Georgia is facing a dangerous heat wave this week, with much of the state at risk for serious heat-related illness. Here’s what you need to know to keep yourself and your loved ones safe.
🥵 Why It Matters: Extreme heat can be deadly, especially for children, older adults, and people without air conditioning. Staying safe in this heat is about more than comfort—it’s about protecting lives.
🌡️ What’s Happening: The National Weather Service says most of Georgia will see “major” to “extreme” heat risk on June 24 and 25.
- Many areas, including Atlanta, Athens, and Augusta, are in the highest risk zones.
- This level of heat can cause illness fast, especially if you don’t have good cooling or enough water.
🚨 Between the Lines: This heat wave is not just uncomfortable—it’s dangerous.
- People who work outside, kids, pets, and anyone without air conditioning are at the highest risk.
- Hospitals and emergency services may see more calls for heat-related problems.
🧊 How to Stay Safe:
- Drink lots of water, even if you don’t feel thirsty.
- Take breaks in the shade or indoors as much as possible.
- Never leave kids or pets in cars, even for a minute.
- Check on neighbors, especially the elderly or those without air conditioning.
- If you must work outside, use a buddy system and take frequent breaks.
🕒 The Big Picture: Heat waves are becoming more common and more dangerous in Georgia. Planning ahead—like making sure your air conditioning works and knowing where to go to cool off—can save lives.
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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.
