Update through June, 2017:
June 2017 was the first month with a below average temperature (-0.2°F) in Atlanta since January 2016! That’s 16 months in a row of above average temperatures. What led to this “cold” June? Well, it only took the 8th wettest June on record, with nearly 8″ of rain, to hold down temperatures.
Globally, 2016 was the hottest year on record, beating out 2015, which beat out 2014. This trend holds true in Atlanta, with 2016 being the hottest year on record. May 2017 marked 16 months in a row of above average temperatures for Atlanta. We see a warming trend across all seasons which can have negative impacts on our communities. For example, the trend towards warmer summers worsens air quality and causes public health issues.
These charts show how temperatures in Atlanta from 2000 to 2017 compare to average temperatures. Average is defined as the monthly averages from 1971 to 2000. This data set comes from NCDC monthly data (GHCN-D Monthly Summaries).
The first chart averages the temperature differences by month since 2000. The columns shows how much warmer or colder than average every month has been. On average, Januarys over the past 18 years have been 1.5 degrees warmer than the 30 year historical average. We see that all months since 2000 have been warmer than the long term average.
The second chart shows temperature changes compared to average by seasons. Winter includes the previous year’s December, and the selected year’s January and February. Spring includes March, April, and May; Summer includes June, July, and August; and Fall includes September, October, and November. Winter 2016-2017 was the warmest on record in metro Atlanta, with records dating back to the late 1800s.
Click the season name in the legend to filter what the chart shows. Hover over bar chart to view the values.
The last chart breaks the temperature information down even further. This chart shows how much warmer or cooler every month has been since 2000, compared to historical averages. Click on the month names in the legend to add/remove months from the view. The “Yearly” values show how the overall temperature for that year compared to the historic average. 2017 data is based on information for January through June, so the final yearly average does not yet reflect a full year of data.
Check back as we update temperature measurements by month.