The National Weather Service forecasts increasing clouds here in Cobb County on Tuesday, February 20, 2024, with a high near 60 degrees.
The National Weather Service has issued a special weather outlook for Cobb County and other parts of the region due to high fire danger conditions this afternoon into the evening for parts of North and West Georgia due to low relative humidities.
What does the extended forecast have in store?
Today
Areas of frost between 7 a.m and 9 a.m. Otherwise, increasing clouds, with a high near 60. Calm wind becoming south around 5 mph in the afternoon.
Tonight
Areas of frost after 5 a.m. Otherwise, clear, with a low around 35. Calm wind.
Wednesday
Areas of frost before 9 a.m. Otherwise, sunny, with a high near 63. East wind around 5 mph becoming south in the afternoon.
Wednesday Night
Mostly clear, with a low around 41. South wind 5 to 10 mph.
Thursday
Partly sunny, with a high near 67. Southwest wind 5 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph.
Thursday Night
Showers before 1 a.m, then showers and possibly a thunderstorm between 1 a.m and 4 a.m, then showers after 4 a.m. Low around 53. Chance of precipitation is 90 percent.
Friday
A 20 percent chance of showers before 1 p.m. Mostly sunny, with a high near 63.
Friday Night
Clear, with a low around 39.
Saturday
Sunny, with a high near 61.
Saturday Night
Clear, with a low around 35.
Sunday
Sunny, with a high near 66.
Sunday Night
Mostly clear, with a low around 45.
Monday
Mostly sunny, with a high near 71.
What was the climate like in the latest reporting period?
The NWS climate summary for metro Atlanta has now been updated with January 2024 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.”
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 | High | Low | Average | Departure from norm | Precipitation |
| 2024-01-01 | 50 | 34 | 42 | -3.1 | 0 |
| 2024-01-02 | 54 | 30 | 42 | -3 | 0 |
| 2024-01-03 | 47 | 31 | 39 | -5.9 | 0.03 |
| 2024-01-04 | 53 | 34 | 43.5 | -1.3 | 0 |
| 2024-01-05 | 53 | 32 | 42.5 | -2.2 | 0.17 |
| 2024-01-06 | 51 | 39 | 45 | 0.3 | 0.7 |
| 2024-01-07 | 51 | 36 | 43.5 | -1.1 | T |
| 2024-01-08 | 52 | 33 | 42.5 | -2.1 | 0.44 |
| 2024-01-09 | 54 | 40 | 47 | 2.5 | 2.75 |
| 2024-01-10 | 51 | 37 | 44 | -0.5 | 0 |
| 2024-01-11 | 62 | 35 | 48.5 | 4 | 0 |
| 2024-01-12 | 56 | 42 | 49 | 4.5 | 0.22 |
| 2024-01-13 | 50 | 31 | 40.5 | -4 | 0 |
| 2024-01-14 | 58 | 30 | 44 | -0.5 | 0 |
| 2024-01-15 | 61 | 42 | 51.5 | 7 | 0 |
| 2024-01-16 | 46 | 18 | 32 | -12.5 | 0.4 |
| 2024-01-17 | 39 | 13 | 26 | -18.5 | 0 |
| 2024-01-18 | 51 | 24 | 37.5 | -7 | 0 |
| 2024-01-19 | 48 | 27 | 37.5 | -7.1 | 0.02 |
| 2024-01-20 | 32 | 17 | 24.5 | -20.1 | 0 |
| 2024-01-21 | 41 | 14 | 27.5 | -17.2 | 0 |
| 2024-01-22 | 50 | 27 | 38.5 | -6.2 | 0 |
| 2024-01-23 | 52 | 41 | 46.5 | 1.7 | 0.05 |
| 2024-01-24 | 63 | 48 | 55.5 | 10.6 | 0.09 |
| 2024-01-25 | 72 | 61 | 66.5 | 21.5 | 1.1 |
| 2024-01-26 | 69 | 60 | 64.5 | 19.4 | 0 |
| 2024-01-27 | 66 | 57 | 61.5 | 16.3 | 0.46 |
| 2024-01-28 | 56 | 44 | 50 | 4.7 | T |
| 2024-01-29 | 54 | 39 | 46.5 | 1.1 | 0 |
| 2024-01-30 | 61 | 33 | 47 | 1.4 | T |
| 2024-01-31 | 56 | 40 | 48 | 2.3 | T |
Climate Almanac for metro Atlanta
This almanac provides information on past climate conditions for today’s date, February 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 | 59 | 78 in 1986 | 32 in 1901 |
| Min Temperature | M | 40 | 58 in 2018 | 16 in 2015 |
| Avg Temperature | M | 49.7 | 66.5 in 2018 | 25.5 in 2015 |
| Precipitation | M | 0.17 | 2.34 in 1951 | 0.00 in 2023 |
| Snowfall | M | 0.0 | T in 2015 | 0.0 in 2023 |
| Snow Depth | M | – | 1 in 1979 | 0 in 2023 |
| HDD (base 65) | M | 15 | 39 in 2015 | 0 in 2018 |
| CDD (base 65) | M | 0 | 2 in 2018 | 0 in 2023 |
| Month-to-Date Summary | Observed | Normal | Record Highest | Record Lowest |
| Avg Max Temperature | 61.6 | 57.3 | 66.6 in 1990 | 35.0 in 1895 |
| Avg Min Temperature | 42.5 | 38.0 | 49.1 in 1927 | 22.1 in 1895 |
| Avg Temperature | 52.1 | 47.7 | 56.6 in 1927 | 28.6 in 1895 |
| Total Precipitation | 3.49 | 3.21 | 9.44 in 2020 | 0.30 in 1977 |
| Total Snowfall | 0.0 | 0.3 | 4.4 in 1979 | 0.0 in 2024 |
| Max Snow Depth | 0 | – | 4 in 1979 | 0 in 2024 |
| Total HDD (base 65) | 242 | 348 | 724 in 1895 | 166 in 1927 |
| Total CDD (base 65) | 0 | 0 | 8 in 1957 | 0 in 2024 |
| Year-to-Date Summary | Observed | Normal | Record Highest | Record Lowest |
| Avg Max Temperature | 56.6 | 55.3 | 62.9 in 1950 | 41.8 in 1905 |
| Avg Min Temperature | 37.9 | 36.6 | 45.0 in 1950 | 22.2 in 1977 |
| Avg Temperature | 47.3 | 45.9 | 54.0 in 1950 | 33.0 in 1977 |
| Total Precipitation | 9.92 | 7.80 | 18.31 in 1936 | 2.37 in 1938 |
| Total Snowfall (since July 1) | T | 1.7 | 8.9 in 1936 | 0.0 in 2019 |
| Max Snow Depth (since July 1) | 0 | – | 8 in 1940 | 0 in 2024 |
| Total HDD (since July 1) | 1673 | 1965 | 3297 in 1977 | 1311 in 2017 |
| Total CDD (since Jan 1) | 2 | 0 | 12 in 1932 | 0 in 2021 |
Period of Record:
- Max Temperature : 1878-10-04 to 2024-02-19
- Min Temperature : 1878-10-04 to 2024-02-19
- Precipitation : 1878-10-01 to 2024-02-19
- Snowfall : 1928-12-25 to 2024-02-19
- Snow Depth : 1928-12-25 to 2024-02-19
For much more information on the climate in our area, visit the NWS Climate FAQ for the Atlanta area.
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.”
