We might not get a snowy Christmas, but if the National Weather Service (NWS) is correct we’re going to have a very cold one, since a cold weather system is rapidly approaching, and should hit us by Thursday, bringing with it extreme temperatures.
But for today, the National Weather Service forecasts partly sunny skies here in Cobb County on Monday, December 19, with a high near 48.
Tonight there is a 30 percent chance of rain, with an overnight low of around 36.
The NWS issued a hazardous weather outlook for Cobb and other parts of the region due to the approaching cold weather system, expected to bring lows into the teens and 20s starting Thursday.
What does the extended forecast have in store?
This forecast is centered on Dobbins Air Reserve Base in Marietta.
Today
Widespread frost before 10 a.m. Otherwise, partly sunny, with a high near 48. Calm wind becoming east around 5 mph in the morning.
Tonight
A 30 percent chance of rain, mainly after 3 a.m. Cloudy, with a low around 36. East wind around 5 mph.
Tuesday
A 40 percent chance of rain. Cloudy, with a high near 42. East wind 5 to 10 mph, with gusts as high as 15 mph.
Tuesday Night
A 40 percent chance of rain before 10 p.m. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 35. East wind 5 to 10 mph, with gusts as high as 15 mph.
Wednesday
Mostly cloudy, with a high near 47. East wind 5 to 10 mph, with gusts as high as 15 mph.
Wednesday Night
A 40 percent chance of rain. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 38.
Thursday
Rain likely, mainly after 1 p.m. Cloudy, with a high near 51. Chance of precipitation is 60 percent.
Thursday Night
Rain, mainly before 1 a.m. Low around 20. Chance of precipitation is 80 percent.
Friday
A slight chance of rain and snow before 10 a.m. Partly sunny, with a high near 35. Chance of precipitation is 20 percent.
Friday Night
Partly cloudy, with a low around 10.
Saturday
Mostly sunny, with a high near 26.
Saturday Night
Partly cloudy, with a low around 15.
Christmas Day
Mostly sunny, with a high near 32.
What was the climate like in the latest reporting period?
The NWS climate summary for metro Atlanta has now been updated with November 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 | Max | Min | AVG | Departure from norm | Precipitation |
| 2022-11-01 | 74 | 54 | 64.0 | 5.3 | 0.00 |
| 2022-11-02 | 76 | 57 | 66.5 | 8.2 | 0.00 |
| 2022-11-03 | 75 | 57 | 66.0 | 8.0 | 0.00 |
| 2022-11-04 | 76 | 54 | 65.0 | 7.4 | 0.00 |
| 2022-11-05 | 79 | 62 | 70.5 | 13.2 | T |
| 2022-11-06 | 83 | 68 | 75.5 | 18.6 | 0.00 |
| 2022-11-07 | 83 | 68 | 75.5 | 18.9 | 0.00 |
| 2022-11-08 | 80 | 62 | 71.0 | 14.7 | 0.00 |
| 2022-11-09 | 69 | 51 | 60.0 | 4.0 | 0.00 |
| 2022-11-10 | 68 | 59 | 63.5 | 7.9 | 0.13 |
| 2022-11-11 | 71 | 64 | 67.5 | 12.2 | 0.97 |
| 2022-11-12 | 70 | 42 | 56.0 | 1.0 | T |
| 2022-11-13 | 48 | 33 | 40.5 | -14.2 | 0.00 |
| 2022-11-14 | 55 | 33 | 44.0 | -10.4 | 0.00 |
| 2022-11-15 | 49 | 45 | 47.0 | -7.1 | 0.38 |
| 2022-11-16 | 49 | 39 | 44.0 | -9.8 | 0.00 |
| 2022-11-17 | 47 | 33 | 40.0 | -13.5 | 0.00 |
| 2022-11-18 | 54 | 30 | 42.0 | -11.3 | 0.00 |
| 2022-11-19 | 53 | 33 | 43.0 | -10.0 | 0.00 |
| 2022-11-20 | 47 | 34 | 40.5 | -12.2 | 0.00 |
| 2022-11-21 | 58 | 31 | 44.5 | -8.0 | 0.00 |
| 2022-11-22 | 64 | 44 | 54.0 | 1.8 | T |
| 2022-11-23 | 71 | 43 | 57.0 | 5.1 | 0.00 |
| 2022-11-24 | 63 | 52 | 57.5 | 5.8 | T |
| 2022-11-25 | 66 | 51 | 58.5 | 7.1 | 0.25 |
| 2022-11-26 | 66 | 49 | 57.5 | 6.3 | 0.11 |
| 2022-11-27 | 67 | 53 | 60.0 | 9.1 | 0.54 |
| 2022-11-28 | 65 | 48 | 56.5 | 5.8 | 0.00 |
| 2022-11-29 | 69 | 44 | 56.5 | 6.0 | 0.51 |
| 2022-11-30 | 69 | 41 | 55.0 | 4.7 | 1.34 |
| Sum | 1964 | 1434 | – | – | 4.23 |
| Average | 65.5 | 47.8 | 56.6 | 2.4 | – |
| Normal | 64.1 | 44.2 | 54.2 | – | 3.98 |
| Autumn 2022 Temperature Climate Statistics | |||
| Climate Site | Average Temperature (deg) | Normal Temperature (deg) | DFN (Departure From Normal) |
| Athens | 64.7 | 63.4 | +1.3 |
| Atlanta | 64.7 | 63.6 | +1.1 |
| Columbus | 66.2 | 66.8 | -0.6 |
| Macon | 65.4 | 65.3 | +0.1 |
| Cartersville | 62.0 | 61.1 | +0.9 |
| Dekalb Peachtree Arpt | 62.8 | 62.5 | +0.3 |
| Fulton County Arpt | 62.8 | 62.8 | 0.0 |
| Gainesville | 62.5 | 62.0 | +0.5 |
| Peachtree City | 63.7 | 62.1 | +1.6 |
| Rome | 63.2 | 61.3 | +1.9 |
| Autumn 2022 Average Temperature Ranking & Records | |||
| Climate Site | Avg Temp Rank | Highest Avg Temp Record (deg) (year) | Lowest Avg Temp Record (deg) (year) |
| Athens | 39th Warmest | 67.4 (2016) | 58.4 (1976) |
| Atlanta | 20th Warmest | 69.1 (2016) | 56.7 (1976) |
| Columbus | 32nd Warmest | 70.4 (1985) | 60.9 (1976) |
| Macon | 36th Warmest | 69.4 (1985) | 60.3 (1967) |
| Autumn 2022 Temperature Climate Statistics | ||||
| Climate Site | Maximum Temperature (deg) | Max T Date | Minimum Temperature (deg) | Min T Date |
| Athens | 93 | 9/14 | 28 | 11/24 |
| Atlanta | 88 | 9/13 | 32 | 11/23 |
| Columbus | 92 | 9/7 | 30 | 11/30 |
| Macon | 93 | 9/7 | 27 | 11/24 |
| Cartersville | 88 | 9/14 | 27 | 11/30 |
| Dekalb Peachtree Arpt | 90 | 9/14 | 28 | 11/24 |
| Fulton Co Arpt | 90 | 9/14 | 27 | 11/24 |
| Gainesville | 88 | 9/13 | 29 | 11/23 |
| Peachtree City | 90 | 9/13 | 27 | 11/24 |
| Rome | 91 | 9/14 | 27 | 11/24, 27 |
| Autumn 2022 Average Temperature Climate Statistics | ||
| Climate Site | Average Maximum Temperature (deg) | Average Minimum Temperature (deg) |
| Athens | 74.7 | 51.2 |
| Atlanta | 74.3 | 54.8 |
| Columbus | 77.3 | 55.3 |
| Macon | 78.2 | 52.3 |
| Cartersville | 73.1 | 50.4 |
| Dekalb Peachtree Arpt | 72.4 | 49.5 |
| Fulton Co Arpt | 74.4 | 50.7 |
| Gainesville | 72.5 | 52.3 |
| Peachtree City | 75.6 | 50.9 |
| Rome | 74.9 | 49.5 |
| 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 | 8th Warmest | 81.0 (2016) | 68.8 (1976) |
| Atlanta | 27th Warmest | 79.8 (2016) | 67.1 (1976) |
| Columbus | 32nd Warmest | 82.8 (2016) | 71.7 (1976) |
| Macon | 31st Warmest | 83.2 (2016) | 73.7 (1976) |
| 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 | 49th Warmest | 57.1 (1985) | 46.9 (1967) |
| Atlanta | 23rd Warmest | 59.0 (1931) | 46.3 (1976) |
| Columbus | 35th Warmest | 60.9 (1985) | 49.9 (1967) |
| Macon | 50th Coldest | 59.3 (1985) | 46.0 (1967) |
| Autumn 2022 Precipitation Climate Statistics | |||
| Climate Site | Total Precipitation (in) | Normal Precipitation (in) | DFN (Departure From Normal) |
| Athens | 9.91 | 11.31 | -1.40 |
| Atlanta | 6.93 | 11.98 | -5.05 |
| Columbus | 11.62 | 9.74 | +1.88 |
| Macon | 8.67 | 9.70 | -1.03 |
| Cartersville | 8.36 | 11.10 | -2.74 |
| Dekalb Peachtree Arpt | 8.43 | 12.23 | -3.80 |
| Fulton County Arpt | 6.86 | 11.76 | -4.90 |
| Gainesville | 7.70 | 13.23 | -5.53 |
| Peachtree City | 7.93 | 11.12 | -3.19 |
| Rome | 13.23 | 12.12 | +1.11 |
| Autumn 2022 Precipitation Ranking & Records | ||||
| Climate Site | Total Precipitation Ranking | Minimum Total Precip Record (in) (Year) | Maximum Total Precip Record (in) (Year) | |
| Athens | 43rd Driest | 2.64 (2001) | 24.17 (2009) | |
| Atlanta | 26th Driest | 2.94 (1931) | 23.40 (2009) | |
| Columbus | 29th Driest | 2.30 (1961) | 18.44 (2009) | |
| Macon | 42nd Driest | 1.62 (1991) | 20.94 (2009) |
| Autumn 2022 Precipitation Climate Statistics | ||||
| Climate Site | Maximum Daily Precip (in) | Max P Date | ||
| Athens | 1.98 | 11/10 | ||
| Atlanta | 1.85 | 11/29 | ||
| Columbus | 2.75* | 10/5 | ||
| Macon | 2.47 | 11/10 | ||
| Cartersville | 1.91 | 11/30 | ||
| Dekalb Peachtree Arpt | 2.65 | 11/29 | ||
| Fulton Co Arpt | 2.40 | 11/29 | ||
| Gainesville | 1.47 | 9/4 | ||
| Peachtree City | 1.88 | 11/29 | ||
| Rome | 3.25 | 11/29 |
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.”
