Heat Advisory, Air Quality Alerts Prelude To Possible Rainy GA Weather

GEORGIA — Days after Tropical Storm Debby battered the Georgia coast, a heat advisory was issued for the coast while storms could hit central Georgia starting Tuesday, according to the forecast.

Heat index values in Chatham County and surrounding areas were expected to reach up to 110 degrees Monday, according to the National Weather Service.

This includes Bryan, Liberty and McIntosh counties, according to the heat advisory. Weather officials set the advisory to expire at 6 p.m. Monday.

The start of the week could be rainy for the Savannah area while Monday was anticipated to remain sunny for other parts of Georgia, including metro Atlanta.

Storms are expected to arrive on the coast through Thursday before taking a break and returning Saturday.

Meanwhile, in metro Atlanta, the storms were not forecast to begin until Thursday. East Georgia may be subject to isolated thunderstorms Monday, but forecasters said severe weather was not expected in the area. East and central Georgia could also face storms Tuesday.

"The entire state will have the potential for isolated afternoon and evening thunderstorms Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Severe weather is not anticipated at this time," the NWS said in a hazardous weather outlook.

Temperatures are expected to linger in the 90s in the metro while Columbus could breach 100-degree weather, according to the forecast.

The metro was battling moderate air quality Monday, with a code orange air quality alert in effect throughout the day.

Orange denotes an air quality index of between 101-150 while an index of above 150 is considered code red, with health effects spreading to members of the general public.

Air quality alerts are triggered by a number of factors, including the detection of fine-particle pollution — known as “PM 2.5” — which can irritate the lungs.

People considered to be in sensitive groups are those with lung disease such as asthma, children and teens, older adults and people who are routinely active outdoors for six or more hours a day, according to the national government-operated monitoring platform AirNow.