The National Weather Service forecasts sunny skies here in Cobb County on Wednesday, October 18, 2023, with a high near 71 degrees.

Tonight it is expected to be clear, with an overnight low of around 47 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 71. Calm wind becoming south around 5 mph in the afternoon. 

Tonight

Clear, with a low around 47. South wind around 5 mph. 

Thursday

Mostly sunny, with a high near 71. South wind 5 to 10 mph. 

Thursday Night

Showers, with thunderstorms also possible after 4 a.m. Low around 53. South wind 5 to 10 mph, with gusts as high as 15 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80 percent.

Friday

Showers and possibly a thunderstorm before 8 a.m, then a chance of showers and thunderstorms between 8 a.m and 9 a.m, then a chance of showers after 9 a.m. High near 68. West wind 10 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80 percent.

Friday Night

Mostly clear, with a low around 48.

Saturday

Sunny, with a high near 69.

Saturday Night

Mostly clear, with a low around 47.

Sunday

Sunny, with a high near 70.

Sunday Night

Mostly clear, with a low around 45.

Monday

Sunny, with a high near 70.

Monday Night

Mostly clear, with a low around 48.

Tuesday

Mostly sunny, with a high near 68.

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

Climate Almanac for metro Atlanta

This almanac provides information on past climate conditions for today’s date, October 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	74	86 in 2016	54 in 2022
Min Temperature	M	54	68 in 2007	32 in 1948
Avg Temperature	M	63.9	75.5 in 1984	43.5 in 1948
Precipitation	M	0.10	2.39 in 1937	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	3	21 in 1948	0 in 2018
CDD (base 65)	M	2	11 in 1984	0 in 2022
Month-to-Date Summary	Observed	Normal	Record Highest	Record Lowest
Avg Max Temperature	74.9	76.7	83.5 in 2018	66.2 in 1885
Avg Min Temperature	57.2	57.6	65.9 in 1879	47.6 in 1978
Avg Temperature	66.1	67.1	74.2 in 2018	58.3 in 1888
Total Precipitation	1.41	1.93	9.78 in 1995	0.00 in 1987
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)	42	32	125 in 1977	0 in 1962
Total CDD (base 65)	65	70	173 in 2018	2 in 1885
Year-to-Date Summary	Observed	Normal	Record Highest	Record Lowest
Avg Max Temperature	77.9	76.1	78.7 in 2019	69.9 in 1885
Avg Min Temperature	59.4	57.0	59.9 in 2019	51.1 in 1940
Avg Temperature	68.7	66.5	69.3 in 2019	61.7 in 1940
Total Precipitation	34.98	40.53	59.18 in 1929	0.47 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)	42	37	150 in 1888	4 in 2018
Total CDD (since Jan 1)	2180	2020	2626 in 2019	32 in 1878

Period of Record:

• Max Temperature : 1878-10-04 to 2023-10-17
• Min Temperature : 1878-10-04 to 2023-10-17
• Precipitation : 1878-10-01 to 2023-10-17
• Snowfall : 1928-12-25 to 2023-10-16
• Snow Depth : 1928-12-25 to 2023-10-15

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

Wildfire Risk Is Soaring For Low-Income, Elderly And Other Vulnerable Populations In California, Washington And Oregon

More Cities Address ‘Shade Deserts’ as Extreme Heat Triggers Health Issues

Geoengineering sounds like a quick climate fix, but without more research and guardrails, it’s a costly gamble − with potentially harmful results

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

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.”