Cooling center locations, signs of heat-related illness, and more ways to stay prepared as temperatures near 100 degrees.

Highs could reach 96 degrees in the D.C. area on Saturday. The weekend heat could end up being the hottest the District has seen this early in the year.

D.C. activates its Heat Emergency Plan when the temperature or heat index rises above 92 degrees.

Through Sunday, the city is extending hours for some outdoor pools and splash parks, and keeping a number of low-barrier shelters open 24 hours.

Hyperthemia is a risk for anyone in scorching temperatures but perhaps poses the greatest threat to D.C. residents without a home.

Stay cool, D.C.

Today is shaping up to be the most oppressive, face-melting day of the year, with temperatures expected to reach 97 degrees by this afternoon and a heat index that will make the air outside feel like it’s 100 to 105 degrees.

Photo by philliefan99 The D.C. Homeland Security and Emergency Management Agency has issued a Heat Alert for today, while the National Weather Service prefers to call its recommendation a Heat Advisory. Whatever you call it, it’s hot as balls out there, and it’s only going to get hotter — highs are expected to reach 100° at some point today, with the heat index making it feel like 105°. The Post’s heatwave story notes that…