The National Weather Service forecasts sunny skies here in Cobb County on Monday, September 18, 2023, with a high near 78 degrees.

Tonight it is expected to be clear, with an overnight low of around 55 degrees.

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 78. Northwest wind 5 to 10 mph, with gusts as high as 15 mph. 

Tonight

Clear, with a low around 55. North wind around 5 mph. 

Tuesday

Sunny, with a high near 81. Northeast wind around 5 mph becoming east in the afternoon. 

Tuesday Night

Partly cloudy, with a low around 59. East wind around 5 mph. 

Wednesday

Mostly sunny, with a high near 80. Southeast wind around 5 mph. 

Wednesday Night

Partly cloudy, with a low around 60.

Thursday

Mostly sunny, with a high near 80.

Thursday Night

Partly cloudy, with a low around 60.

Friday

Sunny, with a high near 80.

Friday Night

Partly cloudy, with a low around 60.

Saturday

Mostly sunny, with a high near 79.

Saturday Night

Partly cloudy, with a low around 60.

Sunday

A 20 percent chance of showers. Mostly sunny, with a high near 80.

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 18, 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	84	97 in 1931	65 in 1986
Min Temperature	M	65	77 in 1896	45 in 1903
Avg Temperature	M	74.5	87.0 in 1896	57.0 in 1903
Precipitation	M	0.12	2.82 in 1994	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	8 in 1903	0 in 2022
CDD (base 65)	M	1	22 in 1931	0 in 1986
Month-to-Date Summary	Observed	Normal	Record Highest	Record Lowest
Avg Max Temperature	85.8	85.4	95.4 in 1925	76.1 in 1967
Avg Min Temperature	69.5	67.7	74.3 in 1925	59.6 in 1967
Avg Temperature	77.6	76.5	84.9 in 1925	67.9 in 1967
Total Precipitation	1.29	2.26	13.27 in 1888	0.00 in 1897
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	19 in 1902	0 in 2023
Total CDD (base 65)	218	21	362 in 1925	62 in 1967
Year-to-Date Summary	Observed	Normal	Record Highest	Record Lowest
Avg Max Temperature	77.8	75.8	78.4 in 2012	70.1 in 1885
Avg Min Temperature	59.4	56.6	59.4 in 2023	50.8 in 1940
Avg Temperature	68.6	66.2	68.7 in 2012	61.2 in 1940
Total Precipitation	33.57	37.04	55.58 in 1920	21.81 in 1931
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	19 in 1902	0 in 2023
Total CDD (since Jan 1)	2002	186	2296 in 2019	1108 in 1967

Period of Record:

• Max Temperature : 1878-10-04 to 2023-09-17
• Min Temperature : 1878-10-04 to 2023-09-17
• Precipitation : 1878-10-01 to 2023-09-17
• Snowfall : 1928-12-25 to 2023-09-17
• Snow Depth : 1928-12-25 to 2023-09-17

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.”