ATLANTA — Atlanta is bracing for a heatwave to end the week and turns out, parts of the city will be and feel hotter as the metro flirts with temperatures in the triple digits.
Georgia Tech’s Dr. Jairo Garcia is an expert in urban sustainability and climate change. He says scientists predicted these high temps back in January.
“Because the temperature of the oceans never went down during the last winter and we see what is happening in Texas what is happening in Louisiana and that wave is coming here to Georgia,” said Garcia.
Garcia says the hottest spots in Atlanta right now are:
- Downtown Atlanta
- South of I-20 near the West End Marta station
- The West side near Georgia Tech
All of these areas have very few trees and lots of concrete.
“We are breaking temperature records 24 times since 2019, 24 times!” Garcia said.
Daneia Makel and her son Jhase head to the park pretty much every afternoon but the past few days they have been going early to avoid the heat.
“We try not to play anywhere near the concrete really because kids always want to take their shoes off at the park so you try to run in the concrete you got burnt toes and screaming kids,” said Makel.
Garcia warns that even the areas with trees, like parks, are getting hotter as Atlanta’s tree canopy elsewhere gets smaller.
“One thing that is really of concern to all of us is the increase of temperature at night,” said Garcia.
According to the Urban Climate Lab at Georgia Tech, last July, Atlanta’s overnight low average was 73.5 degrees which is 4.6 degrees higher than the 20th-century average.
Garcia says scientists expect this July to be even hotter.
It's not welcome news for families like the Makels.
“If it’s too hot we are unable to play and enjoy the park because parents are hot and kids are getting overheated,” said Makel.
Garcia says their team is looking for volunteers to help them track temperatures across the city. If you’re interested, click here.