article4 stories
A high-pressure system bringing temperatures in the low-90s will combine with heavy humidity to push heat index values past 100°F this weekend, while isolated severe storms threaten pop-up flooding.
An intense early-summer heat dome has pushed metro Atlanta temperatures past 96 degrees, triggering HVAC failures at the Rice Street jail facility and placing unprecedented strain on Georgia's electrical infrastructure.
Metro Atlanta recorded more than five inches of rain in May — one of the wettest months in recent memory — but long-term deficits mean the statewide drought response remains in effect.
The Environmental Protection Division says 80 percent of the state is now in 'extreme' or 'exceptional' drought — the worst classification since 2007. Lake Lanier sits more than five feet below full pool.