The National Weather Service forecasts sunny skies here in Cobb County on Thursday, August 29, 2024, with a high near 96 degrees.

The National Weather Service has issued a hazardous weather outlook for Cobb County and other parts of the region due to isolated thunderstorms that will be possible this afternoon and evening.

What you will read in this article

1. The extended forecast for Cobb County
2. Last month’s climate summary for the metro Atlanta region
3. The climate almanac for metro Atlanta
4. What the National Weather Service is, and what it does

What does the extended forecast have in store?

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

Today

A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms after 3 p.m. Sunny, with a high near 96. Heat index values as high as 100. Calm wind becoming southeast around 5 mph. 

Tonight

A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms before 9 p.m. Partly cloudy, with a low around 72. South wind around 5 mph becoming calm. 

Friday

A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly after 3 p.m. Mostly sunny, with a high near 93. Heat index values as high as 98. Calm wind becoming southeast around 5 mph in the afternoon. 

Friday Night

A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly before 7 p.m. Partly cloudy, with a low around 71. Southeast wind around 5 mph becoming calm. 

Saturday

A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms after 2 p.m. Mostly sunny, with a high near 92. Calm wind becoming south around 5 mph in the afternoon. 

Saturday Night

A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms before 8 p.m. Partly cloudy, with a low around 70.

Sunday

A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms after 2 p.m. Mostly sunny, with a high near 92.

Sunday Night

A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms before 8 p.m. Partly cloudy, with a low around 69.

Labor Day

A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms after 2 p.m. Mostly sunny, with a high near 90.

Monday Night

A chance of showers and thunderstorms before 2 a.m, then a slight chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 69. Chance of precipitation is 30 percent.

Tuesday

Showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 82. Chance of precipitation is 60 percent.

Tuesday Night

Showers and thunderstorms likely. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 65. Chance of precipitation is 60 percent.

Wednesday

A 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, 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 July 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.”

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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	Min	Average	Departure from norm	Precipitation
2024-07-01	97	79	88	7.9	0
2024-07-02	90	76	83	2.8	0
2024-07-03	92	77	84.5	4.2	0
2024-07-04	97	76	86.5	6.1	0.01
2024-07-05	94	76	85	4.5	1.43
2024-07-06	93	76	84.5	3.9	0.02
2024-07-07	90	74	82	1.4	1.75
2024-07-08	91	74	82.5	1.8	T
2024-07-09	92	75	83.5	2.7	0.29
2024-07-10	88	73	80.5	-0.3	0
2024-07-11	91	70	80.5	-0.4	0
2024-07-12	94	75	84.5	3.5	0
2024-07-13	97	76	86.5	5.5	0
2024-07-14	97	77	87	6	0
2024-07-15	96	75	85.5	4.4	T
2024-07-16	91	74	82.5	1.4	0
2024-07-17	92	75	83.5	2.4	0.06
2024-07-18	92	74	83	1.8	0.09
2024-07-19	87	73	80	-1.2	0.39
2024-07-20	83	70	76.5	-4.7	1.39
2024-07-21	89	72	80.5	-0.7	0.04
2024-07-22	87	72	79.5	-1.7	0
2024-07-23	90	75	82.5	1.3	1.1
2024-07-24	88	71	79.5	-1.8	1.52
2024-07-25	87	74	80.5	-0.8	0.75
2024-07-26	91	73	82	0.8	0.39
2024-07-27	85	73	79	-2.2	T
2024-07-28	80	73	76.5	-4.7	3.47
2024-07-29	87	71	79	-2.2	0.65
2024-07-30	92	71	81.5	0.3	0.65
2024-07-31	93	73	83	1.8	0.02

Climate Almanac for metro Atlanta

This almanac provides information on past climate conditions for August 29, allowing comparisons 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	88	98 in 1990	70 in 1986
Min Temperature	M	70	76 in 2021	55 in 1992
Avg Temperature	M	78.8	85.0 in 1951	65.0 in 1986
Precipitation	M	0.13	2.64 in 1952	0.00 in 2022
Snowfall	M	0.0	0.0 in 2023	0.0 in 2023
Snow Depth	M	–	0 in 2023	0 in 2023
HDD (base 65)	M	0	0 in 2023	0 in 2023
CDD (base 65)	M	14	20 in 1951	0 in 1986
Month-to-Date Summary	Observed	Normal	Record Highest	Record Lowest
Avg Max Temperature	91.6	89.1	96.6 in 2007	81.0 in 1879
Avg Min Temperature	72.0	71.4	75.4 in 2007	65.8 in 1967
Avg Temperature	81.8	80.3	86.0 in 2007	74.0 in 1967
Total Precipitation	0.77	4.03	10.02 in 1920	0.02 in 1925
Total Snowfall	0.0	0.0	0.0 in 2024	0.0 in 2024
Max Snow Depth	0	–	0 in 2024	0 in 2024
Total HDD (base 65)	0	0	4 in 1944	0 in 2024
Total CDD (base 65)	477	443	616 in 2007	269 in 1967
Year-to-Date Summary	Observed	Normal	Record Highest	Record Lowest
Avg Max Temperature	77.1	74.9	77.9 in 2012	69.1 in 1895
Avg Min Temperature	58.1	55.7	58.6 in 2023	49.9 in 1940
Avg Temperature	67.6	65.3	68.1 in 2012	60.1 in 1940
Total Precipitation	43.51	34.51	53.45 in 1920	19.42 in 2007
Total Snowfall (since July 1)	0.0	0.0	T in 2001	0.0 in 2024
Max Snow Depth (since July 1)	0	–	T in 1942	0 in 2024
Total HDD (since July 1)	0	0	4 in 1944	0 in 2024
Total CDD (since Jan 1)	1930	1621	1930 in 2024	1028 in 1961

Period of Record:

• Max Temperature : 1878-10-04 to 2024-08-28
• Min Temperature : 1878-10-04 to 2024-08-28
• Precipitation : 1878-10-01 to 2024-08-28
• Snowfall : 1928-12-25 to 2024-08-27
• Snow Depth : 1928-12-25 to 2024-08-27

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.”