The National Weather Service forecasts mostly sunny skies here in Cobb County on Thursday, August 31, 2023, with a high near 84 degrees.

Tonight it is expected to be partly cloudy, with an overnight low of around 67 degrees.

What does the extended forecast have in store?

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

Today

Mostly sunny, with a high near 84. Northwest wind around 5 mph becoming southeast in the afternoon.

Tonight

Partly cloudy, with a low around 67. East wind 5 to 10 mph.

Friday

Partly sunny, with a high near 80. East wind around 10 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph.

Friday Night

Mostly cloudy, with a low around 64. East wind around 5 mph.

Saturday

Partly sunny, with a high near 82. East wind 5 to 10 mph.

Saturday Night

Partly cloudy, with a low around 62.

Sunday

Sunny, with a high near 87.

Sunday Night

Mostly clear, with a low around 63.

Labor Day

Sunny, with a high near 90.

Monday Night

Mostly clear, with a low around 64.

Tuesday

Sunny, with a high near 91.

Tuesday Night

Mostly clear, with a low around 67.

Wednesday

Sunny, with a high near 92.

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 31, 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	87	96 in 1953	63 in 1986
Min Temperature	M	70	75 in 2016	55 in 1887
Avg Temperature	M	78.5	84.5 in 1994	60.0 in 1986
Precipitation	M	0.13	3.72 in 2006	0.00 in 2022
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	5 in 1986	0 in 2022
CDD (base 65)	M	14	20 in 1994	0 in 1986
Month-to-Date Summary	Observed	Normal	Record Highest	Record Lowest
Avg Max Temperature	92.3	89.0	96.0 in 2007	80.9 in 1879
Avg Min Temperature	73.1	71.3	75.2 in 2007	65.6 in 1967
Avg Temperature	82.7	80.2	85.6 in 2007	73.9 in 1879
Total Precipitation	5.24	4.30	10.02 in 1920	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	11 in 1986	0 in 2023
Total CDD (base 65)	538	470	646 in 2007	284 in 1879
Year-to-Date Summary	Observed	Normal	Record Highest	Record Lowest
Avg Max Temperature	77.2	75.1	77.9 in 2012	69.3 in 1895
Avg Min Temperature	58.6	55.8	58.6 in 2023	50.0 in 1940
Avg Temperature	67.9	65.5	68.2 in 2012	60.3 in 1940
Total Precipitation	32.28	34.78	53.45 in 1920	20.72 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	11 in 1986	0 in 2023
Total CDD (since Jan 1)	1771	1648	1963 in 2011	1046 in 1967

Period of Record:

• Max Temperature : 1878-10-04 to 2023-08-30
• Min Temperature : 1878-10-04 to 2023-08-30
• Precipitation : 1878-10-01 to 2023-08-30
• Snowfall : 1928-12-25 to 2023-08-29
• Snow Depth : 1928-12-25 to 2023-08-29

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

Looking for a US ‘climate haven’ away from heat and disaster risks? Good luck finding one

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

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.”