The National Weather Service forecasts cloudy skies here in Cobb County on Saturday, December 28, 2024, with a high near 61 degrees.

The National Weather Service has issued a hazardous weather outlook for Cobb County and other parts of the region. Flash flooding and brief tornadoes are possible as heavy rains approach the area.

A Dense Fog Advisory has also been issued for areas mainly along and south of the Interstate 20 corridor through Saturday morning.

Bonus for the more weather-curious among you … To read an article about interpreting a weather news report with some of the typical terminology defined, follow this link.

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

To read an article about interpreting a weather news report, with some of the typical terminology defined, follow this link.

What does the extended forecast have in store?

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

Today

A chance of showers and thunderstorms before 3 p.m, then a chance of drizzle and thunderstorms between 3 p.m and 4 p.m, then a chance of showers and thunderstorms after 4 p.m. Areas of fog before 5 p.m. Otherwise, cloudy, with a high near 61. East wind 5 to 10 mph, with gusts as high as 15 mph. Chance of precipitation is 50 percent. New rainfall amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms. 

Tonight

Showers and thunderstorms likely, then showers and possibly a thunderstorm after midnight. Areas of fog. Temperature rising to around 61 by 5 a.m. South wind 10 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90 percent. New rainfall amounts between three quarters and one inch possible. 

Sunday

Showers and possibly a thunderstorm before 10 a.m, then showers likely. High near 63. South wind 10 to 15 mph becoming west in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 25 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80 percent.

Sunday Night

Partly cloudy, with a low around 45. West wind around 5 mph, with gusts as high as 15 mph. 

Monday

Mostly sunny, with a high near 62.

Monday Night

A 20 percent chance of showers after 1 a.m. Partly cloudy, with a low around 49.

Tuesday

A 20 percent chance of showers before 1 p.m. Partly sunny, with a high near 62.

Tuesday Night

Partly cloudy, with a low around 39.

New Year’s Day

Mostly sunny, with a high near 50.

Wednesday Night

Partly cloudy, with a low around 29.

Thursday

Sunny, with a high near 46.

Thursday Night

Mostly clear, with a low around 29.

Friday

Mostly sunny, with a high near 49.

What was the climate like in the latest reporting period?

The NWS climate summary for metro Atlanta has now been updated with November 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	High	Low	Average	Departure from Norm	Precipitation
2024-11-01	75	64	69.5	10.8	T
2024-11-02	80	61	70.5	12.2	0
2024-11-03	67	60	63.5	5.5	T
2024-11-04	63	59	61	3.4	T
2024-11-05	78	61	69.5	12.2	T
2024-11-06	74	67	70.5	13.6	T
2024-11-07	73	67	70	13.4	T
2024-11-08	80	66	73	16.7	0
2024-11-09	75	63	69	13	0
2024-11-10	65	56	60.5	4.9	0.07
2024-11-11	76	57	66.5	11.2	T
2024-11-12	77	52	64.5	9.5	0
2024-11-13	66	52	59	4.3	0.04
2024-11-14	56	50	53	-1.4	0.97
2024-11-15	66	48	57	2.9	0
2024-11-16	72	45	58.5	4.7	0
2024-11-17	73	46	59.5	6	0
2024-11-18	75	51	63	9.7	0
2024-11-19	64	59	61.5	8.5	1.63
2024-11-20	74	48	61	8.3	0.46
2024-11-21	60	41	50.5	-2	0
2024-11-22	54	38	46	-6.2	0
2024-11-23	61	37	49	-2.9	0
2024-11-24	70	40	55	3.3	0
2024-11-25	72	46	59	7.6	0
2024-11-26	64	46	55	3.8	0.15
2024-11-27	65	42	53.5	2.6	0
2024-11-28	67	43	55	4.3	0.05
2024-11-29	51	36	43.5	-7	0
2024-11-30	50	31	40.5	-9.8	0

Climate Almanac for metro Atlanta

This almanac provides information on past climate conditions for December 28, 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	54	75 in 2021	15 in 1894
Min Temperature	M	37	66 in 2015	5 in 1925
Avg Temperature	M	45.5	69.5 in 2015	12.0 in 1894
Precipitation	M	0.16	3.49 in 1915	0.00 in 2023
Snowfall	M	0.0	0.2 in 1935	0.0 in 2023
Snow Depth	M	–	T in 1950	0 in 2023
HDD (base 65)	M	20	53 in 1894	0 in 2021
CDD (base 65)	M	0	5 in 2015	0 in 2023
Month-to-Date Summary	Observed	Normal	Record Highest	Record Lowest
Avg Max Temperature	57.4	56.4	66.9 in 1889	44.5 in 1963
Avg Min Temperature	37.8	38.6	49.2 in 1889	26.5 in 1963
Avg Temperature	47.6	47.5	58.0 in 1889	35.5 in 1963
Total Precipitation	2.62	4.09	12.94 in 1919	0.17 in 1889
Total Snowfall	0.0	0.3	3.0 in 2000	0.0 in 2024
Max Snow Depth	0	–	2 in 2017	0 in 2024
Total HDD (base 65)	464	491	819 in 1963	190 in 1889
Total CDD (base 65)	1	2	22 in 2015	0 in 2023
Year-to-Date Summary	Observed	Normal	Record Highest	Record Lowest
Avg Max Temperature	75.8	73.4	75.9 in 2016	59.5 in 1878
Avg Min Temperature	56.9	54.3	56.9 in 2024	43.6 in 1878
Avg Temperature	66.3	63.8	66.3 in 2024	51.5 in 1878
Total Precipitation	61.82	49.95	70.25 in 1948	11.06 in 1878
Total Snowfall (since July 1)	0.0	0.3	3.0 in 2000	0.0 in 2024
Max Snow Depth (since July 1)	0	–	2 in 2017	0 in 2024
Total HDD (since July 1)	705	931	1595 in 1976	536 in 2015
Total CDD (since Jan 1)	2528	2051	2643 in 2019	33 in 1878

Period of Record:

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

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.”