The National Weather Service forecasts partly sunny skies here in Cobb County on Thursday, August 3, 2023, with a high near 88 degrees.

The National Weather Service has also issued a hazardous weather outlook for Cobb County and other parts of the region due to widespread showers and thunderstorms that are expected today and tonight. Storms may become severe with damaging winds, frequent lightning, and heavy rainfall.

What does the extended forecast have in store?

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

Today

Showers and thunderstorms likely, mainly after 4 p.m. Partly sunny, with a high near 88. South wind 5 to 10 mph becoming northwest in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 15 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60 percent. New rainfall amounts between a half and three quarters of an inch possible.

Tonight

Showers and thunderstorms likely, mainly before 7 p.m. Patchy fog after 10 p.m. Otherwise, mostly cloudy, with a low around 71. South wind 5 to 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60 percent. New rainfall amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.

Friday

A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Patchy fog before 10 a.m. Otherwise, partly sunny, with a high near 85. West wind 5 to 10 mph, with gusts as high as 15 mph.

Friday Night

A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly before 8 p.m. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 70. Northwest wind around 5 mph.

Saturday

A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms after 2 p.m. Partly sunny, with a high near 90. North wind around 5 mph.

Saturday Night

A chance of showers and thunderstorms before 11 p.m, then a slight chance of showers between 11 p.m and 2 a.m. Partly cloudy, with a low around 72. Chance of precipitation is 30 percent.

Sunday

A slight chance of showers between 8 a.m and 2 p.m, then a chance of showers and thunderstorms after 2 p.m. Mostly sunny, with a high near 91. Chance of precipitation is 50 percent.

Sunday Night

A chance of showers and thunderstorms before 2 a.m, then a slight chance of showers. Partly cloudy, with a low around 72. Chance of precipitation is 30 percent.

Monday

A slight chance of showers, then a chance of showers and thunderstorms after 8 a.m. Mostly sunny, with a high near 89. Chance of precipitation is 50 percent.

Monday Night

A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly before 2 a.m. Partly cloudy, with a low around 69.

Tuesday

A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly sunny, with a high near 86.

Tuesday Night

A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly cloudy, with a low around 66.

Wednesday

A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly sunny, with a high near 88.

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 3, 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	90	99 in 1957	73 in 1977
Min Temperature	M	72	77 in 2011	63 in 1998
Avg Temperature	M	81.1	87.0 in 2011	70.0 in 1977
Precipitation	M	0.13	1.50 in 2003	0.00 in 2016
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	22 in 2011	5 in 1977
Month-to-Date Summary	Observed	Normal	Record Highest	Record Lowest
Avg Max Temperature	93.5	90.1	98.3 in 1957	80.0 in 2018
Avg Min Temperature	73.5	72.1	76.3 in 2011	63.7 in 1997
Avg Temperature	83.5	81.1	85.7 in 1980	72.8 in 1925
Total Precipitation	0.00	0.39	4.93 in 2018	0.00 in 2023
Total Snowfall	0.0	0.0	0.0 in 2023	0.0 in 2023
Max Snow Depth	M	–	0 in 2022	0 in 2022
Total HDD (base 65)	0	0	0 in 2023	0 in 2023
Total CDD (base 65)	38	48	62 in 2011	24 in 1925
Year-to-Date Summary	Observed	Normal	Record Highest	Record Lowest
Avg Max Temperature	75.3	73.3	76.8 in 2012	67.2 in 1895
Avg Min Temperature	56.7	53.8	56.9 in 2012	47.6 in 1940
Avg Temperature	66.0	63.5	66.9 in 2012	57.9 in 1940
Total Precipitation	27.04	30.87	47.69 in 1912	17.17 in 1914
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)	1271	1227	1517 in 2012	768 in 1972

Period of Record:

• Max Temperature : 1878-10-04 to 2023-08-02
• Min Temperature : 1878-10-04 to 2023-08-02
• Precipitation : 1878-10-01 to 2023-08-02
• Snowfall : 1928-12-25 to 2023-08-01
• Snow Depth : 1928-12-25 to 2023-07-31

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.”