Don’t let the calendar fool you.
Yes, it’s October, but temperatures are expected to soar to record-breaking highs on Thursday when the Atlanta Braves face the St. Louis Cardinals in the first game of the National League Division Series at SunTrust Park.
Channel 2 meteorologist Brian Monahan said fans headed to the game Thursday should expect a high of 98 degrees by 4 p.m. The first pitch is an hour later. The temperature will drop to only the low 90s by 8 p.m.
And Friday — when first pitch is set for 4:37 p.m. — won’t offer much relief. The high is expected to be around 95.
The average temperature for this time of year is 77, Monahan said.
Last year, weather conditions for the Braves’ October playoff games at SunTrust Park were far milder, hovering in the high 70s and low 80s and partly cloudy — pretty perfect.
But summer and early fall days this year have been scorchers. Friday’s heat will bring the total number of 90-degree days to 91 this year, more than double the annual average.
While it’s unseasonably hot, Braves spokeswoman Beth Marshall pointed out that extremely high temperatures are not unusual for Braves games throughout the season.
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Water stations will be set up for fans two and a half hours before the first pitch to help guests stay hydrated. Fans will see one water station as they cross the bridge over Circle 75 and another one will be set up outside the 3B Gate as guests cross the bridge over Windy Ridge.
Cooling stations also will be set up at first aid locations in the following areas: 111, 241 and 314 sections, and in the lower level lobbies of both the 1B and 3B elevator banks. Several water fountains are located throughout the ballpark: at Hope & Will’s Sandlot (across from Taco Factory), and sections 111, 118, 133, 138, 145, 147, 218, 240, 312, 326 (located behind the press box), 329, 340 and 346.
Fans can bring one sealed water bottle per person into SunTrust Park.
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Alex Sosebee, a Braves season ticket holder, said he’ll stay hydrated and likely will treat himself to a King of Pops popsicle. And he’ll seek out air-conditioned areas of the ballpark as needed. But, he said, he’s been to plenty of summer games and won’t let a sizzling hot day get in the way of his enjoyment. On a scale of one to 10, he said, his excitement is at “a 17 and a half.”
Weather conditions won’t be able to suppress that.
“I’m not going to pretend that 98 isn’t miserable. No matter what you wear or what you do, this is going to be hot,” said Sosebee, who lives in Acworth and works about a mile from SunTrust Park. “But this is Atlanta, and we are used to melting six months a year.”
Meanwhile, fall weather should finally arrive next week, when temperatures are expected to drop to the low 70s and even slide down into the 50s, Monahan said.
THURSDAY’S FORECAST
It’s going to be hot for the first pitch. The temperature today is going to be in the upper 90s. Keep up with the forecast all day at Channel 2 Action News at WSB-TV.
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