Georgians face a double threat of severe thunderstorms and dangerous heat through next week. The National Weather Service warns temperatures could feel like 108 degrees.
🌡️ Why It Matters: The combination of severe weather and extreme heat poses serious health risks. Power outages from storms could leave residents without air conditioning during the hottest part of summer.
⛈️ What’s Happening: Scattered thunderstorms will develop this afternoon and evening across north and central Georgia. These storms could produce damaging winds, frequent lightning, and heavy rainfall that leads to flash flooding.
Heat index values will climb to between 98 and 104 degrees today for most of the state. Far northeastern Georgia will see slightly cooler conditions.
🔥 The Heat Gets Worse: Early next week brings the most dangerous conditions. Sunday through Tuesday, afternoon temperatures will feel like they’re between 100 and 108 degrees across the region.
The National Weather Service expects afternoon and evening thunderstorms to continue Friday. Eastern Georgia faces the highest risk for severe weather Friday.
What is the Heat Index?: The heat index refers to what the temperature feels like when the air temperature is combined with relative humidity. The thermometer in your car may report 90 degree temperatures, but the humidity means that to your body, it will feel like it is over 100 degrees. The heat index is sometimes called the “apparent temperature.”
⚡ Storm Threats Continue: Weekend storms are likely but should be less widespread than earlier in the week. The primary dangers remain damaging wind gusts and localized flash flooding in areas that see heavy rainfall.
Residents should prepare for possible power outages and have cooling plans that don’t rely on electricity. The combination of storms and extreme heat makes this weather pattern particularly hazardous.
Before You Dismiss This Article…
We live in a time when information feels overwhelming, but here’s what hasn’t changed: facts exist whether they comfort us or not.
When A&W launched their third-pound burger to compete with McDonald’s Quarter Pounder in the 1980s, it failed spectacularly. Not because it tasted worse, but because customers thought 1/3 was smaller than 1/4. If basic math can trip us up, imagine how easily we can misread complex news.
The press isn’t against you when it reports something you don’t want to hear. Reporters are thermometers, not the fever itself. They’re telling you what verified sources are saying, not taking sides. Good reporting should challenge you — that’s literally the job.
Next time a story makes you angry, pause. Ask yourself: What evidence backs this up? Am I reacting with my brain or my gut? What would actually change my mind? And most importantly, am I assuming bias just because the story doesn’t match what I hoped to hear.
Smart readers choose verified information over their own comfort zone.
B.T. Clark
B.T. Clark is an award-winning journalist and the Publisher of The Georgia Sun. He has 25 years of experience in journalism and served as Managing Editor of Neighbor Newspapers in metro Atlanta for 15 years and Digital Director at Times-Journal Inc. for 8 years. His work has appeared in several newspapers throughout the state including Neighbor Newspapers, The Cherokee Tribune and The Marietta Daily Journal. He is a Georgia native and a fifth-generation Georgian.
