Stay indoors as much as you can, Atlanta. Some seriously sweltering heat is bearing down over the Peach State and will make it feel like 105 degrees or more Monday and Tuesday.
Heat advisories are in effect from 11 a.m. Monday to 8 p.m. Tuesday for nearly the entire state, according to the National Weather Service. In areas southeast of the city and in the state’s southeastern corner, an “extreme heat” warning is in place.
In areas under the heat advisory, the heat index — a measure of how hot it feels on your skin — could climb to 109 degrees. Those feels-like temps could reach 115 degrees in locations where the extreme heat warning is in place.
It’s so hot that the city of Atlanta and DeKalb County have opened cooling centers.
“That is the kind of heat that can overcome you pretty quickly,” Channel 2 Action News meteorologist Brian Monahan said. “Even if you think you’re in great shape ... or you’re used to the summertime heat, you still need to take it really easy and listen to the signs of your body when the heat is just becoming too much today.”
Credit: National Weather Service
Credit: National Weather Service
Even in the state’s northeast corner, which has escaped the heat advisory, heat indexes are still expected to reach the triple-digit range.
The city of Atlanta opened a cooling center at Selena S. Butler Park over the weekend, and the site will remain available for those in need from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. Bottled water will be available. The park is at 98 William Holmes Borders Senior Drive.
In DeKalb, cooling centers are open across the county through Thursday, and recreation center pools will be free to the public from 2 p.m. until closing.
Drink plenty of fluids, stay in air-conditioned rooms as much as possible, get out of the sun and don’t forget to check on your loved ones, the Weather Service warns. If you have to spend any time outdoors, take frequent breaks in the shade and stay hydrated.
Heat exhaustion will take hold quickly under such oppressive conditions, and the consequences can be deadly. Quickly seek water and shade if you feel dizzy, experience heavy sweating, a rapid pulse, nausea, headaches and cool, moist skin.
Not much rain is in the forecast for metro Atlanta on Monday. We should see a mix of sun and clouds with just a 20% chance of rain. On Tuesday, there will be more clouds, and we’ll have a 40% chance of a shower or storm.
The good news is the area should get some relief during the second half of the week with an “unseasonably strong cold front” that will push cooler air over the state. Temps should drop by as much as 15 degrees, and showers and thunderstorms will increase and help cool us down even more.
Credit: National Weather Service
Credit: National Weather Service
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