Indiana cities open cooling centers to help escape heat

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) - Cities and towns throughout Indiana are opening cooling centers to help residents deal with the oppressive heat expected over the next several days.

The National Weather Service has issued heat advisories for much of the state through Saturday evening. The weather service says a combination of hot temperatures and high humidity will create a situation where heat illnesses are possible.

Among the cities offering cooling stations are Indianapolis, Fort Wayne, South Bend and Gary. IndyGo buses will be used as cooling stations at the Brickyard 400 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Sunday.

The South Shore commuter rail in northwest Indiana is warning passengers they may encounter delays of 15 to 20 minutes as it runs trains at lower speeds to compensate for heat-related stress to the track and equipment.