The National Weather Service forecasts sunny skies here in Cobb County on Tuesday, October 18, with a high near 55 degrees. Tonight it is expected to drop to slightly below freezing.
A freeze watch that was issued for an area including the Marietta area for late Tuesday night to Wednesday morning has been elevated to a freeze warning.
Difference between a watch and a warning
The National Weather Service describes the difference between a “watch” and a “warning” as follows:
“As the event becomes imminent, a watch will normally be upgraded to either a warning or an advisory (which indicates an 80% or greater probability of occurence).
“A Warning indicates that conditions pose a threat to life or property, and that travel will become difficult to impossible.
“An Advisory indicates conditions pose a significant inconvenience, and if caution is not exercised, could lead to situations that may threaten life and/or property.”
What does the extended forecast have in store?
This forecast is centered on Dobbins Air Reserve Base in Marietta.
Today
Sunny, with a high near 55. Northwest wind 10 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph.
Tonight
Clear, with a low around 30. Northwest wind around 10 mph, with gusts as high as 15 mph.
Wednesday
Areas of frost before 9 a.m. Otherwise, sunny, with a high near 60. Northwest wind around 10 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph.
Wednesday Night
Areas of frost after 5 a.m. Otherwise, clear, with a low around 34. West wind around 5 mph becoming calm in the evening.
Thursday
Areas of frost before 9 a.m. Otherwise, sunny, with a high near 60. Light west wind increasing to 5 to 10 mph in the morning. Winds could gust as high as 15 mph.
Thursday Night
Mostly clear, with a low around 37.
Friday
Sunny, with a high near 69.
Friday Night
Clear, with a low around 42.
Saturday
Sunny, with a high near 74.
Saturday Night
Mostly clear, with a low around 46.
Sunday
Sunny, with a high near 76.
Sunday Night
Mostly clear, with a low around 50.
Monday
Mostly sunny, with a high near 76.
What was the climate like in the latest reporting period?
The NWS climate summary for metro Atlanta has now been updated with August figures.
In an article entitled What is the Difference between Climate and Weather?, the National Ocean Service describes the difference as follows:
“Weather is what you see outside on any particular day. So, for example, it may be 75° degrees and sunny or it could be 20° degrees with heavy snow. That’s the weather.
“Climate is the average of that weather. For example, you can expect snow in the Northeast in January or for it to be hot and humid in the Southeast in July. This is climate. The climate record also includes extreme values such as record high temperatures or record amounts of rainfall. If you’ve ever heard your local weather person say “today we hit a record high for this day,” she is talking about climate records.
“So when we are talking about climate change, we are talking about changes in long-term averages of daily weather. In most places, weather can change from minute-to-minute, hour-to-hour, day-to-day, and season-to-season. Climate, however, is the average of weather over time and space.”
The climate report for the Atlanta area for the previous month shows how much departure from the average temperatures that month represents. The average temperature for a date is the average over a 30-year period.
| Date | High | Low | Average | Departure from normal | Precipitation |
| 2022-09-01 | 91 | 69 | 80 | 1.7 | 0 |
| 2022-09-02 | 86 | 73 | 79.5 | 1.4 | 0.09 |
| 2022-09-03 | 88 | 72 | 80 | 2 | 0 |
| 2022-09-04 | 83 | 73 | 78 | 0.2 | 0.26 |
| 2022-09-05 | 86 | 72 | 79 | 1.4 | 0.1 |
| 2022-09-06 | 86 | 71 | 78.5 | 1.1 | T |
| 2022-09-07 | 87 | 71 | 79 | 1.8 | 0 |
| 2022-09-08 | 85 | 72 | 78.5 | 1.5 | 0 |
| 2022-09-09 | 79 | 68 | 73.5 | -3.2 | 0.03 |
| 2022-09-10 | 73 | 67 | 70 | -6.5 | 0.12 |
| 2022-09-11 | 82 | 71 | 76.5 | 0.2 | 0.01 |
| 2022-09-12 | 85 | 65 | 75 | -1 | T |
| 2022-09-13 | 81 | 57 | 69 | -6.8 | 0 |
| 2022-09-14 | 85 | 62 | 73.5 | -2 | 0 |
| 2022-09-15 | 83 | 66 | 74.5 | -0.8 | 0 |
| 2022-09-16 | 83 | 64 | 73.5 | -1.5 | 0 |
| 2022-09-17 | 84 | 65 | 74.5 | -0.2 | 0 |
| 2022-09-18 | 86 | 65 | 75.5 | 1 | 0 |
| 2022-09-19 | 87 | 67 | 77 | 2.8 | 0 |
| 2022-09-20 | 92 | 69 | 80.5 | 6.6 | 0.38 |
| 2022-09-21 | 93 | 71 | 82 | 8.4 | 0 |
| 2022-09-22 | 94 | 68 | 81 | 7.7 | T |
| 2022-09-23 | 80 | 62 | 71 | -2 | 0 |
| 2022-09-24 | 81 | 55 | 68 | -4.6 | 0 |
| 2022-09-25 | 83 | 63 | 73 | 0.7 | T |
| 2022-09-26 | 82 | 62 | 72 | 0 | 0 |
| 2022-09-27 | 76 | 55 | 65.5 | -6.2 | 0 |
| 2022-09-28 | 76 | 55 | 65.5 | -5.8 | 0 |
| 2022-09-29 | 75 | 56 | 65.5 | -5.5 | 0 |
| 2022-09-30 | 79 | 62 | 70.5 | -0.1 | T |
| Sum | 2511 | 1968 | ||
| Average | 83.7 | 65.6 | 74.7 | -0.2 |
| Normal | 83.9 | 65.9 | 74.9 |
| Summer 2022 Average Temperature Ranking & Records | |||
| Climate Site | Avg Temp Rank | Highest Avg Temp Record (deg) (year) | Lowest Avg Temp Record (deg) (year) |
| Athens | 12th Warmest | 82.2 (2016) | 74.5 (1967) |
| Atlanta | 10th Warmest | 82.7 (1980) | 73.5 (1967) |
| Columbus | 15th Warmest | 84.6 (2011) | 78.3 (1967) |
| Macon | 14th Warmest | 83.5 (1954) | 76.1 (1967) |
| Summer 2022 Temperature Climate Statistics | ||||
| Climate Site | Maximum Temperature (deg) | Max T Date | Minimum Temperature (deg) | Min T Date |
| Athens | 102 | 6/22 | 59 | 6/20 |
| Atlanta | 99 | 6/15 | 64 | 6/10 |
| Columbus | 102 | 6/22 | 60 | 6/20 |
| Macon | 105 | 6/22 | 60 | 6/20 |
| Cartersville | 97 | 6/22, 23 | 57 | 6/20 |
| Dekalb Peachtree Arpt | 100 | 6/15 | 58 | 6/20 |
| Fulton Co Arpt | 99 | 6/15 | 58 | 6/20 |
| Gainesville | 98 | 6/22 | 61 | 6/10 |
| Peachtree City | 102 | 6/15 | 58 | 6/20 |
| Rome | 100 | 6/22, 23 | 57 | 6/20 |
| Summer 2022 Average Temperature Climate Statistics | ||
| Climate Site | Average Maximum Temperature (deg) | Average Minimum Temperature (deg) |
| Athens | 87.5 | 73.0 |
| Atlanta | 87.0 | 74.0 |
| Columbus | 89.5 | 75.5 |
| Macon | 88.0 | 77.0 |
| Cartersville | 86.0 | 70.5 |
| Dekalb Peachtree Arpt | 88.0 | 70.5 |
| Fulton Co Arpt | 87.0 | 71.5 |
| Gainesville | 71.0 | 87.0 |
| Peachtree City | 86.5 | 73.0 |
| Rome | 61.7 | 87.5 |
| Average Maximum Temperature Ranking & Records | |||
| Climate Site | Avg Max Temp Rank | Highest Avg Max Temp Record (deg) (Year) | Lowest Avg Max Temp Record (deg) (Year) |
| Athens | 18th Warmest | 91.5 (2007) | 81.5 (1967) |
| Atlanta | 25th Warmest | 92.0 (2012) | 80.5 (1967) |
| Columbus | 14th Warmest | 92.5 (2012) | 83.0 (1994) |
| Macon | 29th Warmest | 93.5 (1980) | 82.0 (1967) |
| Average Minimum Temperature Ranking & Records | |||
| Climate Site | Avg Min Temp Rank | Highest Avg Min Temp Record (deg) (Year) | Lowest Avg Min Temp Record (deg) (Year) |
| Athens | 2nd Warmest | 74.0 (1982) | 57.0 (1967) |
| Atlanta | 4th Warmest | 74.5 (2016) | 55.0 (1967) |
| Columbus | 3rd Warmest | 78.0 (2011) | 61.5 (1967) |
| Macon | Warmest on Record | 77.0 (2022) | 56.5 (1967) |
| Summer 2022 Precipitation Climate Statistics | |||
| Climate Site | Total Precipitation (in) | Normal Precipitation (in) | DFN (Departure From Normal) |
| Athens | 12.39 | 13.63 | -1.24 |
| Atlanta | 16.26 | 13.59 | +2.67 |
| Columbus | 9.47 | 13.06 | -3.59 |
| Macon | 18.30 | 13.61 | +4.69 |
| Cartersville | 16.34 | 11.11 | +5.23 |
| Dekalb Peachtree Arpt | 15.46 | 13.91 | +1.55 |
| Fulton County Arpt | 12.10 | 12.83 | -0.73 |
| Gainesville | 12.39 | 13.38 | -0.99 |
| Peachtree City | 9.88 | 13.25 | -3.37 |
| Rome | 7.84 | 11.31 | -3.47 |
| Summer 2022 Precipitation Ranking & Records | ||||
| Climate Site | Total Precipitation Ranking | Minimum Total Precip Record (in) (Year) | Maximum Total Precip Record (in) (Year) | |
| Athens | 36th Wettest | 4.28 (1957) | 29.39 (1994) | |
| Atlanta | 19th Wettest | 3.88 (1930) | 25.82 (2005) | |
| Columbus | 58th Wettest | 6.31 (1990) | 24.76 (2013) | |
| Macon | 7th Wettest | 5.00 (1997) | 29.26 (2013) |
| Summer 2022 Precipitation Climate Statistics | ||||
| Climate Site | Maximum Daily Precip (in) | Max P Date | ||
| Athens | 2.08 | 7/30 | ||
| Atlanta | 2.40 | 6/26 | ||
| Columbus | 1.47 | 8/18 | ||
| Macon | 3.45 | 6/24 | ||
| Cartersville | 2.33 | 7/1 | ||
| Dekalb Peachtree Arpt | 3.82 | 7/30 | ||
| Fulton Co Arpt | 2.10 | 6/24 | ||
| Gainesville | 1.85 | 7/3 | ||
| Peachtree City | 2.61 | 6/24 | ||
| Rome | 1.11 | 7/29 |
| Summer 2022 Temperature Climate Statistics | |||
| Climate Site | Average Temperature (deg) | Normal Temperature (deg) | DFN (Departure From Normal) |
| Athens | 80.4 | 79.5 | +0.9 |
| Atlanta | 80.7 | 79.7 | +1.0 |
| Columbus | 82.2 | 82.0 | +0.2 |
| Macon | 81.8 | 81.1 | +0.7 |
| Cartersville | 79.5 | 77.5 | +2.0 |
| Dekalb Peachtree Arpt | 79.4 | 78.1 | +1.3 |
| Fulton County Arpt | 79.8 | 78.8 | +1.0 |
| Gainesville | 79.4 | 77.5 | +1.9 |
| Peachtree City | 80.4 | 79.4 | +1.0 |
| Rome | 81.0 | 78.9 | +2.1 |
| Spring 2022 Temperature Climate Statistics | |||
| Climate Site | Average Temperature (deg) | Normal Temperature (deg) | DFN (Departure From Normal) |
| Athens | 63.9 | 62.0 | +1.9 |
| Atlanta | 65.1 | 62.1 | +3.0 |
| Columbus | 66.8 | 65.1 | +1.7 |
| Macon | 66.1 | 64.0 | +2.1 |
| Cartersville | 77.7 | 59.5 | +0.3 |
| Dekalb Peachtree Arpt | 62.7 | 61.4 | +1.3 |
| Fulton County Arpt | 63.1 | 61.3 | +1.8 |
| Gainesville | 62.8 | 60.4 | +2.4 |
| Peachtree City | 64.1 | 60.9 | +3.2 |
| Rome | 63.8 | 60.0 | +3.8 |
For much more information on the climate in our area, visit the NWS Climate FAQ for the Atlanta area.
What does the National Weather Service do?
The National Weather Service (NWS) is a part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
The NWS describes its role as follows:
“The National Weather Service (NWS) provides weather, water, and climate forecasts and warnings for the United States, its territories, adjacent waters and ocean areas, for the protection of life and property and the enhancement of the national economy.
“These services include Forecasts and Observations, Warnings, Impact-based Decision Support Services, and Education in an effort to build a Weather-Ready Nation. The ultimate goal is to have a society that is prepared for and responds to weather, water and climate events.”
Read all the Cobb County Courier climate and weather coverage by following this link.
