When Will We See First Frost in Metro Atlanta?

ATLANTA, GA — Fall officially arrived at 10:21 am EST on Thursday, but you'd never know it with metro Atlanta temperatures hovering in the upper 80s.

So when can we expect cooler, autumn-like temperatures?

According to the National Weather Service, the average date of a temperature of 36 degrees in Atlanta is Nov. 3. However, that temperature has been recorded as early as Sept. 30, 1967. The latest arrival for that temperature was Nov. 28, 1988.

Official freezing temperatures of 32 degrees usually arrive in Atlanta on Nov. 13, with Oct. 11, 1906, and Dec. 18, 1998, as the earliest and latest dates, respectively.

First reports of sub-freezing temperatures of 27 degrees have been reported as early as Nov. 2, 1954, or as late as Feb. 18, 1993, in Atlanta. But the average date of arrival is Dec. 2.

In the meantime, though, and for this first weekend of fall, it will feel a lot like summer, with storms and cooler temperatures just around the corner.

Expect mostly sunny skies and temperatures near 90 degrees this weekend, with noticeable wind in the afternoons. Temperatures will start falling on Monday, and be in the high 70s to low 80s by Tuesday.

National Park Service photo by Neal Herbert, public domain