The National Weather Service forecasts partly sunny skies here in Cobb County on Friday, July 21, 2023, with a high near 92 degrees.

Tonight it is expected to be mostly cloudy, with an overnight low of around 69 degrees.

What does the extended forecast have in store?

This forecast is centered on Dobbins Air Reserve Base in Marietta.

Friday

A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly after 1 p.m. Partly sunny, with a high near 92. Heat index values as high as 102. West wind 5 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph.

Friday Night

A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 69. Northwest wind 5 to 10 mph, with gusts as high as 15 mph.

Saturday

A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 87. Northwest wind 5 to 10 mph, with gusts as high as 15 mph.

Saturday Night

A 10 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms before 7 p.m. Partly cloudy, with a low around 66. Northwest wind around 5 mph.

Sunday

Sunny, with a high near 88.

Sunday Night

Mostly clear, with a low around 67.

Monday

Sunny, with a high near 90.

Monday Night

Mostly clear, with a low around 67.

Tuesday

Sunny, with a high near 92.

Tuesday Night

Mostly clear, with a low around 69.

Wednesday

A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Sunny, with a high near 93.

Wednesday Night

A 10 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly clear, with a low around 70.

Thursday

A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Sunny, with a high near 93.

What was the climate like in the latest reporting period?

The NWS climate summary for metro Atlanta has now been updated with June 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.”

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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.

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

Climate Almanac for metro Atlanta: July 21

 

This almanac represents the historical climate conditions for today’s calendar date so it can be compared with today’s results.  In other words, today is July 21, so the almanac gives numbers on what we would expect today to be like based on the averages and highs/lows on July 21 of past years.

Daily Data	Observed	Normal	Record Highest	Record Lowest
Max Temperature	M	90	102 in 1986	76 in 1920
Min Temperature	M	72	80 in 1881	61 in 1929
Avg Temperature	M	81.2	88.5 in 1993	71.5 in 1929
Precipitation	M	0.14	4.03 in 1899	0.00 in 2019
Snowfall	M	0.0	0.0 in 2022	0.0 in 2022
Snow Depth	M	–	0 in 2022	0 in 2022
HDD (base 65)	M	0	0 in 2022	0 in 2022
CDD (base 65)	M	16	24 in 1993	7 in 1929
Month-to-Date Summary	Observed	Normal	Record Highest	Record Lowest
Avg Max Temperature	92.1	90.0	97.1 in 1980	81.1 in 1892
Avg Min Temperature	73.2	71.6	75.9 in 1980	64.2 in 1967
Avg Temperature	82.6	80.8	86.5 in 1980	72.9 in 1967
Total Precipitation	1.54	3.41	14.34 in 2005	0.17 in 1995
Total Snowfall	0.0	0.0	T in 2001	0.0 in 2023
Max Snow Depth	0	–	T in 1942	0 in 2023
Total HDD (base 65)	0	0	4 in 1892	0 in 2023
Total CDD (base 65)	356	332	458 in 1980	171 in 1967
Year-to-Date Summary	Observed	Normal	Record Highest	Record Lowest
Avg Max Temperature	74.0	72.2	75.6 in 2012	65.9 in 1895
Avg Min Temperature	55.6	52.6	55.9 in 2017	46.0 in 1940
Avg Temperature	64.8	62.4	65.7 in 2012	56.3 in 1940
Total Precipitation	26.85	29.14	47.00 in 1912	14.14 in 1986
Total Snowfall (since July 1)	0.0	0.0	T in 2001	0.0 in 2023
Max Snow Depth (since July 1)	0	–	T in 1942	0 in 2023
Total HDD (since July 1)	0	0	4 in 1892	0 in 2023
Total CDD (since Jan 1)	1021	1016	1256 in 2012	577 in 1961

 

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.”