The National Weather Service forecasts mostly cloudy skies here in Cobb County on Saturday, September 16, 2023, with a high near 75 degrees.

The National Weather Service has also issued a hazardous weather outlook for Cobb County and other parts of the region due to scattered showers and thunderstorms that will move into west Georgia this morning, spreading eastward across the area by this afternoon. Some storms could also produce locally heavy rainfall, in addition to frequent lightning.

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 before 4 p.m, then showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm after 5 p.m. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 75. Southeast wind 5 to 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60 percent.

Tonight

A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly after 11 p.m. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 64. Southeast wind around 5 mph. 

Sunday

A 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 80. South wind 5 to 10 mph becoming northwest in the afternoon. 

Sunday Night

A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms before 9 p.m. Mostly clear, with a low around 58. Northwest wind 5 to 10 mph. 

Monday

Sunny, with a high near 79. Northwest wind 5 to 10 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph. 

Monday Night

Clear, with a low around 57.

Tuesday

Sunny, with a high near 81.

Tuesday Night

Partly cloudy, with a low around 59.

Wednesday

Mostly sunny, with a high near 81.

Wednesday Night

Partly cloudy, with a low around 61.

Thursday

Mostly sunny, with a high near 80.

Thursday Night

Mostly clear, with a low around 61.

Friday

Sunny, with a high near 79.

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 16, 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 1927	65 in 1913
Min Temperature	M	66	76 in 1991	49 in 1916
Avg Temperature	M	75.0	86.5 in 1927	60.0 in 1913
Precipitation	M	0.13	4.93 in 2004	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 1913	0 in 2022
CDD (base 65)	M	1	22 in 1927	0 in 2011
Month-to-Date Summary	Observed	Normal	Record Highest	Record Lowest
Avg Max Temperature	87.1	85.7	95.6 in 1925	75.3 in 1967
Avg Min Temperature	69.9	67.9	74.4 in 1925	59.3 in 1967
Avg Temperature	78.5	76.8	85.0 in 1925	67.3 in 1967
Total Precipitation	0.31	2.03	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	18 in 1902	0 in 2023
Total CDD (base 65)	205	19	324 in 1925	47 in 1967
Year-to-Date Summary	Observed	Normal	Record Highest	Record Lowest
Avg Max Temperature	77.8	75.7	78.4 in 2012	70.0 in 1885
Avg Min Temperature	59.3	56.6	59.3 in 2023	50.8 in 1940
Avg Temperature	68.6	66.2	68.7 in 2012	61.1 in 1940
Total Precipitation	32.59	36.81	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	18 in 1902	0 in 2023
Total CDD (since Jan 1)	1989	184	2260 in 2019	1093 in 1967

Period of Record:

• Max Temperature : 1878-10-04 to 2023-09-15
• Min Temperature : 1878-10-04 to 2023-09-15
• Precipitation : 1878-10-01 to 2023-09-15
• Snowfall : 1928-12-25 to 2023-09-15
• Snow Depth : 1928-12-25 to 2023-09-15

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.”