Atlanta climate
Atlanta (Georgia, United States) has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa). The average temperature over the year is 16 °C61 °F, and about 1,260 mm50 in of precipitation falls in an average year.
Temperature by month
Precipitation by month
Atlanta climate table
| Month | High °C°F | Low °C°F | Mean °C°F | Precip. mmin | Frost days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 1151 | −131 | 541 | 1034.0 | 18 |
| Feb | 1356 | 134 | 745 | 1194.7 | 12 |
| Mar | 1864 | 541 | 1152 | 1204.7 | 5 |
| Apr | 2272 | 1049 | 1661 | 1003.9 | 0 |
| May | 2780 | 1558 | 2169 | 943.7 | 0 |
| Jun | 3187 | 1966 | 2577 | 1084.3 | 0 |
| Jul | 3290 | 2169 | 2780 | 1184.6 | 0 |
| Aug | 3290 | 2069 | 2679 | 1004.0 | 0 |
| Sep | 2985 | 1762 | 2373 | 923.6 | 0 |
| Oct | 2475 | 1051 | 1763 | 833.3 | 0 |
| Nov | 1763 | 439 | 1151 | 943.7 | 5 |
| Dec | 1254 | 134 | 744 | 1305.1 | 13 |
| Year | 3290 | −131 | 1661 | 1,26050 | 52 |
“Year” row: highest monthly high, lowest monthly low, annual mean and annual total. Frost days are for the whole grid cell.
| Month | Humid. | Cloud | Solar | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 82% | 53% | 2.8 | 10:08 |
| Feb | 82% | 59% | 3.3 | 10:56 |
| Mar | 81% | 56% | 4.4 | 11:53 |
| Apr | 78% | 50% | 5.6 | 12:59 |
| May | 75% | 51% | 6.2 | 13:54 |
| Jun | 73% | 55% | 6.2 | 14:23 |
| Jul | 71% | 56% | 6.0 | 14:11 |
| Aug | 70% | 55% | 5.5 | 13:24 |
| Sep | 70% | 46% | 4.8 | 12:20 |
| Oct | 72% | 43% | 4.0 | 11:16 |
| Nov | 74% | 44% | 3.1 | 10:21 |
| Dec | 82% | 57% | 2.4 | 9:55 |
Humid. = average relative humidity at 2 m; cloud = average cloud amount; solar = average daily solar energy reaching the ground in kWh/m² (all-sky); daylight in hours:minutes, calculated for the 15th of each month.
What the climate of Atlanta is like
The warmest month is July, with an average high of 32 °C90 °F and a low of 21 °C69 °F. The coldest is January, when highs average 11 °C51 °F and lows −1 °C31 °F. Seasons are strongly marked: the warmest month is on average 21.6 °C38.8 °F warmer than the coldest.
It is wet, with about 1,260 mm50 in of precipitation per year. Rain is spread fairly evenly through the year. The wettest month is December (130 mm5.1 in), the driest is October (83 mm3.3 in).
Relative humidity ranges from 70% in September to 82% in February. The clearest skies (lowest average cloud amount, 43%) are typical of October. Average wind speed near the ground ranges from 3 km/h (2 mph) in July to 6 km/h (3 mph) in February. Daylight lasts from about 9.9 hours in December to 14.4 hours in June.
Best time to visit Atlanta
Based on these averages, the most comfortable months for sightseeing and outdoor activities are April and May and October: average highs of 22 °C72 °F to 27 °C80 °F with 83 mm3.3 in to 100 mm3.9 in of precipitation per month.
The most challenging month is January, which is cold, with average highs of 11 °C51 °F.
Comfort score: months are ranked by how close they come to an average high of 21–28 °C (70–82 °F), lows above 5 °C (41 °F), little precipitation and moderate humidity. The best-ranked months of each place are recommended, even where none meets all of these. These are general rules of thumb applied to long-term averages.
What to pack for Atlanta
- Winter (December–February) — highs 1151 to 13 °C56 °F, lows −131 to 1 °C34 °F, about 117 mm4.6 in of precipitation a month. Pack long sleeves, a sweater and a medium jacket, an extra layer for the cooler mornings and evenings and an umbrella or light rain jacket.
- Spring (March–May) — highs 1864 to 27 °C80 °F, lows 541 to 15 °C58 °F, about 105 mm4.1 in of precipitation a month. Pack light layers — T-shirts plus a light sweater or jacket, an extra layer for the cooler mornings and evenings and an umbrella or light rain jacket.
- Summer (June–August) — highs 3187 to 32 °C90 °F, lows 1966 to 21 °C69 °F, about 109 mm4.3 in of precipitation a month. Pack very light, breathable clothing, a sun hat and plenty of water and an umbrella or light rain jacket.
- Autumn (September–November) — highs 1763 to 29 °C85 °F, lows 439 to 17 °C62 °F, about 90 mm3.5 in of precipitation a month. Pack light layers — T-shirts plus a light sweater or jacket and an extra layer for the cooler mornings and evenings.
How Atlanta compares
Compared with Nashville, about 346 km to the northwest, Atlanta is on average 1.2 °C2.2 °F warmer and receives 7% less precipitation (1,260 mm50 in vs 1,351 mm53 in). The difference is largest in February (2.6 °C4.8 °F warmer).
Of the 222 places in the United States covered by World Climates, Atlanta is the 91st warmest by annual mean temperature and the 44th wettest by annual precipitation. See all of them on the United States climate page.
Places in other countries with the most similar temperature and rainfall pattern: Batumi (Georgia, Cfa), Sochi (Russia, Cfa) and Yiwu (China, Cfa).
The same NASA POWER grid cell also contains South Fulton (pop. 107,436). Their long-term averages in this dataset are essentially the same as for Atlanta, so they do not have separate pages.
Nearby places
- Sandy Springs 20 km · 16 °C61 °F · 1,292 mm51 in
- Athens 96 km · 17 °C62 °F · 1,261 mm50 in
- Columbus 154 km · 18 °C65 °F · 1,276 mm50 in
- Chattanooga 167 km · 16 °C61 °F · 1,355 mm53 in
- Birmingham 225 km · 17 °C62 °F · 1,369 mm54 in
- Huntsville 230 km · 16 °C61 °F · 1,396 mm55 in
- Montgomery 235 km · 18 °C65 °F · 1,348 mm53 in
- Knoxville 250 km · 15 °C60 °F · 1,308 mm52 in
Frequently asked questions
What is the warmest month in Atlanta?
July is the warmest month in Atlanta, with an average high of 32 °C (90 °F) and an average low of 21 °C (69 °F).
What is the coldest month in Atlanta?
January is the coldest month, with an average high of 11 °C (51 °F) and an average low of -1 °C (31 °F).
When does it rain the most in Atlanta?
December is the wettest month with about 130 mm (5.1 in) of precipitation; October is the driest with about 83 mm (3.3 in).
What is the best time to visit Atlanta?
Judging by long-term averages, the most comfortable months are April and May and October.
About this data
All figures are 25-year averages (January 2001 – December 2025) from the NASA POWER project. Temperature, humidity, wind and precipitation come from the MERRA-2 reanalysis (precipitation is the bias-corrected MERRA-2 product), cloud and solar values from CERES satellite data. They describe a grid cell of roughly 50–70 km, not a single weather station, so they can differ from airport records — most of all on coasts, in mountains and for rainfall. Average highs and lows are the monthly mean temperature plus/minus half of the average daily temperature range. Counts of rainy days are not part of this dataset.
The grid cell’s average elevation is 268 m, while Atlanta lies at about 320 m. Temperatures on this page were therefore adjusted by −0.3 °C0.6 °F using the standard lapse rate of 6.5 °C per 1,000 m.