Atlanta hit 100 degrees for the first time in nearly five years Wednesday.
“It’s been another hot one,” Channel 2 Action News chief meteorologist Brad Nitz said.
Meteorologists weren’t expecting metro Atlanta to reach the triple digits. In fact, Wednesday was only supposed to reach a high of 98 degrees. By around 6 p.m., Nitz announced that Atlanta finished off the afternoon at a blistering 100 degrees.
The last time the city was this hot was in August 2019.
High heat has some Georgia hospitals including Grady Memorial in Atlanta seeing an influx of patients with symptoms of heat exhaustion such as dizziness, fatigue, headaches or muscle cramps.
In southwest Georgia, Dr. James “Eddie” Black is medical director of emergency services at Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital. While the hospital always expects some cases of heat-related illness during the summer, he suspects that weather patterns with high temperatures arriving earlier than normal this year contributed to the problem.
“I think that part of the difference is, this year it kind of jumped on us all of a sudden, because we didn’t have a prolonged ramp-up period,” Black said. “Our spring was somewhat mild, as far as springs go, and actually very pleasant, and then all of a sudden it became hot.”
People usually can acclimate and make changes in their habits and schedules as the heat ramps up, he said. That includes starting to drink water earlier in the day, wearing loose fitting clothes, taking an umbrella on long walks in direct sun, and letting someone know if you’re in the heat for a while.
“Say you’re a roofer,” Black said. “As the temperature gets hotter, you know you need to be prepared to take longer breaks. Make sure that you’re working in tandem with one or more other people in a buddy system.”
Credit: John Spink
Credit: John Spink
Black said while he’s seen heat exhaustion, he hasn’t yet seen cases of the more serious heat stroke. When heat stroke occurs, the body’s temperature can spike to 106 degrees or higher within 10 to 15 minutes. Heat stroke can cause permanent disability or death if the person does not receive emergency treatment, according to the CDC.
Black wants everyone to take those preparations, but the most important two he said are to hydrate early and often, and to let someone know if you’re going to be out in the sun.
By the time you’re thirsty, he said, you’re already dehydrated. And if you get disoriented from heat exhaustion, it’s crucial for someone to notice and take action.
A weak cold front will approach overnight Wednesday, causing an increase in humidity and cloud coverage Thursday, Nitz explained. Some showers will also return, but no widespread storms are anticipated. Afternoon temperatures will top off in the low to mid-90s.
“We need some wet weather,” Nitz said.
More on managing your heat risk:
Track the heat risk for your ZIP code on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s website.
For more about the effects and treatments for heat-related illnesses, see the CDC’s tips.
» For a detailed forecast, visit www.ajc.com/weather.
» For updated traffic information, listen to News 95.5 and AM 750 WSB and follow @WSBTraffic.
» Download The Atlanta Journal-Constitution app for weather alerts on-the-go.
