A heat advisory remains in effect across dozens of Georgia counties as temperatures climb toward dangerous levels, with heat index values reaching 108 degrees by Monday afternoon.
🌡️ Why It Matters: The combination of high temperatures and humidity can cause heat-related illnesses, especially for children, elderly residents, and anyone working outdoors. This level of heat stress can be life-threatening without proper precautions.
☀️ What’s Happening: The National Weather Service has issued heat advisories covering 23 counties across central, north central, northeast, and west central Georgia. The first advisory runs until 8 p.m. today, followed by another from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday.
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.”
🏠 Between the Lines: The affected counties stretch from Banks and Jackson in the north to Crisp and Wilcox in the south, covering major population centers and rural communities alike. Heat index values—what the temperature actually feels like when humidity is factored in—will climb as high as 106 degrees today and 108 degrees Monday.
🚨 Stay Safe: Weather officials recommend drinking plenty of fluids, staying in air-conditioned spaces, and avoiding sun exposure during peak hours. Residents should check on neighbors and relatives, especially those without air conditioning. Anyone working outside should limit strenuous activities to early morning or evening hours and wear lightweight, loose-fitting clothing.
The Sources: National Weather Service.
How to Read and Understand the News
Truth doesn’t bend because we dislike it.
Facts don’t vanish when they make us uncomfortable.
Events happen whether we accept them or not.
Good reporting challenges us. The press isn’t choosing sides — it’s relaying what official, verified sources say. Blaming reporters for bad news is like blaming a thermometer for a fever.
Americans have a history of misunderstanding simple things. In the 1980s, A&W rolled out a 1/3-pound burger to compete with McDonald’s Quarter Pounder. It failed because too many people thought 1/3 was smaller than 1/4. If we can botch basic math, we can certainly misread the news.
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- What evidence backs this?
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- What would change my mind?
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And one more: Am I assuming bias just because I don’t like the story?
Smart news consumers seek truth, not comfort.
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.
