ATLANTA — Channel 2 meteorologist David Chandley expects Sunday's temperature to top out at 103 before slipping to 99 Monday.
He expects Tuesday and Wednesday to return closer to normal, with highs around 94 and a 30 percent chance of some relief from afternoon thunderstorms.
The forecast comes after a record-high temperature of 106 degrees was set in Atlanta on Saturday afternoon.
Atlanta's 106-degree temperature broke the capital city's all-time-high temperature set in 1980, an official report said. The old daily record of 98 degrees was set on June 30 in 1936.
Anticipation of metro Atlanta's heat wave on Saturday prompted local facilities to take measures to keep seniors and some of the area's most vulnerable residents and workers safe.
Local seniors like John Childers at the Dorothy Benson Center in Sandy Springs are heeding to the advisory by trying to keep cool.
"When you get to a certain age, the heat gets to you," Childers told Channel 2's Sophia Choi. "I think it might be dangerous for people in my age range."
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There were no heat-related deaths reported by late afternoon Saturday, although a number of metro hospitals reported seeing patients with symptoms of heat exhaustion, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Northside Hospital-Cherokee said they treated a half dozen people, while Atlanta Medical Center treated two.
At Piedmont Hospital, the medical director, Dr. Jeffrey Oyler, said there have been cases of dehydration but not an unusual amount.
"Now that the real heat is kicking in, it's so oppressively hot a lot of people are staying in, which is good," Oyler said.
Fulton County has opened 18 of its senior and multipurpose centers for people who can't find a cool place to be during the early summer scorcher.
"If you aren't in a safe place, please come to one of our cooling centers," Sarah Hilton of the Fulton County Office of Aging said.
But it's not just seniors who need to take extra precautions in the triple-digit heat. Firefighters need relief, too, safety officials said.
"It's extremely worrisome to the administration, because that gear protects from the fire, but it also keeps all that body heat in," Gwinnett County Fire Department Lt. Eric Eberly said of the heavy uniforms.
In the coming days, when firefighters move to a scene, a separate vehicle stocked with fluids and air conditioning will follow.
The City of Atlanta is also offering cooling facilities to help residents to beat the heat. City of Atlanta officials also noted that seven of its public swimming pools will offer free admission. Those locations are at Adams, Anderson, Dunbar, Grant, Pittman, Powell and Thomasville parks and recreation centers.
The National Weather Service issued a heat advisory through Sunday at 8 p.m. for all of metro Atlanta, excluding the north Georgia mountains.
Check back for updates at WSBTV.com and watch live reports at Channel 2 Action News.
Follow Channel 2 meteorologist David Chandley on Twitter @davidchandley
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