The high at Lee Gilmer Memorial Airport in Gainesville was 95, five degrees shy of the record for the date which was set in 1930. Unofficial readings of at least 100 were not uncommon in Gainesville and elsewhere in northeast Georgia. Ninety-five was also the high in Buford and Cornelia; 96 in Jefferson; 94 in Dahlonega; and 98 in Braselton.
Little relief is expected until the weekend with Friday's forecast calling for more temperatures across north Georgia in the mid- and upper-90s.
It was the hottest day of the year so far and one that prompted state officials to issue an air quality alert - a Code Orange - not because of the heat, but because of the condition of the air which made it unhealthy for certain groups to be outside. Those included about children, people with lung and heart disease and those who are sensitive to ozone.
Even others were urged to take extra caution because of the near 100-degree temperatures that were expected along with triple-digit heat indexes. If you had to be outside for extended periods of time, you were advised to stay hydrated and take frequent breaks in the shade.
The Code Orange alert was in effect for 22 counties in and around Atlanta, including Hall, Gwinnett, Barrow and Forsyth.
(Please check back for later developments to this story.)
Bank thermometer in downtown Gainesville recorded 100 late Thursday afternoon
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