By Clint Thompson
Summer’s scorching temperatures are only expected to get hotter heading into July and August.
Pam Knox, University of Georgia (UGA) Extension agricultural climatologist, noted in the UGA Climate Blog that NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center predicts the July-September period to be warmer than usual.
“The predictions for above normal temperature just follow the long-term trend that we’ve seen towards warmer temperatures overall. That’s not even just Georgia, it’s globally,” Knox said. “If you’re on an upward trend, you’re more likely to see temperatures above normal than you are below normal. That is not surprising.”
According to weather.com, temperatures stayed in the low 90s during the latter part of last week and were expected to drop to the high 80s this week. But a cool-down is not reflective of how unbearably hot the temperatures had been for most of June.
“It was not that hot earlier in the year but lately, the last week or two, it really feels like it’s heated up,” Knox said. “This is the first time we’re talking about current temperatures over 100; in some cases, 105 even. It’s definitely a time where people have to watch carefully if they’re outside for any length of time.
“Because we had so much rain earlier in the year, at least in some parts of the state, the humidity levels are also quite high. That just adds to that.”