Friday marks the official start of summer and with the changing of the seasons comes a significant shift in the weather pattern. After weeks of an unusually wet pattern, temperatures are expected to climb into the mid-90s throughout the coming week. 

This transition poses particular challenges for those unaccustomed to the high temperatures. Mike Sawka, an adjunct professor at Georgia Tech’s School of Biological Sciences who studies heat adaptation in athletes and workers, emphasized the importance of gradual acclimatization.

"You can do quite a bit in four days, but you basically adapt to what you [are] exposed to," Sawka explained. "We usually use a rule of thumb that after eight to 10 days, you're pretty well adapted to whatever you've been exposed to."

Sawka was cited in a similar story about acclimatization, published by 11 Alive on June 24.