The Brief
- Summer thunderstorms are returning to Georgia, with increased humidity and severe weather risks, including damaging winds and hail, particularly in eastern zones.
- High temperatures and humidity will persist, with heat index values potentially reaching 105 degrees, prompting advisories for heat-related precautions.
- Daily storm chances are increasing, with peak probabilities of 60-80% from Wednesday through Friday, affecting cities like Atlanta, Rome, and Athens, and cooling centers are opening in Atlanta to help residents cope with the heat.
ATLANTA – After several days of sunshine and dry skies, summer thunderstorms are set to return across Georgia, bringing with them increased humidity, the risk of severe weather, and potentially dangerous heat through early next week.
Afternoon thunderstorm threat in Georgia
What they’re saying:
FOX 5 Storm Team meteorologist Johnathan Stacey said the familiar “rinse and repeat” summer pattern is settling back in. “The [rain] chances really go up for tomorrow,” Stacey said on Tuesday afternoon. “For our extreme eastern zones, there’s a level one out of five risk for severe storms—damaging wind gusts and some small pockets of hail can’t be ruled out.”
Stacey noted that while overnight hours should remain quiet, scattered showers could begin in far north Georgia by mid-morning Wednesday. The heaviest rain and storm activity is expected to develop between 1 p.m. and the evening rush hour. “They come and they go—15 minutes, 45 minutes—they’re in, they’re out,” Stacey said.…