Chastain Park Pool employees expect large crowds seeking a break from the heat, and when the mercury soars, they keep extra lifeguards on call.
By the end of the week, they're going to need those extra lifeguards.
Temperatures will rise to near record levels by the weekend, forecasters say.
Channel 2 Action News meteorologist David Chandley said afternoon highs will gradually climb the rest of this week, from the upper 80s on Wednesday to the mid-90s on Thursday and upper 90s Friday through Sunday.
Chandley is forecasting a high Saturday of 98 degrees, which would match the record high for the date set in 1936.
For Sunday, Chandley's forecast high of 98 would be 1 degree off the record set in 1954.
"It'll feel just like July should," Channel 2 chief meteorologist Glenn Burns said. "Hot like a firecracker."
Normal highs for this time of the year are about 10 degrees cooler, in the upper 80s.
Overnight lows will be holding in the mid-70s by week's end, Chandley said.
Jim King, a member of the Chastain Park Athletic Club's board of directors, said the pool management makes changes as appropriate when dealing with the high temperatures.
"We make sure the lifeguards are hydrated and rotating in and out," King said. "We do what we have to do to deal with the heat."
Some relief may come next week, Burns said. There's a slight chance of rain on Monday.
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