This week’s extreme heat will have an impact on area schools preparing for the start of their athletic seasons.

Marshall Activities Director Kelly Callanan says schools around the state have guidelines in place to determine when conditions outside warrant scaling down or moving practice indoors.

Callanan says with Marshall’s first games set for Friday, some practices may need to occur at different times of the day.

The National Weather Service has a heat advisory for the entire KMMO listening area in effect until Tuesday, Aug. 27th at 8 p.m., with the forecast calling for modest temperature relief after a round of thunderstorms Wednesday morning.

Cooling centers are available across the region. In Marshall, the Salt Fork YMCA will have its lobby open as a cooling center during its normal hours, closing at 9 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays, 7 p.m. on Fridays, and 6 p.m. on the weekends. Other cities in Saline County, including Blackburn, Slater and Sweet Springs, will have their city halls available as a cooling center during business hours.

In Lafayette County, both the Margaret Gray Senior Center and the Lafayette County Health Department in Lexington are available as cooling centers until 5 p.m. The Health Department will also have ice water available. In Higginsville, the senior center there is available for residents needing a cool down.

Elsewhere in Missouri, the state Department of Health and Senior Services is maintaining a map of cooling centers. Residents may also contact their city or county’s emergency management offices for information.