Atlanta, Georgia (CNN) Hot summers in the Atlanta metro area are starting to turn the city into a mini-Hollywood.
In fact, some of the hottest summer days in Atlanta’s history are now recorded in the summer months.
The Atlanta Fire Department’s (AFD) heat index reached an all-time high in June, reaching 100.3 degrees, according to the city’s weather department.
Atlanta was one of the first cities in the US to have its own version of the movie set, The Starlight Cinema, which opened in 1949.
The Starlighters are now in their 90th year.
In Atlanta, which sits on the Chattahoochee River, the average annual temperature is 96.3F.
According to the National Weather Service, Atlanta’s summers have been especially hot.
A record high temperature in May reached 104 degrees in the city of Atlanta, a record high for June, the NWS reported.
“Atlanta is not only the hot spot for summer weather, it’s also the hottest spot in the country,” said Jeff Tett, a meteorologist with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Climatic Data Center in Boulder, Colorado.
While Atlanta’s record high temperatures may seem like a bad thing for residents, Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed says the hot summers are helping to bring more people into the city.
The city is seeing a surge of tourists and businesses, and more than 30,000 people were counted in the June 1-3 count of new hotel rooms, according the Atlanta Chamber of Commerce.
Reed said the city is experiencing more visitors than ever before and the high temperatures are bringing more business to the area.
“People are going to stay longer in the heat,” Reed said.
HOT: What it’s like to watch an epic heat wave in your backyard source CNN article Atlanta is experiencing its hottest summer on record.
Heat index readings hit a new record high of 102 degrees in June in the Georgia city of Fayetteville.
Atlanta has been one of America’s hottest summer cities since 2008, according a recent study from the U.S. National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Association.
In July, Atlanta hit an all time high of 104.4F.
That was just one month after it recorded a record heat index of 104 degrees, which is now a record for the city, the National Center for Atmospheric Research reported.
The National Weather System has been tracking temperatures in the metro Atlanta area since 1997, and the city now has a heat index that exceeds 100.7F.
The Atlanta metropolitan area recorded a total of 10.3 million visitor arrivals and 2.5 million hotel stays in July, according data from the American Meteorological Society.
The area also saw a record number of business trips, according TOA Weather.
The most recent heat wave hit Atlanta in December when the city experienced a total heat index reading of 105.2F.