It will feel like triple-digit temperatures pretty much all across North Georgia on Thursday afternoon as heat, humidity and rain chances rise.
A heat advisory has been issued for the region, with the exception of the mountains in the northeast. In Atlanta, heat index values could reach 105 degrees this afternoon. In Athens and areas to the southeast, it could get closer to 108, according to Channel 2 Action News meteorologist Jennifer Lopez.
The advisory is scheduled to go into effect at noon and expire at 7 p.m.
“The actual temperature may stay in the low to mid-90s, and it is going to help to fuel some more thunderstorms, which will be widely scattered again today,” Lopez said. “In the afternoon, that rain chance is sitting at about 40%. We’re going to see more rain develop as we go through the next few days.”
Atlanta’s projected high is 93 degrees Thursday. The city is off to a warm start in the upper 70s, several degrees above the average low of 71 for this time of year. By 10 a.m., Lopez expects actual temperatures to be in the 80s, but it will already feel like the mid-90s outside.
“And by the time we get up into the 90s, those thunderstorms are going to start to flare up,” she said. “Around 4 p.m. we’ll see a good chance of rain really anywhere across North Georgia.”
Lopez said thunderstorms could pop up at any time through the evening drive before the rain activity slowly tapers off into the overnight hours.
“There is concern with some of these thunderstorms, as they kind of move in or generate from the north and just slowly try to push to the south, for some heavy rain and some of those strong winds that can of course knock down some trees,” she said. “And also some hail.”
More of the same heat, humidity and afternoon thunderstorms are in Friday’s forecast, but metro Atlanta is looking at some changes for the weekend. On Saturday and Sunday, rain chances increase to 70%, according to the latest forecast.
Lopez said to expect widely scattered showers Saturday all throughout the Southeast. On Sunday, a weather system will settle across Middle Georgia and will be responsible for more wet weather, she said.
Credit: Channel 2 Action News
Credit: Channel 2 Action News
» For a detailed forecast, visit The Atlanta Journal-Constitution weather page.
» For updated traffic information, listen to News 95.5 and AM 750 WSB and follow @ajcwsbtraffic on Twitter.
» Download The Atlanta Journal-Constitution app for weather alerts on-the-go.
About the Author
