BATON ROUGE — St. Vincent de Paul of Baton Rouge will open emergency cooling centers ahead of the summer heat this weekend. 

The organization opens its cooling centers when temperatures reach 95 degrees or the heat index reaches 101 degrees or higher, providing relief to those who are vulnerable to the weather. 

The cooling centers will operate from Saturday to Sunday from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m. at 1623 Convention Street in Baton Rouge. The One Stop located at 153 North 17th Street will also serve as a weekday cooling station from Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

"Extreme heat can quickly become dangerous, especially for our most vulnerable neighbors," said Sunnie Johnson-Lain, President and CEO of St. Vincent de Paul of Baton Rouge. "Opening our facilities as Cooling Centers allows us to provide a safe place for people to escape the heat and access support when conditions become hazardous."