The National Weather Service forecasts sunny skies here in Cobb County on Thursday, August 24, 2023, with a high near 95 degrees.

The National Weather Service has also issued a hazardous weather outlook for Cobb County and other parts of the region due to a couple of isolated storms that could develop this afternoon across North GA and drift south into the evening. A code orange air quality alert is also in effect.

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 95. Heat index values as high as 100. Calm wind becoming west around 5 mph in the afternoon.

Tonight

A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms before 10 p.m. Mostly clear, with a low around 73. West wind around 5 mph becoming calm.

Friday

Sunny and hot, with a high near 97. Heat index values as high as 105. Northwest wind 5 to 10 mph.

Friday Night

Mostly clear, with a low around 73. Northwest wind around 5 mph.

Saturday

Sunny and hot, with a high near 98. Northwest wind 5 to 10 mph.

Saturday Night

Mostly clear, with a low around 72.

Sunday

A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms after 2 p.m. Sunny, with a high near 96.

Sunday Night

A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly before 8 p.m. Partly cloudy, with a low around 71.

Monday

A 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms after 2 p.m. Mostly sunny, with a high near 91.

Monday Night

A chance of showers and thunderstorms before 2 a.m, then a slight chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 70. Chance of precipitation is 40 percent.

Tuesday

Showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm. Partly sunny, with a high near 85. Chance of precipitation is 60 percent.

Tuesday Night

Showers and thunderstorms likely. Partly cloudy, with a low around 67. Chance of precipitation is 60 percent.

Wednesday

A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Sunny, with a high near 85.

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

Climate Almanac for metro Atlanta

This almanac provides information on past climate conditions for today’s date, August 20, allowing a comparison to current weather. Simply put, it helps you see what the weather would typically be like on this day according to historical data.

Daily Data	Observed	Normal	Record Highest	Record Lowest
Max Temperature	M	88	98 in 1983	72 in 1961
Min Temperature	M	71	77 in 2021	55 in 1891
Avg Temperature	M	79.5	86.5 in 1983	64.0 in 1891
Precipitation	M	0.14	3.21 in 1921	0.00 in 2021
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	1 in 1891	0 in 2022
CDD (base 65)	M	14	22 in 1983	0 in 1891
Month-to-Date Summary	Observed	Normal	Record Highest	Record Lowest
Avg Max Temperature	91.8	89.4	97.9 in 2007	82.0 in 1879
Avg Min Temperature	72.5	71.6	76.0 in 2007	65.7 in 1976
Avg Temperature	82.2	80.5	87.0 in 2007	74.3 in 1967
Total Precipitation	3.86	3.36	9.64 in 1901	0.02 in 1925
Total Snowfall	0.0	0.0	0.0 in 2023	0.0 in 2023
Max Snow Depth	0	–	0 in 2023	0 in 2023
Total HDD (base 65)	0	0	2 in 1949	0 in 2023
Total CDD (base 65)	400	372	534 in 2007	229 in 1967
Year-to-Date Summary	Observed	Normal	Record Highest	Record Lowest
Avg Max Temperature	76.7	74.7	77.7 in 2012	68.7 in 1895
Avg Min Temperature	58.1	55.4	58.3 in 2017	49.5 in 1940
Avg Temperature	67.4	65.1	67.9 in 2012	59.7 in 1940
Total Precipitation	30.90	33.84	52.35 in 1920	17.90 in 2007
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 1936	0 in 2023
Total CDD (since Jan 1)	1633	1550	1857 in 2019	973 in 1961

Period of Record:

• Max Temperature : 1878-10-04 to 2023-08-23
• Min Temperature : 1878-10-04 to 2023-08-23
• Precipitation : 1878-10-01 to 2023-08-23
• Snowfall : 1928-12-25 to 2023-08-23
• Snow Depth : 1928-12-25 to 2023-08-23

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

Climate and climate change coverage in 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

Republicans’ Anti-ESG Attack May Be Silencing Insurers, But It Isn’t Changing Their Pro-Climate Business Decisions

KSU Professor Awarded NSF Grant To Study Effects Of Climate Change On Farming Communities In Iceland And Greenland

How California’s Ambitious New Climate Plan Could Help Speed Energy Transformation Around The World

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.”