of library locations and hours.

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Summer Weather Thresholds for Activation

Hot Weather - 85 degrees or higher: 

• Sheltered and unsheltered individuals have access to water and cool indoor shelter at Tacoma Public Library locations during regular operating hours.

• Unsheltered individuals have access to water and information on additional overnight shelter space. Water and shelter information are provided by City outreach teams, contracted outreach teams, and volunteers during their regularly scheduled outreach operations.

Hot Weather - 90 degrees or higher:

•  The City resources listed above are provided, as well as opening cooling centers for daytime relief and/or possible nighttime relief from extreme heat. See below for cooling center locations.

Poor Air Quality (Smoke and Air Pollution): The City uses the U.S. Air Quality Index (US AQI), which is the index used by the EPA for tracking air pollution levels and reporting air quality. 

Air Quality Index score of 101 or higher: AQI score that is Orange - Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups

• Sheltered and unsheltered individuals have access to masks in addition to water and cool indoor shelter at Tacoma Public Library locations listed above.

• Unsheltered individuals have access to masks in addition to water, daytime shelter, and expanded overnight shelter space listed above.

Air Quality Index score of over 151 or higher: AQI score that is Red - Unhealthy

• The City resources listed above are provided, as well as opening air quality relief centers for daytime relief and/or possible nighttime relief. See below for cooling/air quality relief center locations.

Locations for Shelter and Cooling Centers

• Catholic Community Services’ Nativity House (702 South 14th Street) – 80 additional beds

• Valeo Vocation/Beacon Young Adult Shelter (415 South 13th Street) – 20 overflow beds for young adults 18-24 years of age

• The Pierce County Hot Weather Information web page provides a list of resources and cooling center locations that includes additional locations in and around Tacoma. (NOTE: Pierce County's temperature and AQI thresholds are different than City of Tacoma.)

• Tacoma Public Libraries are available to the public as cooling centers during regular library hours. Visit the Tacoma Public Library web page for a complete list of locations and hours.

Additional Tips & Info

• Check out the Tacoma Pierce County Health Department's tips on how to keep cool during extreme heat.