This year’s September was the hottest one ever recorded. On Oct. 2, Georgia  beat the record for the hottest October recorded in the city of Atlanta. Beating its daily record of 89 degrees on Oct. 2, this year it was 96 degrees. The last time Georgia experienced this heat was in 1954 on Oct. 5 and 6 at 95 degrees.

Not only striking Atlanta, but this record-breaking heat is also affecting other states like Alabama, Florida, Tennessee and parts of Kentucky. Because of this heat, some areas had little to no rain like Kentucky who had the driest month ever recorded with 0.04 inches of rainfall. 

This strange weather is caused by climate change and a powerful weather system called the jet stream. It’s a narrow band of high altitude and powerful winds acting as a border, separating the cool northern temperatures and the hot southern temperatures. According to atmospheric scientist Paul Roebber, this band of wind can bend. This jet stream bent into the Western U.S. allowing cool air to come down. 

Some say it is the heat dome that’s in the eastern area. A heat dome is made when the atmosphere traps hot air over a certain area. But according to Scott Handel, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service’s Climate Prediction Center, this means a strong possibility for cold in the western part of the U.S.

Climate change also plays a huge role in the temperature. Climate change is caused by greenhouse gasses, burning fossil fuels, trapping heat and carbon pollution in the atmosphere. As October starts cooling down, scientists are left to wonder what weather patterns are in store and if people  will deal with more heat in the future.