The National Weather Service forecasts mostly cloudy skies here in Cobb County on Friday, October 13, 2023, with a high near 65 degrees.

The National Weather Service has also issued a hazardous weather outlook for Cobb County and other parts of the region due to isolated thunderstorms that are possible this afternoon across eastern Georgia. But severe weather is not expected.

What does the extended forecast have in store?

This forecast is centered on Dobbins Air Reserve Base in Marietta

Today

A slight chance of showers before 11 a.m, then a chance of showers after 1 p.m. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 65. East wind 5 to 10 mph, with gusts as high as 15 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30 percent.

Tonight

A 40 percent chance of showers, mainly after 9 p.m. Patchy fog after 2 a.m. Otherwise, mostly cloudy, with a low around 55. East wind around 5 mph becoming calm in the evening. 

Saturday

A 20 percent chance of showers before 9 a.m. Patchy fog before 8 a.m. Otherwise, partly sunny, with a high near 75. West wind 5 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph. 

Saturday Night

Mostly clear, with a low around 52. Northwest wind around 15 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph. 

Sunday

Partly sunny, with a high near 61. Northwest wind around 15 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph. 

Sunday Night

Mostly cloudy, with a low around 45.

Monday

Mostly sunny, with a high near 58.

Monday Night

Mostly clear, with a low around 41.

Tuesday

Sunny, with a high near 61.

Tuesday Night

Mostly clear, with a low around 41.

Wednesday

Sunny, with a high near 66.

Wednesday Night

Mostly clear, with a low around 44.

Thursday

Sunny, with a high near 69.

What was the climate like in the latest reporting period?

The NWS climate summary for metro Atlanta has now been updated with September 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	Maximum Temperature	Minimum Temparature	Average Temperature	Depature from norm	Precipitation
2023-09-01	85	73	79	0.7	0
2023-09-02	83	68	75.5	-2.6	0
2023-09-03	87	67	77	-1	0
2023-09-04	91	69	80	2.2	0
2023-09-05	90	72	81	3.4	0
2023-09-06	91	73	82	4.6	0
2023-09-07	92	74	83	5.8	0
2023-09-08	86	66	76	-1	0
2023-09-09	86	69	77.5	0.8	T
2023-09-10	89	67	78	1.5	T
2023-09-11	93	70	81.5	5.2	0
2023-09-12	93	72	82.5	6.5	T
2023-09-13	85	71	78	2.2	0.19
2023-09-14	81	70	75.5	0	0.09
2023-09-15	74	68	71	-4.3	0.03
2023-09-16	71	66	68.5	-6.5	0.46
2023-09-17	82	66	74	-0.7	0.52
2023-09-18	81	61	71	-3.5	0
2023-09-19	83	62	72.5	-1.7	0
2023-09-20	81	64	72.5	-1.4	0
2023-09-21	83	66	74.5	0.9	0
2023-09-22	82	66	74	0.7	0
2023-09-23	86	61	73.5	0.5	0
2023-09-24	86	60	73	0.4	0
2023-09-25	89	62	75.5	3.2	0
2023-09-26	84	71	77.5	5.5	0
2023-09-27	75	65	70	-1.7	0
2023-09-28	78	61	69.5	-1.8	0
2023-09-29	86	63	74.5	3.5	0
2023-09-30	87	65	76	5.4	0

Daily Data	Observed	Normal	Record Highest	Record Lowest
Max Temperature	M	76	86 in 1954	58 in 1907
Min Temperature	M	56	68 in 1949	37 in 1917
Avg Temperature	M	65.8	75.5 in 2017	47.5 in 1907
Precipitation	M	0.10	2.66 in 1982	0.00 in 2021
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	2	17 in 1907	0 in 2022
CDD (base 65)	M	3	11 in 2017	0 in 2019
Month-to-Date Summary	Observed	Normal	Record Highest	Record Lowest
Avg Max Temperature	78.2	77.6	86.2 in 1884	65.3 in 1885
Avg Min Temperature	59.2	58.6	67.5 in 1884	47.5 in 1974
Avg Temperature	68.7	68.1	76.9 in 1884	58.1 in 1917
Total Precipitation	1.26	1.42	8.91 in 1995	0.00 in 1997
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)	14	18	96 in 1917	0 in 2021
Total CDD (base 65)	62	58	159 in 1884	0 in 1992
Year-to-Date Summary	Observed	Normal	Record Highest	Record Lowest
Avg Max Temperature	78.1	76.1	78.9 in 2019	69.9 in 1885
Avg Min Temperature	59.6	57.0	60.1 in 1878	51.1 in 1940
Avg Temperature	68.8	66.6	69.5 in 2019	61.7 in 1940
Total Precipitation	34.83	40.02	59.18 in 1929	0.22 in 1878
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)	14	23	120 in 1917	1 in 2005
Total CDD (since Jan 1)	2177	2008	2621 in 2019	26 in 1878

Period of Record:

• Max Temperature : 1878-10-04 to 2023-10-12
• Min Temperature : 1878-10-04 to 2023-10-12
• Precipitation : 1878-10-01 to 2023-10-12
• Snowfall : 1928-12-25 to 2023-10-11
• Snow Depth : 1928-12-25 to 2023-10-10

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.”