Daily Weather Briefing for Friday, August 4, 2017

LOCAL OUTLOOK

A cold front will move in from the northwest by tonight, bringing some showers and storms, before becoming stationary south of our area this weekend. Mostly dry conditions are expected Saturday. However, the front will drift back north into the area Sunday and linger through late next week, suggesting abundant clouds and precipitation each day.


WEATHER SPONSOR



Adams Products, a Division of Oldcastle is underwriting the daily weather briefing and public safety updates for the month. They have all your masonry products (block, mortars, tools), plus feature Belgrade Pavers and Sakrete Products. Open 7:30 AM to 4:00 PM, M-F, located at 895 Hickory Knoll Road, Franklin, NC.

Visit their Facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/Adams.Oldcastle.Franklin.NC/

Their phone number is 828.524.8545, all are welcome, let them help you with your next project.


Weather Almanac for August 4th (1872-2016)

Record weather events for this date in Macon County

Highest Temperature 93°F at the Coweeta Experimental Station in 2011
Lowest Temperature 46°F in Highlands in 1985
Greatest Rainfall 3.67 inches in Highlands in 1898

Record weather events for August in Macon County

Highest Temperature 99°F in Franklin on Aug 9, 1980
Lowest Temperature 40°F at the Coweeta Experimental Station on Aug 29, 1968
Greatest Rainfall 9.68 inches in Highlands on Aug 13, 1940


THREE DAY OUTLOOK



TODAY

Areas of fog in the morning. Partly sunny with highs near 80. Calm winds in the morning, then from the west in the afternoon. Chances of scattered showers and thunderstorms will increase through the day, with the greatest likelihood of rain being between noon and 8 pm. Rainfall amounts are expected to be between a quarter and half an inch of rain. Not every location in the county will see rain or thunder, but some will.

Chances for scattered showers and thunderstorms by time frame, with moisture moving in from the northwest and west along a front that is associated with a low moving through Wisconsin and Michigan today and tonight:

8 am 20%
11 am 40%
2 pm 50%
5 pm 60%
8 pm 40%
11 pm 20%


TONIGHT

Mostly cloudy with fog expected to develop after midnight. Lows in the low to mid 60s and light winds out of the northwest. Chances of scattered showers and decreases after midnight. Between a tenth of an inch and a quarter inch of rain is possible. Not every location in the county will see rain.




SATURDAY

Mostly sunny with highs in the lower 80s (mid 70s in Nantahala and Highlands and higher elevation) and light winds out of the northwest. Slight chance of rain, mainly after 2 pm.

SATURDAY NIGHT

Mostly clear with lows near 60 (in the mid to upper 50s in Nantahla and Highlands and higher elevations) and calm winds.



SUNDAY

Mostly sunny with highs ranging from the mid 70s at higher elevations to the lower 80s in the rest of the county. Chance of scattered showers and thunderstorms slightly better than Saturday, again mainly in the mid to late afternoon.

SUNDAY NIGHT

Mostly cloudy with lows ranging from the mid 60s in the main valley to the upper 50s at the higher elevations and Nantahala.

HAZARDS

A weak front will bring an increased chance of passing showers, probably between 4 pm and 8 pm. No severe weather is anticipated.

As always, you can check to see what advisories, watches, and warnings are in effect for Macon County by visiting http://is.gd/MACONWARN



TROPICAL WEATHER OUTLOOK

We are now in the time frame of where storms that develop in the Caribbean Sea or Atlantic Basin could impact our view of the solar eclipse on August 21st.

Tropical Weather Outlook
NWS National Hurricane Center Miami FL
200 AM EDT Fri Aug 4 2017

For the North Atlantic...Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico:

1. A large and complex area of disturbed weather, associated with a broad low pressure system, extends from about 400 miles south of the Cabo Verde Islands to about 600 miles southwest of the Cabo Verde Islands. Environmental conditions are forecast to be conducive for gradual consolidation and development, and a tropical depression is likely to form by early next week over the eastern or central tropical Atlantic Ocean. This system is forecast to move toward the west or west-northwest at 10 to 15 mph for the next several days.

* Formation chance through 48 hours...medium...40 percent.
* Formation chance through 5 days...high...80 percent.

2. A strong tropical wave located over the eastern Caribbean Sea is producing a large area of cloudiness and thunderstorms. Environmental conditions are expected to become more conducive for development by Sunday over the western Caribbean Sea and by early next week over the Bay of Campeche while the disturbance moves westward or west-northwestward at 15 to 20 mph. This system couldproduce brief heavy rainfall and gusty winds over Aruba, Bonaire, and Curacao tonight and Friday. For additional information on this system, see High Seas Forecasts issued by the National Weather Service.

* Formation chance through 48 hours...low...20 percent.
* Formation chance through 5 days...medium...50 percent.


ECLIPSE EVENTS (events listed here are paid sponsorships)

RABUN COUNTY

Rabun County, Georgia has a county-wide “Outasight” eclipse viewing party planned for August 21st at the Rabun Gap Nacoochee School. More information may be found at
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/georgias-total-solar-eclipse-outasight-viewing-party-at-rgns-tickets-36172624293

Other events happening in and near Rabun County the weekend of the eclipse can be found on the Explore Rabun website at http://explorerabun.com/events-happening-total-solar-eclipse-rabun-county-georgia/

BRYSON CITY ECLIPSE WEEKEND

Bryson City invites you to a weekend of celebrating the eclipse. To find out more information, visit their page at https://www.greatsmokies.com/2017eclipse.html

Bryson City is recommended by TravelChannel.com as the spot in North Carolina to watch the eclipse.


MACON CALENDAR

If you have an event you wish to be added to this calendar, please send the information, along with a flyer in pdf format or a high-quality photo, to editor@maconmedia.com. If you want text published, please include a paragraph with your photo, flyer or graphic. Please include date(s) and time(s).
There is no charge for civic, educational or nonprofit groups, except for groups or events that receive funding from the TDA, TDC, and EDC, where full rates apply.

Wednesday, August 2nd

7:00 p.m. in the Macon County Public Library Meeting Room- "A Trip to the Moon and Beyond: The fantastical science fiction silent films of George Melies"
Each short film will be presented with a LIVE soundtrack featuring musicians Tyler Kittle and Michael Libramento.

Free and open to the public.



September 27th, WEDNESDAY

HOSPICE HOUSE FOUNDATION OF WNC

PEACEFUL JOURNEY
3rd annual charity dining event
hosted by RISTORANTE PAOLETTI at 440 Main Street in Highlands

For information, visit http://hhfwnc.org/peaceful-journey/


National Alliance on Mental Illness
Appalachian South

Meets each Thursday at 7pm
The First Methodist Church Outreach Center
at the intersection of Harrison Ave. and West Main Street
(directly across from Lazy Hiker Brewery)

Come join our weekly support group for anyone suffering from mental illness and their family or friends. This includes Depression, Bipolar,8chizophrenia, PTSD, Substance Abuse, Etc.

Here you will find:
— others living with mental health challenges YOU ARE NOT ALONE
- learn coping skills and ?find hope in shared experience
- help learning how to break down stigma and guilt surrounding mental health
- how to live life with the expectation of a better a better future

Kay (706)970-9987 Denise (828)347-5000)

SYRINGE EXCHANGE PROGRAM

On January 1, 2017, the Syringe Exchange Program of Franklin began operating a comprehensive harm reduction program to address the opioid epidemic that is impacting western NC. Opioid overdose reversal kits including naloxone are available free of charge. If you have any questions about our services or if you know someone interested in volunteering, please contact Stephanie Almeida at 828-475-1920.



Sun and Moon

Sun

Begin civil twilight 6:17 a.m.
Sunrise 6:45 a.m.
Sun transit 1:40 p.m.
Sunset 8:34 p.m.
End civil twilight 9:01 p.m.

Moon

Moonset 3:59 a.m.
Moonrise 6:23 p.m.
Moon transit 11:35 p.m.
Moonset 4:48 a.m. on Saturday

Closest Primary Moon Phase: Full Moon on August 7, 2017 at 2:11 p.m. (local daylight time)

Phase of the Moon on August 4, 2017: Waxing Gibbous with 91% of the Moon's visible disk illuminated.
The next New Moon will occur during a total solar eclipse at 2:36:40 pm on August 21, 2017.


Sky Guides for this week

Sky and Telescope Magazine 
Astronomy Magazine


Earth Sky has an article on the eclipses of 2017. [LINK]

Heavens Above has an Android App that will assist you in observing the sky and even has a satellite tracker that will let you know when the International Space Station and dozens of other satellites are overhead. [LINK]

Stellarium is also an app that will assist you in observing the sky. It is available in both Android [LINK] and iOS versions. [LINK]

CROWD FUNDING OR DAY SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES

I will be posting an August Update in the next few days on our patreon campaign, which has reached 25 people who have pledged $294. Payout is on August 6th.

If you receive value from what Macon Media provides to the community, please consider becoming a supporter and contribute at least a dollar a month.

If you have a business or event you are interested in sponsorship opportunities or underwriting coverage, send an email to editor@MaconMedia.com for more information. Serious inquiries only. Macon Media rewards early sponsors/underwriters with lifetime guaranteed low rates while newer sponsors/underwriters pay higher rates based on the date they first support Macon Media.

Thank You to the people who have been sending in donations and those businesses who are underwriting coverage of news and events. You have kept Macon Media online. You have made it possible for Macon Media to begin purchasing state of the art equipment and begin work on building a real website with features not employed by any local news outlets.

You can find out more information on how to do that and some of what I plan to accomplish if I reach certain levels of funding at https://www.patreon.com/MaconMedia

Published at 4:50 am on August 4, 2017

#WNCscan #MaconWx #MaconSafety

Data and information sources: Sources (except where otherwise credited): heavens-above.com, Ian Webster's Github, National Centers for Environmental Prediction, The National Weather Service, National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration, Penn State University Electronic Wall Map, The State Climate Office of North Carolina, Storm Prediction Center, U.S. Naval Observatory, and the Weather Prediction Center.