Pop-up thunderstorms moved through the metro Atlanta area Monday night ahead of a cool-down expected later in the week.
The slow-moving storms were accompanied by intense cloud-to-ground lightning, Channel 2 Action News chief meteorologist Glenn Burns said.
In Douglas County, a 59-year-old woman was struck by lightning on Heatherwood Court, county spokesman Wes Tallon said. She was transported to WellStar Douglas Hospital for treatment.
Also in Douglas County, a house in the 3700 block of Landmark Drive was damaged by fire after being struck by lightning, Tallon said. No injuries were reported. A dog was killed when lightning struck a nearby tree in the 3900 block of Holland Drive.
Firefighters in Gwinnett County responded to reports of trees and wires down, but there was no significant damage reported and no widespread loss of power, Gwinnett fire Capt. Tommy Rutledge said.
"This type of weather is common in our region of the country, especially during the warm summer months," he said. "People are encouraged to prepare for severe weather and stay alert to the changing weather conditions."
Forecasters are predicting a welcome cool-down in the metro area for now, but more heat spikes are likely to follow.
"I don't anticipate us going back to the hundreds," Kirk Mellish, chief meteorologist for News Talk Radio AM 750 and now 95.5 FM, said. "But the next heat wave ... will have more humidity."
That can come later in the month, Mellish said.
For this week, however, expect a reprieve from the scorching temperatures.
"Temperatures ... over the course of the week will start going down," Channel 2 Action News meteorologist Karen Minton said.
That's because more rain is in the forecast.
"By the time we get to Friday, everyone [in metro Atlanta] should get at least some rain," Mellish said.
Monday's 30 percent chance of rain doubles for Tuesday and Wednesday.
"And then temperatures start to drop," she said.
By Thursday, the mercury could reach only the mid- to upper 80s.
"During most of this week, chances [for rain] will be above average for this time of year, which is badly needed in Georgia," since the region goes through a drought, Mellish said.
The last heat wave metro Atlanta experienced was a Senora, which originated from the desert regions of the U.S. west and carried dry air.
The next round of high temperatures will come from high pressure building in the east — a Bermuda heat wave — and bring with it more moisture.
Mellish said the first of the anticipated heat waves, with temperatures topping out in the 90s, can be expected as early as July 15. And each Bermuda heat wave typically lasts a week.
"So keep your air conditioner on the ready," Mellish said. "Even though we're going to go below the norm for [maybe] a few weeks, it's going to get hot again."
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