Atlanta breaks record high Saturday - Atlanta News, Weather, Traffic, and Sports | FOX 5

If you thought it was unusually hot on Saturday, you would quite right. Saturday officially became the hottest day ever recorded in Atlanta surpassing the 32-year record of 105 just before 4 p.m.

The official high for Atlanta on Saturday was 106 degrees. It was a heat felt all around Georgia including Columbus which also broke that area's all-time record.

Battling more than the heat

Firefighters were taking extra precaution on calls Saturday with the high temperatures. Extra crews were sent to several fires around metro Atlanta. Policies help firefighters rotate out to take breaks for water and remove some of the equipment which retains heat.

Captain Eric Eberly with Gwinnett County Fire and Emergency Services tells FOX 5 News that people need to be more aware of the fire danger during this period of heat and dry air. He say using common sense will help them from having to respond to fires in the heat.

Seeking relief

Several cooling stations were set up around metro Atlanta this weekend to help those who might be with out air condition. In addition, the city of Atlanta opened all their pools to the public for free.

Atlanta's twelve pools will be back open again Sunday from noon until 7 p.m. including those seven pools open free to residents.

Getting hard to breathe

The extreme brings another extreme problem in metro Atlanta. Smog! A Code Red Smog Alert has been in place since Friday for an increase in ground-level o-zone. A Code Red Smog Alert means that air quality is unhealthy for all groups.

The Clean Air Campaign said that levels Friday were actually in the Code Purple range mean the air quality is very unhealthy. They say this is the worst air quality since 2007.

You can learn more about the different smog alerts by going to Georgia Environmental Protection website: epdga.org

For the latest air quality alerts, visit the Clean Air Campaign's air quality forecast page: georgiaair.org/smogforecast

"Brave-ing" the heat

At Turner Field, temperatures were records as being 104 as Atlanta Braves pitcher Mike Minor threw out the first pitch against the Washington Nationals.

A spokesperson for the Braves reported that there were no major problems at the ballpark for the 26,491 fans in attendance. They had opened eight water stations around Turner Field prior to opening the gates to help keep everyone hydrated.

The Braves won 7-5 against the Nationals.

Atlanta is not the hottest?

Atlanta might have broken their record Saturday, but it wasn't the hottest place in Georgia. Macon hit a sizzling 108 degrees, tying the record set back in 1980.

Athens was just slightly cooler at 107 degrees. Friday, the city broke its high record with the thermometer topping 109 degrees.

On the coast of Georgia, things were still hot despite that area falling short by 2-degrees of its record of 102 set back in 1998.

The bad news for Georgia is that Sunday is supposed to be more of the same.

The Associate Press contributed to this report