The National Weather Service forecasts mostly sunny skies here in Cobb County on Sunday, August 13, 2023, with a high near 95 degrees. A heat advisory has been issued due to the possibility of a heat index as high as 104.

The National Weather Service has also issued a hazardous weather outlook for Cobb County and other parts of the region due to patchy fog in portions of far north and northwest Georgia that will restrict visibilities to a quarter of a mile or less until 9 a.m. EDT.

What does the extended forecast have in store?

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

Today

A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms after 3 p.m. Patchy fog before 8 a.m. Otherwise, mostly sunny, with a high near 95. Heat index values as high as 104. Calm wind becoming west around 5 mph in the morning. 

Tonight

A 10 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms before 7 p.m. Partly cloudy, with a low around 75. West wind around 5 mph becoming calm. 

Monday

A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly after 3 p.m. Mostly sunny, with a high near 95. Heat index values as high as 107. Light southwest wind becoming west 5 to 10 mph in the morning. Winds could gust as high as 15 mph. 

Monday Night

A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms before 2 a.m. Partly cloudy, with a low around 73. Southwest wind 5 to 10 mph, with gusts as high as 15 mph. 

Tuesday

A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms after 2 p.m. Mostly sunny, with a high near 87. West wind 5 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph. 

Tuesday Night

A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms before 8 p.m. Mostly clear, with a low around 63.

Wednesday

Sunny, with a high near 86.

Wednesday Night

Clear, with a low around 65.

Thursday

Sunny, with a high near 89.

Thursday Night

Mostly clear, with a low around 67.

Friday

Sunny, with a high near 90.

Friday Night

Partly cloudy, with a low around 70.

Saturday

A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly sunny, with a high near 90.

What was the climate like in the latest reporting period?

The NWS climate summary for metro Atlanta has now been updated with July 2023 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.

Date	Max Temp	Min Temp	Average	Departure from norm	Precipitation
2023-07-01	96	73	84.5	4.4	0
2023-07-02	93	73	83	2.8	0.61
2023-07-03	89	72	80.5	0.2	0.01
2023-07-04	92	73	82.5	2.1	0
2023-07-05	88	75	81.5	1	0
2023-07-06	93	73	83	2.4	0
2023-07-07	92	74	83	2.4	T
2023-07-08	92	72	82	1.3	0
2023-07-09	91	71	81	0.2	0.19
2023-07-10	87	70	78.5	-2.3	0.73
2023-07-11	90	71	80.5	-0.4	0
2023-07-12	92	74	83	2	T
2023-07-13	92	74	83	2	0
2023-07-14	93	75	84	3	0
2023-07-15	93	77	85	3.9	0
2023-07-16	94	73	83.5	2.4	0
2023-07-17	91	71	81	-0.1	0
2023-07-18	93	73	83	1.8	T
2023-07-19	94	76	85	3.8	T
2023-07-20	96	74	85	3.8	T
2023-07-21	94	72	83	1.8	0.13
2023-07-22	87	71	79	-2.2	0.05
2023-07-23	92	72	82	0.8	0
2023-07-24	93	72	82.5	1.2	0
2023-07-25	95	71	83	1.7	T
2023-07-26	96	76	86	4.8	0
2023-07-27	97	75	86	4.8	0
2023-07-28	94	77	85.5	4.3	0.01
2023-07-29	98	77	87.5	6.3	0
2023-07-30	94	75	84.5	3.3	0
2023-07-31	97	74	85.5	4.3	0

Period of Record:

• Max Temperature : 1878-10-04 to 2023-08-12
• Min Temperature : 1878-10-04 to 2023-08-12
• Precipitation : 1878-10-01 to 2023-08-12
• Snowfall : 1928-12-25 to 2023-08-12
• Snow Depth : 1928-12-25 to 2023-08-12

For much more information on the climate in our area, visit the NWS Climate FAQ for the Atlanta area.

More climate coverage from the Cobb County Courier

Extreme Heat Is Particularly Hard On Older Adults, And An Aging Population And Climate Change Are Putting Ever More People At Risk

How climate change intensifies the water cycle, fueling extreme rainfall and flooding – the Northeast deluge was just the latest

KSU professor awarded NSF grant to study effects of climate change on farming communities in Iceland and Greenland

Record low water levels on the Mississippi River in 2022 show how climate change is altering large rivers

Satellites detect no real climate benefit from 10 years of forest carbon offsets in California

4 signs of progress at the UN climate change summit

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.”