After two consecutive days of a record-smashing high of 106, Monday's expected temperature of 99 might be downright pleasant.
Saturday's 106 had been classified the hottest day ever in the city of Atlanta, breaking the previous record of 105, last seen in July 1980.
Sunday matched that, again hitting a sweltering 106 degrees in the afternoon, knocking down the record for the date of 99 set in 1954.
The heat should recede on Monday with highs near the record high of 99, said Channel 2 Action News meteorologist David Chandley. Tuesday and Wednesday should be back closer to normal, with highs around 94 and a 30 percent chance of some relief from afternoon thunderstorms.
Meanwhile, a weak disturbance helped kick off strong to severe thunderstorms west, south and east of Atlanta late Sunday afternoon and into the evening. A better chance for more showers and thunderstorms will be Tuesday and Wednesday with highs in the mid 90s, Chandley said.
By Sunday, metro Atlanta's air quality had dropped back to Code Red after being so poor on Friday that it shot up to code purple. The Clean Air Campaign said that meant air quality reached "very unhealthy" levels. The last time air quality was that poor was Aug. 15, 2007. The organization bases its alerts on data from the Environmental Protection Agency.
If there was good news from the heat wave it was that no deaths had been reported by late afternoon Sunday , although a number of metro hospitals reported seeing patients with symptoms of heat exhaustion. Northside Hospital-Cherokee said they treated a half dozen people, while Atlanta Medical Center treated two.
At Piedmont Hospital, the medical director, Dr. Jeffrey Oyler, said there have been cases of dehydration but not an unusual amount. "Now that the real heat is kicking in, it's so oppressively hot a lot of people are staying in, which is good," Oyler said.
There are resources available to beat the heat. More cooling stations have opened and all 12 of the city of Atlanta's swimming pools are open from noon to 7 p.m. Sunday, with seven of them offering free admission for the day. Go to ajc.com for a complete list.
The Salvation Army had two cooling stations open Sunday — one in Lawrenceville and another in Decatur. Maj. Todd Hawks, commander of the Salvation Army's Metro Atlanta division, said its shelter on Luckie Street downtown is at capacity.
Staff writers Christopher Seward and Fran Jeffries contributed to this article.
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