The National Weather Service forecasts partly sunny skies here in Cobb County on Wednesday, September 20, 2023, with a high near 80 degrees.

Tonight it is expected to be partly cloudy, with an overnight low of around 60 degrees.

What does the extended forecast have in store?

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

Today

Partly sunny, with a high near 80. East wind 5 to 10 mph. 

Tonight

Partly cloudy, with a low around 60. East wind around 5 mph. 

Thursday

Mostly sunny, with a high near 80. East wind 5 to 10 mph, with gusts as high as 15 mph. 

Thursday Night

Mostly clear, with a low around 60. East wind around 5 mph. 

Friday

Sunny, with a high near 80. Northeast wind 5 to 10 mph, with gusts as high as 15 mph. 

Friday Night

Partly cloudy, with a low around 60.

Saturday

Sunny, with a high near 81.

Saturday Night

Mostly clear, with a low around 59.

Sunday

Sunny, with a high near 82.

Sunday Night

Partly cloudy, with a low around 62.

Monday

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

Monday Night

A 20 percent chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 64.

Tuesday

A 30 percent chance of showers. Partly sunny, with a high near 78.

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 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	83	99 in 1925	64 in 1943
Min Temperature	M	65	79 in 1925	45 in 1889
Avg Temperature	M	73.9	89.0 in 1925	57.0 in 1918
Precipitation	M	0.13	1.86 in 1999	0.00 in 2020
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 1918	0 in 2022
CDD (base 65)	M	9	24 in 1925	0 in 2020
Month-to-Date Summary	Observed	Normal	Record Highest	Record Lowest
Avg Max Temperature	85.4	85.2	95.8 in 1925	77.0 in 1967
Avg Min Temperature	68.6	67.4	74.6 in 1925	60.0 in 1967
Avg Temperature	77.0	76.3	85.2 in 1925	68.5 in 1967
Total Precipitation	1.29	2.50	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	1	20 in 1902	0 in 2023
Total CDD (base 65)	232	227	408 in 1925	81 in 1967
Year-to-Date Summary	Observed	Normal	Record Highest	Record Lowest
Avg Max Temperature	77.9	75.8	78.4 in 2012	70.1 in 1885
Avg Min Temperature	59.4	56.7	59.4 in 2023	50.9 in 1940
Avg Temperature	68.6	66.3	68.7 in 2012	61.3 in 1940
Total Precipitation	33.57	37.28	55.58 in 1920	22.45 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	1	20 in 1902	0 in 2023
Total CDD (since Jan 1)	2016	1875	2314 in 2019	1127 in 1967

Period of Record:

• Max Temperature : 1878-10-04 to 2023-09-19
• Min Temperature : 1878-10-04 to 2023-09-19
• Precipitation : 1878-10-01 to 2023-09-19
• Snowfall : 1928-12-25 to 2023-09-18
• Snow Depth : 1928-12-25 to 2023-09-18

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

As climate change warms rivers, they are running out of breath – and so could the plants and animals they harbor

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.”