The National Weather Service forecasts mostly sunny skies here in Cobb County on Friday, September 8, 2023, with a high near 85 degrees.

The National Weather Service has also issued a hazardous weather outlook for Cobb County and other parts of the region due to thunderstorms that will continue through sunrise and are possible this afternoon, particularly in northeast and far east central Georgia.

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 85. West wind around 5 mph. 

Tonight

Mostly clear, with a low around 64. Northwest wind around 5 mph becoming calm in the evening. 

Saturday

A 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms after 2 p.m. Mostly sunny, with a high near 85. East wind around 5 mph. New rainfall amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms. 

Saturday Night

A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly before 8 p.m. Partly cloudy, with a low around 64. East wind 5 to 10 mph. 

Sunday

A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms after 2 p.m. Partly sunny, with a high near 84. East wind around 5 mph. 

Sunday Night

A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms before 8 p.m. Mostly clear, with a low around 65.

Monday

Sunny, with a high near 86.

Monday Night

Mostly clear, with a low around 65.

Tuesday

Mostly sunny, with a high near 87.

Tuesday Night

A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly cloudy, with a low around 66.

Wednesday

A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 83.

Wednesday Night

A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly cloudy, with a low around 61.

Thursday

Mostly sunny, with a high near 81.

What was the climate like in the latest reporting period?

The NWS climate summary for metro Atlanta has now been updated with August 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	Depature from norm	Precipitation
2023-08-01	96	73	84.5	3.3	0
2023-08-02	91	74	82.5	1.4	0
2023-08-03	92	73	82.5	1.4	0.23
2023-08-04	91	73	82	0.9	T
2023-08-05	96	74	85	4	0
2023-08-06	96	71	83.5	2.5	1.07
2023-08-07	93	71	82	1.1	0.26
2023-08-08	88	72	80	-0.9	T
2023-08-09	89	69	79	-1.8	0.03
2023-08-10	87	69	78	-2.8	0.16
2023-08-11	90	72	81	0.3	0.65
2023-08-12	94	73	83.5	2.9	0.82
2023-08-13	94	72	83	2.4	0
2023-08-14	96	76	86	5.5	0.01
2023-08-15	90	73	81.5	1.1	0.63
2023-08-16	86	67	76.5	-3.8	0
2023-08-17	87	68	77.5	-2.7	0
2023-08-18	90	69	79.5	-0.7	0
2023-08-19	89	74	81.5	1.4	0
2023-08-20	92	72	82	2	0
2023-08-21	96	75	85.5	5.7	0
2023-08-22	96	76	86	6.3	0
2023-08-23	93	81	87	7.4	0
2023-08-24	96	76	86	6.5	0
2023-08-25	98	80	89	9.6	0
2023-08-26	99	77	88	8.8	0
2023-08-27	97	77	87	7.9	T
2023-08-28	93	73	83	4	0.84
2023-08-29	90	73	81.5	2.7	0.08
2023-08-30	85	71	78	-0.7	0.46
2023-08-31	88	68	78	-0.5	0

Climate Almanac for metro Atlanta

This almanac provides information on past climate conditions for today’s date, September 8, 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	86	102 in 1925	68 in 1893
Min Temperature	M	68	75 in 1925	56 in 1984
Avg Temperature	M	77.0	88.5 in 1925	65.0 in 1962
Precipitation	M	0.13	1.02 in 1902	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	12	24 in 1925	0 in 1962
Month-to-Date Summary	Observed	Normal	Record Highest	Record Lowest
Avg Max Temperature	88.4	86.5	98.5 in 1925	74.5 in 1967
Avg Min Temperature	70.9	68.9	75.3 in 1925	59.1 in 1934
Avg Temperature	79.6	77.7	86.9 in 1925	67.4 in 1967
Total Precipitation	0.00	1.00	6.85 in 1888	0.00 in 2023
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	5 in 1950	0 in 2023
Total CDD (base 65)	103	102	177 in 1925	24 in 1967
Year-to-Date Summary	Observed	Normal	Record Highest	Record Lowest
Avg Max Temperature	77.6	75.4	78.2 in 2012	69.6 in 1885
Avg Min Temperature	59.0	56.2	59.0 in 2023	50.6 in 1940
Avg Temperature	68.3	65.8	68.5 in 2012	60.9 in 1940
Total Precipitation	32.28	35.78	54.93 in 1920	20.75 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	11 in 1986	0 in 2023
Total CDD (since Jan 1)	1887	1750	2098 in 2019	1070 in 1967

Period of Record:

• Max Temperature : 1878-10-04 to 2023-09-07
• Min Temperature : 1878-10-04 to 2023-09-07
• Precipitation : 1878-10-01 to 2023-09-07
• Snowfall : 1928-12-25 to 2023-09-06
• Snow Depth : 1928-12-25 to 2023-09-05

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.”