The National Weather Service climate summary for metro Atlanta has now been updated with June, 2023 figures.
What is climate? Is it the same as weather?
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.”
This is a summary for the Atlanta area of each day in June, including the maximum temperature for the day, the minimum, and the departure from the norm. The norm is calculated by taking the average over a 30-year period.
The June metro Atlanta climate summary
| Date | Temperature | Precipitation | |||
| Maximum | Minimum | Average | Departure | ||
| 2023-06-01 | 84 | 64 | 74 | -1.1 | 0 |
| 2023-06-02 | 87 | 68 | 77.5 | 2.1 | 0 |
| 2023-06-03 | 89 | 67 | 78 | 2.4 | 0 |
| 2023-06-04 | 82 | 68 | 75 | -0.8 | 0.52 |
| 2023-06-05 | 84 | 64 | 74 | -2 | 0 |
| 2023-06-06 | 90 | 68 | 79 | 2.8 | T |
| 2023-06-07 | 90 | 69 | 79.5 | 3.1 | 0 |
| 2023-06-08 | 85 | 70 | 77.5 | 0.9 | 0 |
| 2023-06-09 | 85 | 66 | 75.5 | -1.3 | 0 |
| 2023-06-10 | 87 | 63 | 75 | -2 | 0 |
| 2023-06-11 | 84 | 67 | 75.5 | -1.7 | 0.67 |
| 2023-06-12 | 81 | 66 | 73.5 | -3.9 | 0.18 |
| 2023-06-13 | 79 | 63 | 71 | -6.6 | 0 |
| 2023-06-14 | 76 | 67 | 71.5 | -6.2 | 0.84 |
| 2023-06-15 | 82 | 68 | 75 | -2.9 | 0 |
| 2023-06-16 | 88 | 71 | 79.5 | 1.4 | 0 |
| 2023-06-17 | 90 | 69 | 79.5 | 1.2 | 0 |
| 2023-06-18 | 86 | 69 | 77.5 | -0.9 | T |
| 2023-06-19 | 78 | 67 | 72.5 | -6.1 | 1 |
| 2023-06-20 | 85 | 70 | 77.5 | -1.2 | 0.03 |
| 2023-06-21 | 76 | 66 | 71 | -7.9 | 0.37 |
| 2023-06-22 | 81 | 65 | 73 | -6 | 0.05 |
| 2023-06-23 | 85 | 69 | 77 | -2.2 | 0 |
| 2023-06-24 | 88 | 67 | 77.5 | -1.8 | 0 |
| 2023-06-25 | 92 | 68 | 80 | 0.6 | 0.67 |
| 2023-06-26 | 91 | 67 | 79 | -0.6 | 0 |
| 2023-06-27 | 89 | 72 | 80.5 | 0.8 | 0 |
| 2023-06-28 | 90 | 70 | 80 | 0.2 | 0 |
| 2023-06-29 | 92 | 72 | 82 | 2.1 | 0 |
| 2023-06-30 | 90 | 72 | 81 | 1 | 0.05 |
| Observations for each day cover the 24 hours ending at the time given below (Local Standard Time). | |||||
| Max Temperature : midnight | |||||
| Min Temperature : midnight | |||||
| Precipitation : midnight | |||||
Here is the daily almanac for July 12, 2023 giving record and average temperatures for this day. Most of the figures are self-explanatory, but you can visit the climate page for the region for further explanation.
| Daily Data | Observed | Normal | Record Highest | Record Lowest |
| Max Temperature | M | 90 | 103 in 1980 | 70 in 1898 |
| Min Temperature | M | 72 | 80 in 1980 | 58 in 1898 |
| Avg Temperature | M | 81 | 91.5 in 1980 | 64.0 in 1898 |
| Precipitation | M | 0.17 | 1.89 in 2009 | 0.00 in 2022 |
| Snowfall | M | 0 | 0.0 in 2022 | 0.0 in 2022 |
| Snow Depth | M | – | 0 in 2022 | 0 in 2022 |
| HDD (base 65) | M | 0 | 1 in 1898 | 0 in 2022 |
| CDD (base 65) | M | 16 | 27 in 1980 | 0 in 1898 |
| Month-to-Date Summary | Observed | Normal | Record Highest | Record Lowest |
| Avg Max Temperature | 91.2 | 89.8 | 96.5 in 1980 | 76.9 in 1892 |
| Avg Min Temperature | 72.5 | 71.4 | 75.2 in 1980 | 63.7 in 1940 |
| Avg Temperature | 81.8 | 80.6 | 85.8 in 1980 | 71.0 in 1892 |
| Total Precipitation | 1.54 | 2.04 | 13.05 in 2005 | 0.00 in 1879 |
| Total Snowfall | 0 | 0 | T in 2001 | 0.0 in 2023 |
| Max Snow Depth | 0 | – | 0 in 2023 | 0 in 2023 |
| Total HDD (base 65) | 0 | 0 | 4 in 1892 | 0 in 2023 |
| Total CDD (base 65) | 188 | 187 | 254 in 1980 | 79 in 1892 |
| Year-to-Date Summary | Observed | Normal | Record Highest | Record Lowest |
| Avg Max Temperature | 73.1 | 71.3 | 74.9 in 2012 | 64.9 in 1895 |
| Avg Min Temperature | 54.8 | 51.7 | 55.2 in 1880 | 45.0 in 1940 |
| Avg Temperature | 64 | 61.5 | 65.0 in 2012 | 55.4 in 1940 |
| Total Precipitation | 26.85 | 27.77 | 46.40 in 1912 | 13.36 in 1986 |
| Total Snowfall (since July 1) | 0 | 0 | T in 2001 | 0.0 in 2023 |
| Max Snow Depth (since July 1) | 0 | – | 0 in 2023 | 0 in 2023 |
| Total HDD (since July 1) | 0 | 0 | 4 in 1892 | 0 in 2023 |
| Total CDD (since Jan 1) | 853 | 871 | 1105 in 2012 | 472 in 1972 |
| Period of Record: | ||||
| Max Temperature : 1878-10-04 to 2023-07-11 | ||||
| Min Temperature : 1878-10-04 to 2023-07-11 | ||||
| Precipitation : 1878-10-01 to 2023-07-11 | ||||
| Snowfall : 1928-12-25 to 2023-07-10 | ||||
| Snow Depth : 1928-12-25 to 2023-07-09 |
The Courier and Climate Change
Human generated climate change is real, and it is not an opinion up for debate. The strong consensus among climate scientists is that the average global temperature has been sharply increased due to human activities.
It is also a crisis, with long-term global consequences.
The Courier does not run opinion articles or letters to the editor that deny or minimize climate change, any more than we run materials denying the existence of gravity or the heliocentric solar system.
