The National Weather Service has issued a Hazardous Weather Outlook that includes Red Bank, New Jersey.  A heat advisory is in effect until 8 p.m. this evening and a flash flood watch is in effect from 2 p.m. this afternoon through late tonight.  Additionally, an Air Quality Alert is in effect until 10 p.m. this evening.  An Air Quality Advisory means that air quality within the region may approach or exceed unhealthy standards. The heat and humidity may cause heat street during outdoor exertion or extended exposure.  Heat Index values near 100 are possible today and Thursday, and from 100 to 105 on Friday through Sunday with highest Heat Index values on Saturday.  High temperatures kill hundreds of people every year. Heat-related deaths and illness are preventable, yet more than 600 people die from extreme heat every year.  To learn about heat-related illness and how to stay cool and safe in hot weather, visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to read their guide, "Keep Your Cool in Hot Weather!"

Borough of Red Bank emergency management, public safety and law enforcement personnel are monitoring the situation and departments are taking necessary precautions to prepare and respond.  Updates will be available on the municipal website at www.redbanknj.org

Sign up for the Borough of Red Bank Community Alert System to stay informed and receive emergency notices.  Visit http://www.redbanknj.org/247/Citizen-Sign-Up

To report power outages, contact the electric company by visiting FirstEnergy/JCP&L or call 1-888-LIGHTSS  (1-888-544-4877).  Downed wires should immediately be called in to your electric company or local police/fire departments. Customers should never go near a downed power line.

To report a gas leak, contact the gas provider (PSE&G) by calling 1-800-436-PSEG (7734).

JCP&L offers some common-sense hot weather tips customers can follow to stay comfortable while using electricity wisely during this period of high demand: 

• Set thermostats as high as comfort will allow. Every degree a customer can increase the temperature in their home will result in using about 3 percent less energy during the hottest summer days. 
• During sunny weather, close drapes or blinds on windows facing the sun to prevent direct radiant heating from impacting interior temperatures. 
• Use fans – moving air cools skin faster, resulting in greater comfort on hot days. 
• Use a programmable thermostat to keep temperatures higher when no one is home, and to reduce the temperature before arrival back home. 
• Only operate window air conditioners when someone is in the room. 
• Keep refrigerators and freezers as full as possible. Frozen or cold items in the refrigerator help keep other items cool, reducing the amount of work the refrigerator has to do to maintain a lower temperature. 
• Close rooms that aren't used regularly during the summer, and close the air conditioning vents in those rooms, as well. 
•  Avoid using heat-producing appliances during the hottest hours of the day. The less heat produced at home, the less work the air conditioner will do.
• Check air conditioner and furnace fan filters. Clogged filters waste energy and money by forcing HVAC systems to work harder than necessary.