There will be no relief from the heat today, forecasters say, with temperatures expecting to hit 99 degrees. The National Weather Service has issued a heat advisory for Maplewood.

 On Thursday, local residents flocked to the Maplewood pool to cool off from the heat – and check out the new water slides. The pool is scheduled to open again today at 3 p.m.

South Orange is opening its community pool at noon today -- two days early because of the high temps.

Residents are advised to reduce activity, stay hydrated, and seek cool buildings like libraries, malls and movie theaters. 

The DeHart Community Center will be open today from 10 a.m. (until 9 p.m.) Anyone who wants to take a break from the heat and cool down is encouraged to stop in. The DeHart Community Center is located at 120 Burnett Ave. Bring a book or friend.

The Maplewood Memorial Library and the Hilton Branch Library are also open for cooling off. The Main Library will be open 10 a.m.-9 p.m. and is located at 51 Baker St. The Hilton Branch located at 1688 Springfield Ave is open from 10 a.m.-5 p.m.

And power supplies are stretched, utilities say. Last night, PSE&G reported scattered outages in Essex County. On Thursday morning, up to 500 homes in Essex County were reportedly without power.

Dangerous-heat advisories and air quality alerts have been issued. For more information is available from the NJ Office of Emergency Management.

A heat advisory is in effect until at least 8 p.m. today, according to the National Weather Service.

Check up on anyone living alone, especially anyone not in good health or very young or old, and to not hesitate at all to call 911 if they are feeling ill, as heat-related illnesses can be very serious.

PSE&G advised customers to use the following heat safety and energy conservation/cost-saving tips throughout the summer:

•  Turn off everything you’re not using: lights, TVs, computers, etc. Use dimmers, timers and motion detectors on indoor and outdoor lighting.

•  Close blinds, shades and draperies facing the sun to keep the sun’s heat out and help fans and air conditioners cool more efficiently. 

• Close doors leading to uncooled parts of your home.  With central air, close off vents to unused rooms.

•  Delay heat-producing tasks such as washing and drying laundry or dishes until later in the day, and wait until load is full.

• Refrain from using nonessential appliances. Unplug or use only when necessary an extra refrigerator in your garage.  Also, customers should consider setting their air conditioners to 78 degrees, health permitting.

If you experience a power outage, please call PSE&G’s Customer Service line: 1-800-436-PSEG.  Customers who are registered with My Account can also report power outages online. To do so, Log In now or register.

Customers can also monitor restoration progress by signing up and following us on the PSE&G Twitter channel at http://twitter.com/psegdelivers