The National Weather Service forecasts mostly cloudy skies here in Cobb County on Monday, January 1, 2024, with a high near 47 degrees.

Tonight it is expected to be clear, with an overnight low of around 26 degrees.

What does the extended forecast have in store?

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

New Year’s Day

Mostly cloudy through mid morning, then gradual clearing, with a high near 47. Northwest wind 5 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph.

Tonight

Clear, with a low around 26. Northwest wind 10 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph.

Tuesday

Patchy frost before 8 a.m. Otherwise, sunny, with a high near 50. Northwest wind around 5 mph.

Tuesday Night

Partly cloudy, with a low around 28. West wind around 5 mph.

Wednesday

A 40 percent chance of showers after 2 p.m. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 46. West wind around 5 mph.

Wednesday Night

A 40 percent chance of showers before 2 a.m. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 31.

Thursday

Sunny, with a high near 47.

Thursday Night

Clear, with a low around 26.

Friday

Sunny, with a high near 49.

Friday Night

A 50 percent chance of showers after 2 a.m. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 34.

Saturday

Showers likely. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 49. Chance of precipitation is 70 percent.

Saturday Night

Showers likely. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 36. Chance of precipitation is 70 percent.

Sunday

A 20 percent chance of showers. Partly 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 December 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	High	Low	Average	Departure from norm	Precipitation
2023-12-01	66	47	56.5	6.5	0.15
2023-12-02	67	58	62.5	12.7	T
2023-12-03	69	52	60.5	10.9	0.1
2023-12-04	69	45	57	7.6	0
2023-12-05	61	40	50.5	1.3	0
2023-12-06	54	39	46.5	-2.5	0
2023-12-07	59	32	45.5	-3.3	0
2023-12-08	63	37	50	1.4	0
2023-12-09	69	52	60.5	12.1	0.28
2023-12-10	65	38	51.5	3.3	1.16
2023-12-11	51	33	42	-6	0
2023-12-12	56	33	44.5	-3.3	0
2023-12-13	59	35	47	-0.7	0
2023-12-14	59	42	50.5	3	0
2023-12-15	60	35	47.5	0.2	0
2023-12-16	58	41	49.5	2.4	T
2023-12-17	54	48	51	4	0.01
2023-12-18	58	37	47.5	0.7	0
2023-12-19	47	29	38	-8.7	0
2023-12-20	53	29	41	-5.5	0
2023-12-21	57	32	44.5	-1.9	0
2023-12-22	58	40	49	2.8	0
2023-12-23	67	44	55.5	9.4	0
2023-12-24	65	46	55.5	9.5	0.01
2023-12-25	63	57	60	14.2	1.7
2023-12-26	63	53	58	12.3	0.27
2023-12-27	58	47	52.5	6.9	T
2023-12-28	56	39	47.5	2	0
2023-12-29	45	34	39.5	-5.9	T
2023-12-30	49	34	41.5	-3.7	0
2023-12-31	57	31	44	-1.2	0

Climate Almanac for metro Atlanta

This almanac provides information on past climate conditions for today’s date, January 1, 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	54	78 in 2022	25 in 1928
Min Temperature	M	36	68 in 2022	7 in 1928
Avg Temperature	M	45.1	73.0 in 2022	16.0 in 1928
Precipitation	M	0.15	1.37 in 1955	0.00 in 2023
Snowfall	M	0.0	0.1 in 2001	0.0 in 2023
Snow Depth	M	–	1 in 1964	0 in 2023
HDD (base 65)	M	20	49 in 1928	0 in 2022
CDD (base 65)	M	0	8 in 2022	0 in 2023
Month-to-Date Summary	Observed	Normal	Record Highest	Record Lowest
Avg Max Temperature	M	53.8	78.0 in 2022	25.0 in 1928
Avg Min Temperature	M	36.3	68.0 in 2022	7.0 in 1928
Avg Temperature	M	45.1	73.0 in 2022	16.0 in 1928
Total Precipitation	M	0.15	1.37 in 1955	0.00 in 2023
Total Snowfall	M	0.0	0.1 in 2001	0.0 in 2023
Max Snow Depth	M	–	1 in 1964	0 in 2023
Total HDD (base 65)	M	20	49 in 1928	0 in 2022
Total CDD (base 65)	M	0	8 in 2022	0 in 2023
Year-to-Date Summary	Observed	Normal	Record Highest	Record Lowest
Avg Max Temperature	M	53.8	78.0 in 2022	25.0 in 1928
Avg Min Temperature	M	36.3	68.0 in 2022	7.0 in 1928
Avg Temperature	M	45.1	73.0 in 2022	16.0 in 1928
Total Precipitation	M	0.15	1.37 in 1955	0.00 in 2023
Total Snowfall (since July 1)	0.0	0.4	3.1 in 2001	0.0 in 2022
Max Snow Depth (since July 1)	0	–	2 in 2017	0 in 2023
Total HDD (since July 1)	797	1010	1724 in 1977	573 in 2016
Total CDD (since Jan 1)	M	0	8 in 2022	0 in 2023

Period of Record:

• Max Temperature : 1878-10-04 to 2023-12-31
• Min Temperature : 1878-10-04 to 2023-12-31
• Precipitation : 1878-10-01 to 2023-12-31
• Snowfall : 1928-12-25 to 2023-12-31
• Snow Depth : 1928-12-25 to 2023-12-31

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.”