If you are planning to be outside this weekend, expect heat and humidity across Georgia. The bigger concern is not rain — it is how hot it will feel. Heat index values, which measure what the temperature actually feels like when you factor in humidity, will top 100 degrees in parts of the state.
What’s happening: Saturday and Sunday bring mostly sunny skies and highs in the low-to-mid 90s from the mountains to the coast. Rain chances are low for most of the state, though a few isolated afternoon storms are possible in some areas.
By the numbers:
- Atlanta area: Highs near 91 Saturday and 92 Sunday, with a heat index up to 98 Saturday.
- NW Georgia: Highs near 92 Saturday and 94 Sunday, with no storm chances either day.
- NE Georgia: Highs near 93 both days, with a slight storm chance Saturday afternoon and a better chance Sunday afternoon.
- South Georgia: Highs near 94 Saturday and 95 Sunday, heat index up to 103, and a slight storm chance Saturday afternoon.
- Southeast Georgia coast: Highs near 94 Saturday and 95 Sunday, heat index up to 103, with storm chances Saturday and Sunday afternoons.
- Savannah area: High near 93 Saturday with a heat index up to 106, and a high near 97 Sunday with a storm chance in the afternoon.
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 chances this weekend: Where storms are possible, the odds are low — 20 to 30 percent in most areas. South Georgia and the Southeast coast are the exception. Those areas are more likely to see storms Friday afternoon before conditions dry out for the weekend.
The week ahead: It gets hotter. Highs climb into the mid-to-upper 90s across much of Georgia by midweek. The Atlanta area sees slight afternoon storm chances Monday and Tuesday, each at 20 percent. South Georgia and the Southeast coast face a more active stretch, with storm chances of 50 to 70 percent Monday and Tuesday. Most of the state returns to sunny and hot conditions by Wednesday, with highs near 94 to 98 degrees. Thursday brings another round of slight storm chances, with highs approaching 95 to 99 degrees in parts of the state.
What this means for you: Heat index values above 100 degrees are forecast for South Georgia, the Southeast coast, and the Savannah area this weekend. Spending extended time outdoors during afternoon hours when the heat index is that high carries a risk of heat-related illness.
I wonder which Biblical plague I’ll be experiencing next week. Knowing Georgia’s weather, I’m betting on hail.
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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.
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