Key keywords: National Weather Service Georgia, Georgia dangerous heat advisory, Georgia severe summer storms, flash flood risk Georgia, Georgia 2024 heat wave, severe thunderstorm alert Georgia, Georgia extreme weather preparedness, life-threatening heat index The National Weather Service (NWS) Atlanta office issued an urgent dual public alert on Wednesday, covering 127 of Georgia’s 159 counties, as the state faces a rare overlap of record-breaking dangerous heat and fast-moving severe thunderstorms through the end of the week. For the heat event, forecasters warn that heat index values, which combine actual temperature and humidity, will peak between 108°F and 112°F (42.2°C to 44.4°C) across most of central and southern Georgia, marking the highest mid-July heat readings recorded in the state since 2018. The heat advisory is in effect until 6 p.m. Thursday, with elevated heat risk expected to linger through the weekend for southern coastal counties. The Georgia Department of Public Health noted that 22 heat-related deaths were recorded in the state in 2023, 70% of which involved adults aged 65 or older living alone without access to working air conditioning. The NWS urges all residents to check on elderly neighbors and family members multiple times a day, avoid outdoor activities between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m., drink electrolyte-infused fluids regularly, and never leave children, pets or disabled family members unattended in parked vehicles, even for a minute. Local governments have opened 87 free cooling centers across the state, offering air-conditioned space, cold drinking water and basic health screenings for all residents in need. Alongside the heat risk, a strong convective storm system moving east from Alabama is expected to hit northern and central Georgia between Wednesday night and Thursday morning. The system will bring wind gusts of up to 70 mph, hail up to 1 inch in diameter, and short-term rainfall of up to 2 inches per hour. Given that the state has received 45% more rainfall than the seasonal average over the past two weeks, soil across most regions is fully saturated, creating extreme flash flood risk in low-lying areas, urban neighborhoods with poor drainage and mountainous regions in northern Georgia. The NWS warns residents in flood-prone zones to prepare emergency kits with 3 days of drinking water, flashlights and first-aid supplies, and to evacuate immediately if local authorities issue evacuation orders. Residents are also reminded never to attempt driving through flooded roads, as 6 inches of moving water is enough to sweep a sedan off course, and flood-related driving deaths account for more than half of all flood fatalities in the U.S. each year. The Georgia Emergency Management Agency has deployed 23 rapid response teams to high-risk areas to clear downed trees, pump floodwater and support rescue operations as needed.