The National Weather Service forecasts sunny skies here in Cobb County on Wednesday, August 23, 2023, with a high near 93 degrees.

The National Weather Service has also issued an air quality alert under code orange for Cobb County and other parts of the region.

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 93. Heat index values as high as 99. East wind 5 to 10 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph. 

Tonight

Mostly clear, with a low around 71. East wind around 5 mph. 

Thursday

Sunny, with a high near 95. Heat index values as high as 101. Southeast wind around 5 mph becoming northwest in the afternoon. 

Thursday Night

Mostly clear, with a low around 72. West wind around 5 mph becoming southwest after midnight. 

Friday

Sunny and hot, with a high near 97. Northwest wind 5 to 10 mph. 

Friday Night

Mostly clear, with a low around 74.

Saturday

Sunny and hot, with a high near 97.

Saturday Night

Mostly clear, with a low around 73.

Sunday

A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms after 2 p.m. Sunny, with a high near 94.

Sunday Night

A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms before 2 a.m. Partly cloudy, with a low around 71.

Monday

A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly sunny, with a high near 88.

Monday Night

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

Tuesday

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

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 2007	76 in 1920
Min Temperature	M	71	76 in 2019	57 in 1931
Avg Temperature	M	79.6	86.0 in 2007	67.5 in 1931
Precipitation	M	0.14	2.96 in 2005	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	0 in 2022	0 in 2022
CDD (base 65)	M	15	21 in 2007	3 in 1969
Month-to-Date Summary	Observed	Normal	Record Highest	Record Lowest
Avg Max Temperature	91.8	89.4	98.0 in 2007	81.9 in 1879
Avg Min Temperature	72.1	71.7	76.2 in 2007	65.5 in 1976
Avg Temperature	81.9	80.6	87.1 in 2007	74.4 in 1967
Total Precipitation	3.86	3.22	9.41 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)	378	358	515 in 2007	223 in 1967
Year-to-Date Summary	Observed	Normal	Record Highest	Record Lowest
Avg Max Temperature	76.7	74.6	77.7 in 2012	68.7 in 1895
Avg Min Temperature	58.0	55.3	58.2 in 2017	49.4 in 1940
Avg Temperature	67.4	65.0	67.9 in 2012	59.7 in 1940
Total Precipitation	30.90	33.70	52.35 in 1920	17.75 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)	1611	1536	1840 in 2019	970 in 1961

Period of Record:

• Max Temperature : 1878-10-04 to 2023-08-22
• Min Temperature : 1878-10-04 to 2023-08-22
• Precipitation : 1878-10-01 to 2023-08-22
• Snowfall : 1928-12-25 to 2023-08-21
• Snow Depth : 1928-12-25 to 2023-08-21

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.”