Updated Jan. 24, 2026, at 9:35 a.m.
Not open tonight:
- Emergency severe weather shelters.
Open today/tonight:
- Multnomah County and the City of Portland’s more than 2,000 year-round shelter beds, along with the City of Portland’s overnight-only shelter beds. People seeking shelter in Portland should call 311 from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. for information on the City’s shelters, or check this interactive map.
- Other warm spaces can be found on this interactive map.
Weather forecasts do not currently meet thresholds to open severe weather shelters.
Local officials use these thresholds — in consultation with National Weather Service experts, County Emergency Management, the Health Department, County Human Services, the Homeless Services Department (formerly the Joint Office of Homeless Services) and the Portland Bureau of Emergency Management — to activate emergency severe weather shelter plans.
Officials will continue to monitor forecasts through the winter season in the event that conditions require emergency severe weather shelters to open.
People seeking shelter in Portland should call 311 from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. for information on the City’s overnight-only shelters, or check this interactive map.
Multnomah County Library locations can provide a warm space during the daytime. Hours and locations can be found at this webpage (note that some locations are closed for construction).
If you are concerned about someone you see during colder conditions, such as an individual who is not dressed for the weather conditions, call the non-emergency response line at 503-823-3333 and request a welfare check.
If someone is unsheltered and their life appears to be in danger, call 9-1-1 for medical attention.
County activates enhanced street outreach
On Jan. 20, 2026, the Multnomah County Homeless Services Department activated its enhanced street outreach program to provide support to people experiencing unsheltered homelessness.
During enhanced outreach, teams distribute cold-weather supplies like blankets, handwarmers and warm clothes to people experiencing unsheltered homelessness. Outreach teams check on people experiencing unsheltered homelessness throughout the entire County and provide them with these life-saving supplies.
The Homeless Services Department divides the county into 37 “zones,” and makes sure teams are visiting all of the zones to ensure total coverage of the county.
The following conditions lasting for four (4) or more hours overnight activate the highest level of enhanced street outreach. In some cases, thresholds may be met only in certain zones; enhanced outreach can be specific to those zones.
- Temperatures forecast to reach 32° F or below, without precipitation
- Windchills forecast to reach 25° F or below, without precipitation
- Temperatures forecast to reach 34° F or below, alongside precipitation of more than one tenth of an inch.
Heating saves lives; utility assistance is available
For community members who are concerned about not being able to afford their utility bills this winter, assistance is available. Utility discounts and bill assistance grants are available to qualifying community members. Learn more about these resources on this webpage.
You also have a number of protections if you are at risk of disconnections. For example, your utility can generally not disconnect you during severe weather and air quality events and while under wildfire evacuation. If you qualify as a low-income customer, you can also access a limited number of reconnection-fee waivers.
Volunteering to support our warming shelters when the time comes
During dangerous weather emergencies, Multnomah County opens emergency severe weather shelters, known as Disaster Resource Centers (DRCs), across our community. These spaces offer people shelter, safety, resources and connection — especially those who are at greatest risk of harm. We often welcome the support of community members when the need arises. Visit the “Volunteer at a County emergency shelter” webpage to learn about info sessions and training opportunities, as well as emergency shelter roles and their requirements.
Thresholds for opening emergency shelter during severe weather
County staff monitor weather conditions and other factors, including temperature fluctuations, precipitation, windchill and emergency department visits for hypothermia. Once forecasts show the potential for thresholds to be met, officials meet daily to discuss those weather conditions — consulting with Emergency Management, Health Department, County Human Services and Homeless Services experts — and then jointly decide on shelter plans as needed.
Severe weather shelters open as needed when any of the following thresholds are met for any one of the conditions below that are forecasted to persist for four (4) hours or more between the hours of 8 p.m. and 7 a.m.
- Forecast temperature of 25° F (-4° C) or below
- Forecast temperature at or below 32° F (0° C) with 1 inch or more of rain and with sustained winds greater than 10 mph overnight
- Forecast snow accumulation of 1 inch (25 mm) or more over a 24-hour period
The County’s Chief Operating Officer or their designee may consider other conditions or circumstances during a severe weather event that could increase the risk to the community and activate elements included in this standard operating procedure.
The basic thresholds the County uses were first developed and used by the City of Portland, before the Joint Office of Homeless Services was created, when the City served as the lead agency providing severe weather shelter for adults experiencing homelessness. The County has since expanded the thresholds and added a separate cold weather response on nights when thresholds aren’t met.
