Southern Counties Experiencing the Worst Heat Waves Right Now

Excessive heat alone in the form of a heat wave is enough to grapple with. Add high humidity and you have yourself an environment that leaves you wet, sticky, and breathing hard—even if you’re just standing there. The National Weather Service defines a heat wave as “a period of abnormally hot weather generally lasting more than two days.” Well, it’s the middle of July and heat waves are on and raging in the southern region of the U.S.

Luckily, not all heat waves appear with high humidity. But those in the south are well-acquainted with humid weather. When heat waves strike, residents are exposed to hazardous heat. Heat-related illnesses like heat stroke must be taken seriously, especially for residents who spend time working outside in the elements. It’s vital for residents in these southern counties to learn how to stay safe during these excessive heat events.

With outdoor activities, you must slow down. What you can accomplish in regular weather is not the same as what you can accomplish during a heat wave. Keep your clothing lightweight, eat foods that are easy on your digestive system, and drink lots and lots of water. If your cooling system at home isn’t working, head to a public place like a library or mall to give your body a rest from the excessive heat. With careful precautions, you can withstand these blistering heat waves. ( Take a look at the average summer temperature every decade since 1895 .)

Methodology

To determine the southern cities experiencing the worst heat waves right now, 24/7 Tempo reviewed data on daily average temperature from the NOAA’s nClimGrid-Daily program. Counties were ranked based on the raw differential in average daily temperature from the period July 1-6, 1981-2010, to July 1-6, 2024. Supplemental data on population is from the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2022 American Community Survey.

50. Rockdale County, GA

Source: Leonardo E Martinez / Shutterstock.com

• Avg. temperature, July 1-6, 2024: 83.2°F (+5.0°F hotter than normal)
• Avg. temperature, July 1-6, 1981-2010: 78.3°F
• Total population: 93,641
• County seat: Conyers

49. Meriwether County, GA

Source: Jacqueline Nix / iStock Editorial via Getty Images

• Avg. temperature, July 1-6, 2024: 83.0°F (+5.0°F hotter than normal)
• Avg. temperature, July 1-6, 1981-2010: 78.0°F
• Total population: 20,679
• County seat: Greenville

48. Hall County, GA

Source: BOB WESTON / iStock via Getty Images

• Avg. temperature, July 1-6, 2024: 81.3°F (+5.0°F hotter than normal)
• Avg. temperature, July 1-6, 1981-2010: 76.3°F
• Total population: 204,953
• County seat: Gainesville

47. Choctaw County, OK

Source: Michael Barera / Getty Images

• Avg. temperature, July 1-6, 2024: 85.6°F (+5.0°F hotter than normal)
• Avg. temperature, July 1-6, 1981-2010: 80.6°F
• Total population: 14,285
• County seat: Hugo

46. Jackson County, GA

Source: BOB WESTON / iStock via Getty Images

• Avg. temperature, July 1-6, 2024: 82.5°F (+5.0°F hotter than normal)
• Avg. temperature, July 1-6, 1981-2010: 77.5°F
• Total population: 77,033
• County seat: Jefferson

45. Clarke County, GA

Source: Sean Pavone / iStock via Getty Images

• Avg. temperature, July 1-6, 2024: 82.9°F (+5.0°F hotter than normal)
• Avg. temperature, July 1-6, 1981-2010: 77.9°F
• Total population: 128,864
• County seat: Athens-Clarke County

44. Cherokee County, NC

Downtown Andrews, North Carolina, in Cherokee County 01 ( BY 4.0 ) by Harrison Keely

• Avg. temperature, July 1-6, 2024: 77.1°F (+5.0°F hotter than normal)
• Avg. temperature, July 1-6, 1981-2010: 72.1°F
• Total population: 28,868
• County seat: Murphy

43. DeKalb County, GA

Source: CIAPIX / iStock via Getty Images

• Avg. temperature, July 1-6, 2024: 82.9°F (+5.0°F hotter than normal)
• Avg. temperature, July 1-6, 1981-2010: 77.9°F
• Total population: 761,209
• County seat: Decatur

42. Fayette County, GA

Source: Jon Frederick / iStock via Getty Images

• Avg. temperature, July 1-6, 2024: 83.1°F (+5.0°F hotter than normal)
• Avg. temperature, July 1-6, 1981-2010: 78.1°F
• Total population: 119,259
• County seat: Fayetteville

41. Jasper County, GA

Source: Georges_Creations / Shutterstock.com

• Avg. temperature, July 1-6, 2024: 83.8°F (+5.0°F hotter than normal)
• Avg. temperature, July 1-6, 1981-2010: 78.8°F
• Total population: 14,882
• County seat: Monticello

40. Madison County, GA

Source: Sean Pavone / Shutterstock.com

• Avg. temperature, July 1-6, 2024: 82.5°F (+5.1°F hotter than normal)
• Avg. temperature, July 1-6, 1981-2010: 77.5°F
• Total population: 30,378
• County seat: Danielsville

39. Oglethorpe County, GA

Source: BOB WESTON / iStock via Getty Images

• Avg. temperature, July 1-6, 2024: 83.2°F (+5.1°F hotter than normal)
• Avg. temperature, July 1-6, 1981-2010: 78.2°F
• Total population: 14,974
• County seat: Lexington

38. Newton County, GA

Source: Georges_Creations / Shutterstock.com

• Avg. temperature, July 1-6, 2024: 83.4°F (+5.1°F hotter than normal)
• Avg. temperature, July 1-6, 1981-2010: 78.4°F
• Total population: 113,298
• County seat: Covington

37. Walton County, GA

Source: shutterjack / RooM via Getty Images

• Avg. temperature, July 1-6, 2024: 82.9°F (+5.1°F hotter than normal)
• Avg. temperature, July 1-6, 1981-2010: 77.8°F
• Total population: 97,752
• County seat: Monroe

36. Barrow County, GA

Source: RHMeeks / Shutterstock.com

• Avg. temperature, July 1-6, 2024: 82.5°F (+5.1°F hotter than normal)
• Avg. temperature, July 1-6, 1981-2010: 77.4°F
• Total population: 84,399
• County seat: Winder

35. Union County, GA

Source: Cory Smith / 500px / 500px via Getty Images

• Avg. temperature, July 1-6, 2024: 76.6°F (+5.1°F hotter than normal)
• Avg. temperature, July 1-6, 1981-2010: 71.5°F
• Total population: 24,880
• County seat: Blairsville

34. Walker County, GA

Source: chase s wingo / Shutterstock.com

• Avg. temperature, July 1-6, 2024: 81.7°F (+5.2°F hotter than normal)
• Avg. temperature, July 1-6, 1981-2010: 76.5°F
• Total population: 68,065
• County seat: LaFayette

33. Randolph County, AL

Source: Ray Tan / iStock via Getty Images

• Avg. temperature, July 1-6, 2024: 82.4°F (+5.2°F hotter than normal)
• Avg. temperature, July 1-6, 1981-2010: 77.2°F
• Total population: 22,179
• County seat: Wedowee

32. Gwinnett County, GA

Source: Wirestock / iStock via Getty Images

• Avg. temperature, July 1-6, 2024: 82.3°F (+5.2°F hotter than normal)
• Avg. temperature, July 1-6, 1981-2010: 77.1°F
• Total population: 957,977
• County seat: Lawrenceville

31. Catoosa County, GA

Source: James M Crittenden / Shutterstock.com

• Avg. temperature, July 1-6, 2024: 82.4°F (+5.2°F hotter than normal)
• Avg. temperature, July 1-6, 1981-2010: 77.2°F
• Total population: 68,052
• County seat: Ringgold

30. Chattooga County, GA

Chattooga County view… ( CC BY 3.0 ) by Thomson M

• Avg. temperature, July 1-6, 2024: 82.6°F (+5.2°F hotter than normal)
• Avg. temperature, July 1-6, 1981-2010: 77.3°F
• Total population: 24,902
• County seat: Summerville

29. Terrell County, TX

Saguaro Cacti, Dryden, Texas ( CC BY-SA 2.0 ) by Ken Lund

• Avg. temperature, July 1-6, 2024: 88.5°F (+5.2°F hotter than normal)
• Avg. temperature, July 1-6, 1981-2010: 83.2°F
• Total population: 862
• County seat: Sanderson

28. Fulton County, GA

Source: SeanPavonePhoto / iStock via Getty Images

• Avg. temperature, July 1-6, 2024: 82.8°F (+5.3°F hotter than normal)
• Avg. temperature, July 1-6, 1981-2010: 77.6°F
• Total population: 1,061,944
• County seat: Atlanta

27. Heard County, GA

Source: Deborah Ferrin / Shutterstock.com

• Avg. temperature, July 1-6, 2024: 83.0°F (+5.3°F hotter than normal)
• Avg. temperature, July 1-6, 1981-2010: 77.8°F
• Total population: 11,489
• County seat: Franklin

26. Val Verde County, TX

Source: Manfred Gottschalk / Stone via Getty Images

• Avg. temperature, July 1-6, 2024: 89.0°F (+5.3°F hotter than normal)
• Avg. temperature, July 1-6, 1981-2010: 83.7°F
• Total population: 47,693
• County seat: Del Rio

25. Floyd County, GA

Source: Sean Pavone / iStock via Getty Images

• Avg. temperature, July 1-6, 2024: 83.3°F (+5.3°F hotter than normal)
• Avg. temperature, July 1-6, 1981-2010: 77.9°F
• Total population: 98,541
• County seat: Rome

24. Cobb County, GA

Source: carlos siqueira / 500px / 500px via Getty Images

• Avg. temperature, July 1-6, 2024: 82.8°F (+5.3°F hotter than normal)
• Avg. temperature, July 1-6, 1981-2010: 77.5°F
• Total population: 765,813
• County seat: Marietta

23. Coweta County, GA

Source: David Radzieta / iStock via Getty Images

• Avg. temperature, July 1-6, 2024: 83.1°F (+5.3°F hotter than normal)
• Avg. temperature, July 1-6, 1981-2010: 77.8°F
• Total population: 147,449
• County seat: Newnan

22. Brewster County, TX

Source: Different_Brian / iStock via Getty Images

• Avg. temperature, July 1-6, 2024: 86.2°F (+5.4°F hotter than normal)
• Avg. temperature, July 1-6, 1981-2010: 80.9°F
• Total population: 9,454
• County seat: Alpine

21. Cleburne County, AL

Source: BOB WESTON / iStock via Getty Images

• Avg. temperature, July 1-6, 2024: 81.9°F (+5.4°F hotter than normal)
• Avg. temperature, July 1-6, 1981-2010: 76.5°F
• Total population: 15,144
• County seat: Heflin

20. Lumpkin County, GA

Source: 93558439@N05 / Flickr

• Avg. temperature, July 1-6, 2024: 79.2°F (+5.4°F hotter than normal)
• Avg. temperature, July 1-6, 1981-2010: 73.8°F
• Total population: 33,405
• County seat: Dahlonega

19. Forsyth County, GA

Aerial view of Forsyth County, Georgia, US, August 2023 ( BY-SA 4.0 ) by DividedFrame

• Avg. temperature, July 1-6, 2024: 81.7°F (+5.4°F hotter than normal)
• Avg. temperature, July 1-6, 1981-2010: 76.3°F
• Total population: 253,225
• County seat: Cumming

18. Yavapai County, AZ

Source: DenisTangneyJr / iStock via Getty Images

• Avg. temperature, July 1-6, 2024: 84.4°F (+5.5°F hotter than normal)
• Avg. temperature, July 1-6, 1981-2010: 78.9°F
• Total population: 237,830
• County seat: Prescott

17. Douglas County, GA

Source: G-San / Shutterstock.com

• Avg. temperature, July 1-6, 2024: 82.7°F (+5.5°F hotter than normal)
• Avg. temperature, July 1-6, 1981-2010: 77.2°F
• Total population: 144,735
• County seat: Douglasville

16. Bartow County, GA

Source: rodclementphotography / iStock via Getty Images

• Avg. temperature, July 1-6, 2024: 83.2°F (+5.5°F hotter than normal)
• Avg. temperature, July 1-6, 1981-2010: 77.7°F
• Total population: 109,410
• County seat: Cartersville

15. Whitfield County, GA

Source: BOB WESTON / iStock via Getty Images

• Avg. temperature, July 1-6, 2024: 82.8°F (+5.5°F hotter than normal)
• Avg. temperature, July 1-6, 1981-2010: 77.2°F
• Total population: 103,033
• County seat: Dalton

14. Polk County, GA

Source: Jared Stump / Shutterstock.com

• Avg. temperature, July 1-6, 2024: 82.7°F (+5.5°F hotter than normal)
• Avg. temperature, July 1-6, 1981-2010: 77.2°F
• Total population: 43,019
• County seat: Cedartown

13. Dawson County, GA

Source: Blake Hydrick / 500px / 500px via Getty Images

• Avg. temperature, July 1-6, 2024: 80.4°F (+5.6°F hotter than normal)
• Avg. temperature, July 1-6, 1981-2010: 74.9°F
• Total population: 27,355
• County seat: Dawsonville

12. Paulding County, GA

Source: Rob Hainer / Shutterstock.com

• Avg. temperature, July 1-6, 2024: 82.6°F (+5.6°F hotter than normal)
• Avg. temperature, July 1-6, 1981-2010: 77.0°F
• Total population: 169,898
• County seat: Dallas

11. Gordon County, GA

Baugh Mountain in Gordon County, Georgia, USA ( BY-SA 4.0 ) by Adcart98

• Avg. temperature, July 1-6, 2024: 83.4°F (+5.6°F hotter than normal)
• Avg. temperature, July 1-6, 1981-2010: 77.8°F
• Total population: 57,785
• County seat: Calhoun

10. Cherokee County, GA

Source: LCBallard / iStock via Getty Images

• Avg. temperature, July 1-6, 2024: 82.3°F (+5.6°F hotter than normal)
• Avg. temperature, July 1-6, 1981-2010: 76.7°F
• Total population: 268,567
• County seat: Canton

9. Murray County, GA

Source: LCBallard / iStock via Getty Images

• Avg. temperature, July 1-6, 2024: 82.2°F (+5.7°F hotter than normal)
• Avg. temperature, July 1-6, 1981-2010: 76.5°F
• Total population: 40,063
• County seat: Chatsworth

8. Pickens County, GA

Sharp Mountain, Pickens County, Georgia ( CC0 1.0 ) by Thomson200

• Avg. temperature, July 1-6, 2024: 81.0°F (+5.7°F hotter than normal)
• Avg. temperature, July 1-6, 1981-2010: 75.3°F
• Total population: 33,439
• County seat: Jasper

7. Carroll County, GA

Source: halbergman / iStock via Getty Images

• Avg. temperature, July 1-6, 2024: 82.4°F (+5.7°F hotter than normal)
• Avg. temperature, July 1-6, 1981-2010: 76.7°F
• Total population: 120,060
• County seat: Carrollton

6. Fannin County, GA

Source: Patrick Jennings / iStock via Getty Images

• Avg. temperature, July 1-6, 2024: 78.1°F (+5.8°F hotter than normal)
• Avg. temperature, July 1-6, 1981-2010: 72.3°F
• Total population: 25,436
• County seat: Blue Ridge

5. Haralson County, GA

Source: halbergman / iStock via Getty Images

• Avg. temperature, July 1-6, 2024: 81.8°F (+5.8°F hotter than normal)
• Avg. temperature, July 1-6, 1981-2010: 76.0°F
• Total population: 30,178
• County seat: Buchanan

4. Gilmer County, GA

Source: rodclementphotography / iStock via Getty Images

• Avg. temperature, July 1-6, 2024: 79.3°F (+5.8°F hotter than normal)
• Avg. temperature, July 1-6, 1981-2010: 73.5°F
• Total population: 31,519
• County seat: Ellijay

3. La Paz County, AZ

Source: MCCAIG / iStock via Getty Images

• Avg. temperature, July 1-6, 2024: 97.8°F (+6.1°F hotter than normal)
• Avg. temperature, July 1-6, 1981-2010: 91.7°F
• Total population: 16,681
• County seat: Parker

2. Maricopa County, AZ

Source: DenisTangneyJr / iStock via Getty Images

• Avg. temperature, July 1-6, 2024: 96.3°F (+6.1°F hotter than normal)
• Avg. temperature, July 1-6, 1981-2010: 90.1°F
• Total population: 4,430,871
• County seat: Phoenix

1. Yuma County, AZ

Source: DenisTangneyJr / iStock via Getty Images

• Avg. temperature, July 1-6, 2024: 97.5°F (+6.7°F hotter than normal)
• Avg. temperature, July 1-6, 1981-2010: 90.8°F
• Total population: 204,374
• County seat: Yuma

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