The National Weather Service forecasts sunny skies here in Cobb County on Saturday, August 24, 2024, with a high near 88 degrees.

Tonight it is expected to be clear, with an overnight low of around 64 degrees.

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

Sunny, with a high near 88. East wind 5 to 10 mph. 

Tonight

Clear, with a low around 64. East wind around 5 mph. 

Sunday

Sunny, with a high near 90. East wind around 5 mph. 

Sunday Night

Clear, with a low around 65. East wind around 5 mph becoming calm in the evening. 

Monday

Sunny, with a high near 93. Calm wind becoming east around 5 mph in the afternoon. 

Monday Night

Clear, with a low around 66.

Tuesday

Sunny, with a high near 96.

Tuesday Night

Mostly clear, with a low around 70.

Wednesday

Sunny and hot, with a high near 98.

Wednesday Night

Mostly clear, with a low around 73.

Thursday

Sunny and hot, with a high near 98.

Thursday Night

Partly cloudy, with a low around 72.

Friday

A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly sunny, with a high near 96.

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 24, 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 1983	72 in 1961
Min Temperature	M	71	77 in 2021	55 in 1891
Avg Temperature	M	79.5	86.5 in 1983	64.0 in 1891
Precipitation	M	0.14	3.21 in 1921	0.00 in 2023
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	1 in 1891	0 in 2023
CDD (base 65)	M	14	22 in 1983	0 in 1891
Month-to-Date Summary	Observed	Normal	Record Highest	Record Lowest
Avg Max Temperature	91.4	89.4	97.9 in 2007	82.0 in 1879
Avg Min Temperature	72.5	71.6	76.0 in 2007	65.7 in 1976
Avg Temperature	82.0	80.5	87.0 in 2007	74.3 in 1967
Total Precipitation	0.77	3.36	9.64 in 1901	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	2 in 1949	0 in 2024
Total CDD (base 65)	395	372	534 in 2007	229 in 1967
Year-to-Date Summary	Observed	Normal	Record Highest	Record Lowest
Avg Max Temperature	76.8	74.6	77.7 in 2012	68.7 in 1895
Avg Min Temperature	57.9	55.3	58.3 in 2017	49.5 in 1940
Avg Temperature	67.3	65.0	67.9 in 2012	59.7 in 1940
Total Precipitation	43.51	33.84	52.35 in 1920	17.90 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 1936	0 in 2024
Total CDD (since Jan 1)	1848	1551	1857 in 2019	973 in 1961

Period of Record:

• Max Temperature : 1878-10-04 to 2024-08-23
• Min Temperature : 1878-10-04 to 2024-08-23
• Precipitation : 1878-10-01 to 2024-08-23
• Snowfall : 1928-12-25 to 2024-08-22
• Snow Depth : 1928-12-25 to 2024-08-18

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.”