Scattered thunderstorms colliding with humidity and near-record high temperatures could create severe conditions Sunday afternoon into the night, the National Weather Service predicts.
High temps in Atlanta are expected to reach 88 degrees — not quite hitting the record of 90 degrees but making for a hotter-than-average day for mid-May, according to NWS data.
As the temps climb, storms coming in could produce “damaging winds, large hail, frequent lightning, and locally heavy rain,” the NWS bulletin says. The Level 1 storm risk encompasses most of North and central Georgia.
“Temperatures soaring well above normal, and close to record levels,” said Channel 2 Action News meteorologist Eboni Deon. “As we heat up, we will see scattered storms developing.”
Much of Georgia is still under an extreme and, in some areas, an exceptional drought. Recent rain brought slight improvements, and significant drought conditions are persisting throughout the state, according to the NWS’s drought information statement issued Thursday.
But rainfall totals could improve in the last part of May. Long-range models indicate conditions could become wetter than normal, according to the NWS.
“This does not mean it will rain every day or that there will necessarily be a period of heavy rain,” the Weather Service announcement says. “However, it does suggest increased opportunities for wet weather.”
More rain would be welcome across the state, which has not only battled hotter-than-average temperatures and extreme drought this spring, but also two large wildfires in South Georgia that continue to burn.
Both the Pineland Road fire and the Highway 82 fire were 90% contained last week. Gov. Brian Kemp also lifted the temporary burn ban earlier this month, noting improvements in weather and decreasing fire risks, according to the executive order he issued.
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