(NOAA/GA. NEWS NETWORK/97.5 GLORY FM)
This summer’s heat set new records as the hottest ever nationwide. But what about the Gainesville area and the state?
A map accompanying a report from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) shows most of north Georgia, except for the extreme northeast corner, recorded above average temperatures but not the areas along and east, southeast, and southwest of a line from Rabun County to Macon to the southwestern corner. Those areas were considered “much” above average. And though it was hotter than usual, the summer was not a record-breaker for Georgia like it was the country.
Though records are not available to tell us how Gainesville fared compared to the recorded past, numbers for June, July and August (the climatological summer) are available from the UGA Automated Weather System (AWS) for Gainesville. They show the warmest days were June 29 and August 17. 96 both days. But for the record, a 97 sneaked in in early September on the 2nd. (As we reported a few weeks ago, the National Weather Service no longer maintains an AWS at the Gainesville airport. The FAA now operates it.)
And, of course, on so many days this summer it was not uncommon for north Georgia heat index readings, except in the higher elevations, to reach the triple-digits
Back to the national scene, NOAA data recorded in June, July and August has experts saying these were the hottest summer months across the country in more than 130 years. In addition, global temperatures in August exceeded previous highs set in 2023 and 2024, marking it warmest August on record globally. Data also shows 48 States reported well above high averages for both day and nighttime temperatures.