Dangerous heat continues to build in southwest Wisconsin, underneath a heat dome that will subject more than 230 million Americans to oppressive temperatures and rain-forest-like humidity into the July 4 holiday.

But while many local and county governments are opening special cooling centers in places like community centers and schools, authorities in Green County say such a facility just isn’t practical or even viable in Monroe.

“We usually tell people to go to the public library to cool off during the day,” said Gary Ziegler, director of emergency management for Green County. “And most of the rural counties don’t have that much in the way of cooling centers, either.”

In Lafayette County, cooling centers do exist at Seniors United for Nutrition meal sites in Belmont, Benton, Blanchardville, Darlington and Shullsburg — plus municipal offices and libraries in Argyle, Belmont, Benton, Blanchardville, Cuba City, Darlington, Hazel Green and Shullsburg when open, according to Lafayette County Emergency Management officials

The Lafayette County Sheriff’s Office will also handle individual needs on a case-by-case basis, officials said.

While air temperatures will peak in the Midwest late Tuesday or early Wednesday, the so-called “feel-like” temperatures above 100 degrees could linger through midweek. Within a North American heat dome, a strong high-pressure system acts like a lid, trapping hot air near the ground and preventing cooler air from mixing in — allowing heat to build day after day.

The movement of storms and frontal systems west to east also slows and prevents a break in such mid-summer heatwaves.

In Green and Lafayette Counties, officials are urging people to stay inside an air-conditioned space, if possible, and to avoid strenuous activities; and if necessary, complete such tasks during the earliest part of the day, before the hottest afternoon hours.

And of course, drink plenty of cold water; and check on those with health conditions — including the elderly — and any one who is taking certain medications that impact the body’s temperature regulation. Such drugs include many drug-pressure and cardiac-related medications, as well as some psychiatric drugs, including some anti-depressant and anti-psychotic medications.

Ziegler said the situation in counties like Green also occurs in the winter — when life-threatening cold can grip the region for days or even weeks. Hot or cold, it’s a major undertaking just setting up such a center and staffing it during the duration of a long-lasting weather event.

“Way in the past, there were attempts at establishing those types of facilities, but we’d find that sometimes, only two or maybe three people would show up,” he said.

Instead, he said that in Green County — being such a tight-knit area — many residents who live without air conditioning in summer can find a place to wait out the heat with extended family or friends in town.

“You see it when there’s a disaster like a flood or a tornado, and you see it with something like this,” he said. “People around here generally help and take care of each other.”