Heat Wave Grips the East Coast: These Are the Places Suffering the Most Right Now

Some states and counties on the East Coast are experiencing heat waves unlike anything from our past. The heat dome that covers a lot of the U.S. is difficult to take, especially if you work outside or in a manufacturing job where AC is not an option.

I live in Vermont where this summer’s been a hot one. The storms, including Hurricane Beryl, have been unreal. Worse, we’ll have a random day where it’s 39ºF in the morning, making it hard to acclimate. According to the Vermont Department of Health, days where the state’s average temperature hit 87 ºF, 8x more heat-related illnesses occurred.

One such event happened near me when a hiker on Mount Mansfield experienced heat exhaustion during her hike in the beginning of July. Stowe Mountain Rescue had to go up to help her, though her boyfriend did everything right while waiting for help to arrive. If you are in the heat and don’t feel well, it’s important to get into shade, sip water, and pour water over your head and body to lower your body temperature. Drink extra if you’re outside when it’s hot. Seek medical attention.

In all of my years living on the East Coast, there have been heatwaves, but I notice how much earlier they’re hitting now. They’re also not going away as quickly. Vermont has had at least one heat wave each year for the past four years, which is a lot different from what I’m used to. Between 2003 and 2010, we didn’t have a heat wave. The weather patterns are changing, and 24/7 Tempo explores the East Coast counties with the worst heat waves. (Also learn more about 20 of the most catastrophic storms of the last decade that also show how much the climate is changing.)

To determine the East Coast counties 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-16, 2024. Supplemental data on population is from the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2022 American Community Survey .

50. Orange County, VT

Source: choicegraphx / iStock via Getty Images

• Avg. temperature, July 1-6, 2024: 69.9°F (+4.9°F hotter than normal)
• Avg. temperature, July 1-6, 1981-2010: 64.9°F
• Total population: 29,439
• County seat: Chelsea

49. Butts County, GA

Source: BOB WESTON / Getty Images

• Avg. temperature, July 1-6, 2024: 83.7°F (+5.0°F hotter than normal)
• Avg. temperature, July 1-6, 1981-2010: 78.7°F
• Total population: 25,522
• County seat: Jackson

48. Windsor County, VT

Source: ErikaMitchell / iStock Editorial via Getty Images

• Avg. temperature, July 1-6, 2024: 70.4°F (+5.0°F hotter than normal)
• Avg. temperature, July 1-6, 1981-2010: 65.4°F
• Total population: 57,832
• County seat: Woodstock

47. Rockdale County, GA

Source: simon jhuan / 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

46. Addison County, VT

Source: PictureLake / iStock via Getty Images

• Avg. temperature, July 1-6, 2024: 71.7°F (+5.0°F hotter than normal)
• Avg. temperature, July 1-6, 1981-2010: 66.7°F
• Total population: 37,434
• County seat: Middlebury

45. 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

44. 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

43. 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

42. 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

41. Cherokee County, NC

Source: Patrick Jennings / Shutterstock.com

• 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

40. DeKalb County, GA

The Old DeKalb County Courthouse ( CC BY 2.0 DEED ) by Lee Coursey

• 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

39. 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

38. 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

37. Madison County, GA

Source: Sean Pavone / iStock via Getty Images

• 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

36. 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

35. 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

34. Walton County, GA

Source: BOB WESTON / iStock 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

33. Barrow County, GA

Source: trainor / Flickr

• 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

32. Grafton County, NH

Source: DenisTangneyJr / iStock via Getty Images

• Avg. temperature, July 1-6, 2024: 69.4°F (+5.1°F hotter than normal)
• Avg. temperature, July 1-6, 1981-2010: 64.4°F
• Total population: 90,836
• County seat: North Haverhill

31. Carroll County, NH

Source: AlizadaStudios / iStock Editorial via Getty Images

• Avg. temperature, July 1-6, 2024: 71.0°F (+5.1°F hotter than normal)
• Avg. temperature, July 1-6, 1981-2010: 65.9°F
• Total population: 50,679
• County seat: Ossipee

30. Washington County, NY

Source: Town of Putnam, Washington County, New York by Tyler A. McNeil / CC0 1.0 (https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/deed.en/)

• Avg. temperature, July 1-6, 2024: 73.2°F (+5.1°F hotter than normal)
• Avg. temperature, July 1-6, 1981-2010: 68.1°F
• Total population: 61,310
• County seat: Fort Edward

29. 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

28. Walker County, GA

Source: gashpo / Flickr

• 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

27. Randolph County, AL

Source: Cole Cleveland / 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: 22,179
• County seat: Wedowee

26. Gwinnett County, GA

Source: nangnoi / 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

25. Catoosa County, GA

Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons

• 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

24. Chattooga County, GA

Source: Thomson M / Wikimedia Commons

• 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

23. Fulton County, GA

Source: shibalagu / 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

22. Heard County, GA

Source: DStockgraphy / 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

21. Rutland County, VT

Source: DenisTangneyJr / iStock via Getty Images

• Avg. temperature, July 1-6, 2024: 70.6°F (+5.3°F hotter than normal)
• Avg. temperature, July 1-6, 1981-2010: 65.3°F
• Total population: 60,585
• County seat: Rutland

20. 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

19. Cobb County, GA

Source: JD and Kyle Shoot Stock / iStock Editorial 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

18. Coweta County, GA

Source: LCBallard / iStock Editorial 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

17. 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

16. Lumpkin County, GA

Source: sshepard / iStock Unreleased via Getty Images

• 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

15. Forsyth County, GA

Source: Thomson200 / Wikimedia Commons / Public Domain

• 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

14. Douglas County, GA

Source: Sean Pavone / 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

13. Bartow County, GA

Etowah River in Bartow County Georgia ( CC0 1.0 ) by Thomson200

• 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

12. 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

11. 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

10. 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

9. Paulding County, GA

Historical Paulding County Courthouse – Dallas GA ( CC BY-SA 3.0 ) by TheMillCreek

• 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

8. Gordon County, GA

Source: OJUP / Shutterstock.com

• 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

7. 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

6. Murray County, GA

Source: LCBallard / iStock Editorial 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

5. 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

4. Carroll County, GA

Source: ladytaz / Flickr

• 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

3. Fannin County, GA

Fannin County, Georgia Courthouse ( CC0 1.0 ) by Thomson200

• 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

2. Haralson County, GA

Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons

• 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

1. Gilmer County, GA

Source: Jared Stump / Shutterstock.com

• 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

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