The conditions have people young and old doing whatever they can to beat the heat.

Among them was a 2-year-old named Kayden who spread his arms wide and made a dash for the center of Atlanta's Centennial Olympic Park fountain on Friday afternoon.

The fountain, which is usually crowded with children and their parents during the summer months, had been cleared for a midafternoon water show featuring the song "Under the Sea." But Kayden didn't care. It was hot, and the water looked good.

His mother, 21-year-old Domonique Pagan, is from Boston and said that after seven years in Georgia, she still isn't accustomed to such heat.

"Are you kidding?" she said. "I'm about to die out here. I'll never get used to this."