One more nice day before the heat begins in earnest. This morning is wonderful outside with dew points in the low 50s and the current low of 56.8 degrees at 6:08 a.m. this morning. Dew points will drop this afternoon with temperatures reaching 90 degrees for most of us.
The air is very dry in the lower levels of the atmosphere and a Special Weather Statement has been issued for several neighboring counties including Walton county for dangerous fire weather conditions.
...FIRE DANGER STATEMENT... ...HIGH FIRE DANGER CONDITIONS THIS AFTERNOON INTO THE EARLY EVENING FOR PARTS OF NORTH AND CENTRAL GEORGIA DUE TO LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITIES... RELATIVE HUMIDITIES OF 25 PERCENT OR LESS CAN BE EXPECTED FOR 4 OR MORE HOURS THIS AFTERNOON INTO THE EARLY EVENING...GENERALLY SOUTH AND EAST OF A LINE FROM HAMILTON TO CONYERS AND DANIELSVILLE. WINDS WILL BE EAST TO SOUTHEAST AT 10 TO 15 MPH...WITH GUSTS OVER 20 MPH. WITH DRY FUELS...HIGH FIRE DANGER CONDITIONS CAN BE EXPECTED. PLEASE REFER TO YOUR LOCAL BURN PERMITTING AUTHORITIES CONCERNING WHETHER YOU MAY BURN OUTDOORS. IF YOU DO BURN OUTSIDE...USE EXTREME CAUTION.
But the big story is the brutal heat that will visit our area Thursday through at least Monday. An upper ridge will be building out of the plains and subsidence from departing Debby will cause temperatures to soar by the weekend with highs flirting with 100 degrees for much of our area. As the weekend approaches, moisture will begin to return which will push the heat indices to the 100-110 degree range... can you say scorching hot? The NWS here in Atlanta has mentioned the possibility of issuing a Heat Advisory later in the week. These will be very dangerous conditions so please limit your outdoor activity and take care of the pets that stay outside.
And to make matters worse, a Code Orange Air Quality Alert has been issued for today
WEDNESDAY JUNE 27... THE GEORGIA DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES...ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION DIVISION HAS ISSUED A CODE ORANGE (UNHEALTHY FOR SENSITIVE GROUPS) AIR QUALITY ALERT FOR ATLANTA FOR WEDNESDAY JUNE 27.
UNDER CODE ORANGE CONDITIONS...THE OUTDOOR AIR IS LIKELY TO BE UNHEALTHY FOR SOME PEOPLE. CHILDREN...PEOPLE WHO ARE SENSITIVE TO OZONE...AND PEOPLE WITH HEART OR LUNG DISEASE SHOULD LIMIT PROLONGED OUTDOOR EXERTION DURING THE LATE AFTERNOON OR EARLY EVENING WHEN OZONE CONCENTRATIONS ARE HIGHEST.
The UV index for today is 10 which is very high. Be sure to wear your sunblock when going outside!
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RECORDS FOR Saturday 06-30 MAX TEMPERATURE STATION HIGH ------- ---------- KAHN 102 1927 KATL 98 1936 1914 1890 KCSG 100 1959 1954 KMCN 103 1959 RECORDS FOR Sunday 07-01 MAX TEMPERATURE STATION HIGH ------- ---------- KAHN 103 1927 KATL 99 1954 KCSG 99 2007 1998 1990 KMCN 103 1954
http://www.noaa.gov/features/earthobs_0508/heat.html
http://www.lightningsafety.noaa.gov/
This particular setup at the surface and aloft couldn't be any more perfect to deliver the most heat possible for the Carolinas, Georgia and Virginia. Closed ridge in perfect spot, west/nw winds, and deep mixing through the column, combined with "Debby" offshore and the hottest 850 temps in many years. Only saving grace may be a wet ground in a few spots.
http://www.daculaweather.com/national_alerts/4_severe_alert.php http://www.daculaweather.com/4_air_quality.php The UV index is extremely high today so make sure to wear the sunblock. http://www.daculaweather.com/4_uv_map.php
Strong downsloping winds from the mountains will cause the air to compress. When you compress a gas, it gets warmer and warmer it's going to get! I had a high yesterday of 97.3 and the day averaged out to be 81.1 degrees. From about 12:30pm yesterday until 8:30pm it was above 90 degrees, and that should get even longer over the next three days. Yesterday Muscle Shoals was 96 degrees at 10am while Huntsville was 94, that heat is heading our way. NOAA Report: http://www.daculaweather.com/4_dacula_noaa.php Graphs: http://www.daculaweather.com/4_dacula_weather_graphs.php Temp History: http://www.daculaweather.com/4_dacula_wxtempdetail.php
...FIRE DANGER STATEMENT FOR THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING FOR NORTH AND PARTS OF CENTRAL GEORGIA... ...HEAT WAVE TO CONTINUE THROUGH THE WEEKEND... MAXIMUM TEMPERATURES THIS AFTERNOON WILL CLIMB INTO THE LOW TO MID 100S ACROSS NORTH AND CENTRAL GEORGIA WITH HEAT INDICES OF 100 TO 105 DEGREES. ALTHOUGH THIS DOES NOT MEET HEAT ADVISORY CRITERIA WITH MINIMUM TEMPERATURES IN THE LOW 70S...AFTERNOON TEMPERATURES WILL STILL BE DANGEROUS. THESE HIGH TEMPERATURES ARE FORECAST TO LAST THROUGH THE WEEKEND...ALTHOUGH WITH INCREASED MOISTURE...THE HEAT INDICES WILL INCREASE TO 105 TO 110 FOR SATURDAY AND SUNDAY. TAKE EXTRA PRECAUTIONS TO PROTECT YOURSELF...FAMILY AND PETS FROM THE HEAT ESPECIALLY IF YOU ARE SPENDING TIME OUTSIDE. LIMIT OUTSIDE TIME AND WHEN POSSIBLE...RESCHEDULE EVENTS FOR THE EARLY MORNING OR EVENING. KNOW THE SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS OF HEAT EXHAUSTION AND HEAT STROKE. WEAR LIGHT COLORED CLOTHING AND LOOSE FITTING CLOTHES WHEN POSSIBLE AND DRINK PLENTY OF WATER.
Wed: 56.8 Thu: 63.3 Fri: 74.5 While a ten degree jump in our afternoon temperatures over yesterday (97.3) might sound like a lot... it is WELL within the realm of possibility today. Some models are now showing 110+ over parts of North Georgia. We will know in a few hours!
STRONG 597 DM HIGH IS PROGGED TO SHIFT SE OVER THE AREA THROUGH THIS AFTERNOON CONTINUING THE OPPRESSIVE AND POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS CONDITIONS LOCALLY. TEMPERATURES ARE ACTUALLY GOING TO BE FAIRLY TRICKY TODAY AS GUIDANCE IS MUCH HIGHER THAN PREVIOUS DAYS AND THE QUESTION BECOMES IS GUIDANCE BETTER HANDLING THE EVENT OR DO WE HAVE HISTORIC HEAT IN THE OFFING FOR THE AREA. LOOKING UPSTREAM YESTERDAY...VALUES WERE 103 TO 105...BUT NOT THE 107 AND 108 GUIDANCE IS SHOWING FOR OUR AREA TODAY. LOOKED AT THE CIPS ANALOG CASES FOR THIS EVENT AND FOR THE TOP 15 ANALOGS WE ARE SHOWING A NEAR 100 PERCENT CHANCE OF SITES SEEING THE CENTURY MARK TODAY. IT IS ALSO SHOWING A 60 PERCENT CHANCE OF 105 OR GREATER FOR THE SOUTHERN TIER FOR THIS AFTERNOON. GIVEN THE ANOMALIES IN PLACE FOR 925MB TEMPERATURE WHICH IS MAXED OUT OVER NORTH GEORGIA...FEEL WE COULD INDEED BREAK SOME LONG STANDING RECORDS ACROSS THE STATE THROUGH THIS WEEKEND. HOWEVER...GIVEN VALUES SEEN UPSTREAM LEADING UP TO THIS EVENT...NOT READY TO BITE OFF ON THE 104 TO 108 VALUES GIVEN BY GUIDANCE. WILL INSTEAD INDICATE 101 FOR ATL (TIES RECORD) AND 102 TO 104 ELSEWHERE.
Some people have asked why a Heat Advisory hasn't been issued. The reason is because most locations will not meet the minimum 75 low temp requirement, otherwise a Heat Advisory would have been issued. The air is very dry right now and that will help to keep the heat index down. But low level moisture returns over the weekend and will most likely raise the heat index to the 110 degree range. This weekend will be the 2 worse days of the heat wave.
http://www.daculaweather.com/4_afd_ffc.php
http://www.daculaweather.com/4_afd_ffc.php
We hit 100 degrees at 1:16pm today and have been above it ever since. Yesterday we hit 90 degrees at 12:30pm, today we hit it almost 2 hours earlier at 10:40am.