GA Weather: Cooler Temps This Weekend Brings Relief From 90+ Days

GEORGIA — The first weekend in October should bring some cooler temperatures to Georgia, with highs being in the low to mid-80s.

The lower temperatures won't come in without one final bang because the high on Friday will round out at 97 degrees.

Furthermore, there is a code orange air quality alert issued by the National Weather Service for the Atlanta area on Friday.

Under code orange conditions, the outdoor air quality 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, NWS said.

Saturday brings relief with a high of 80 degrees, and Sunday will see a high of 82 degrees.

Going into next week, the chance for rain rises to 50 percent on Monday, with a high of 81. Tuesday drops to a 30 percent chance, and a high of 78 degrees.

The metro Atlanta area has broken several heat records this year. Most recently on Thursday when temperatures reached 97 degrees in Atlanta, setting a new high-temperature record for the month of October. Athens set a record with 100 degrees, and Macon with 101.

For Atlanta in the month of September, 23 days were 90 degrees or higher, which ties the record set previously in 1925, the NWS said. In addition, accumulating 16 days at or above 95 degrees breaks the record set in 1925, which had 14 days.

The hot weather has also brought a drought along with it, with most of metro Atlanta in a severe or extreme drought.