Temps lowered as rain stayed away

Tomorrow: Sunny, then slight chance of rain. High: 94

» For a detailed forecast, visit The Atlanta Journal-Constitution weather page.

Intense heat and slim rain chances will stay with metro Atlanta through much of the week.

South and southwesterly winds will push temperatures into the 90s Wednesday, making it dangerous to leave pets or children in a car, according to Channel 2 Action News.

“The car heat can get very, very hot and can kill,” meteorologist Karen Minton said.

Temperatures were 83 degrees in Atlanta, 74 degrees in Blairsville and 81 degrees in Griffin just after 8 p.m.

Atlanta temps are expected to hit a high of 95 by 5 p.m.

"If you're going to be outside, you must start hydrating now, and make sure you're continuing to do so throughout the day," Minton said early Wednesday.

The heat index could get as high as 101 degrees, and rain isn’t expected to cool temperatures anytime soon.

Highs will stay in the mid-to-low 90s through Sunday, even as rain chances increase to 60 percent.

In the meantime, the metro area faces only a 10 percent chance of rain, and North Georgia faces a 20 percent chance Wednesday.

Showers to the north could produce isolated strong to severe storms in Blairsville and areas northeast of Blairsville, which are under a marginal risk.

“It’s very small, but you might get some strong storms with some very heavy rain, lightning and some gusty wind,” Minton said. “So watch for that through the early evening hours.”