Welcome to “Hotumn”, No heat relief just yet

COLUMBUS, Ga. (WTVM) - Fall officially begins today, but Mother Nature isn’t giving up the extreme heat today. However, a noticeable difference in the way the air feels moves in Friday and Saturday.

After today's heat, look at the changes coming our way. Noticeably "cooler" starting Friday.(Source: WTVM Weather)

Sunny at first Thursday before it turns partly cloudy as the afternoon goes on. It will be very hot and somewhat humid ahead of a cold front. Highs reach 94 to 98 degrees, which isn’t a record for September 22.

Highs climb well into the 90s Thursday!(Source: WTVM Weather)

The breeze kicks up later in the day with gusts of 20 mph possible late this afternoon and tonight. A couple stray showers are possible late in the day, too.

It will turn breezier as Thursday progresses, gusts to 20 mph by the end of the day and tonight.(Source: WTVM Weather)

It turns clear again tonight. Breezy and pleasant with lows Friday morning in the upper 50s and lower 60s north of Columbus and mid to upper 60s south. The humidity gets knocked out of the air Friday and it will feel more like late September or early October. Despite full sun highs only reach 80 to 85 degrees.

A big drop in humidity arrives Friday!(Source: WTVM Weather)

The coolest time with this cold front will be Saturday morning when temperatures are expected to be in the 50s pretty much area-wide. It will still be quite warm in the afternoons over the weekend with mid 80s Saturday, upper 80s and lower 90s possible Sunday. Humidity briefly returns.

Toasty afternoons and much cooler mornings are in the forecast for the weekend. There could be... — Toasty afternoons and much cooler mornings are in the forecast for the weekend. There could be some rain Sunday PM.(Source: WTVM Weather)

Looking at the record books and the long range forecast, this should be one of our last (near) 90 degree days.

We should be almost done with 90 degree heat this year.(Source: WTVM Weather)

A second cold front will offer a change again! After some possible spotty showers, late Sunday, Sunday night and very early Monday, drier and more comfortable weather returns. Highs will be in the low to mid 80s through mid week with lows in the 50s to maybe near 60 degrees. Our weather toward the end of next week will very much depend on what happens in the Gulf of Mexico. Computer models bring a hurricane into the Gulf. It’ll have to go somewhere, but it is too early to say where and whether we’ll get any rain from this.