It may be the second week of September, but it certainly doesn’t feel like it.
Atlanta has hit 99 degrees, and the city may not be done warming up, according to Channel 2 Action News. With the start of fall officially two weeks away, temperatures could hit a record-tying 100 degrees Monday.
Eatonton has already hit 100, and even the North Georgia mountains have broken the 90-degree mark.
“It's brutal out there,” Channel 2 chief meteorologist Glenn Burns said. “Just an extraordinarily hot day across northern Georgia.”
The only thing cool about Monday is traffic, which features only a few problem spots, according to the WSB 24-hour Traffic Center.
A prior gas leak on Georgia Tech’s campus prompted evacuations at the Center Street North Apartments, blocking Hemphill Road between Ferst Drive and 10th Street in the process, university police said. The leak has since been fixed, allowing the road to reopen.
A car fire heated up Clayton County interstates ahead of the evening commute, according to the Traffic Center. A left lane of I-285 West remains blocked near Riverdale Road as crews work to move the burned vehicle. Both the Perimeter and I-75 are seeing delays.
Ga. 400 is also seeing delays after a crash blocked a northbound lane near Abernathy Road, causing backups into Buckhead, according to the Traffic Center.
The last time Atlanta hit 100 degrees on this date, it was 1925, Burns said. This time of year, Atlanta should be in the mid-80s.
“This week, get used to these two words: very and hot,” he said.
Credit: JOHN SPINK / JSPINK@AJC.COM
Credit: JOHN SPINK / JSPINK@AJC.COM
An area of high pressure is contributing to all the heat. As a result, air quality is poor. A Code Orange smog alert is in effect for all of metro Atlanta, and the National Weather Service issued a heat advisory for those south of I-20.
“Because we have that high sitting right overhead ... you trap all those pollutants,” Channel 2 meteorologist Brian Monahan said. “The ozone, the car exhaust, all that kind of stuff just builds up in the lower levels of the atmosphere.”
Some rain is in the forecast Monday, but most should stay dry. Monahan said an isolated shower is 20% likely on the Southside.
“A little better chance of rain on Tuesday, and we'll drop the heat just a little bit,” he said.
A few showers should begin to develop in the early afternoon, according to Channel 2. Into the evening, downpours are possible.
With a 30% chance of rain Tuesday, the projected high drops back to 94 degrees.
The rest of the work week should be pretty dry, but Monahan said a shift in the rain pattern could bring some cooler weather by the weekend. Temperatures on Sunday will be a little closer to average with a high of 89 degrees, according to the latest forecast.
» For a detailed forecast, visit The Atlanta Journal-Constitution weather page.
» For updated traffic information, listen to News 95.5 and AM 750 WSB and follow @ajcwsbtraffic on Twitter.
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