Daily Weather Briefing for Sunday, August 6, 2017

LOCAL OUTLOOK

A warm front will move north through the area today, remaining north of the area Monday as low pressure moves from Texas across the Ohio Valley. The low pressure will pass to the East Coast and pull the front back into the area as a cold front Tuesday. It is expected to stall yet again across our region and remain through the end of the week, with deep moisture and periods of heavy rain likely.


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 6th (1872-2016)

Record weather events for this date in Macon County

Highest Temperature 94°F in Franklin in 1980
Lowest Temperature 43°F at the Coweeta Experimental Station in 1948
Greatest Rainfall 2.60 inches in Nantahala in 1975

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

Patchy fog early. It will be cloudy early with clearing until mid-morning, then clouds will increase as rain chances increase. Highs near the lower 80s. Higher elevations and Nantahala will be in the mid to upper 70s. Calm winds in the morning will increase to 5 to 10 mph from the south by the afternoon. Rain chances will gradually increase through the day from 20% in the morning to 40% by 6 pm. Rain will approach the county from the south. Strong storms may be possible.



TONIGHT

Mostly cloudy with lows in the mid-60s and variable light winds. Rainfall chances will increase, becoming likely after midnight with a few embedded thunderstorms being possible. Amounts of precipitation are expected to be between a quarter to half an inch of rain with more being possible in locations that see multiple rounds of thunderstorms. Strong storms are possible.




MONDAY

Cloudy with highs in the 70s. Winds from the south in the morning becoming light and variable. Rain and thunderstorms are likely with rainfall amounts between a quarter and half an inch possible and more in locations that see thunderstorms. Rain will be heavy at times.

MONDAY NIGHT

Cloudy with lows in the mid-60s and calm winds. Rain is likely with rainfall amounts between a quarter and half an inch possible.



TUESDAY

Mostly cloudy with highs in the 70s and calm winds. Rain and thunderstorms are likely.

TUESDAY NIGHT

Mostly cloudy with lows in the 60s. Rain chances begin decreasing to around 40% by midnight.

HAZARDS

Scattered to numerous thunderstorms are expected to arrive in the area this afternoon and evening. Isolated strong to severe thunderstorms are possible. The main hazards will be strong gusty winds, hail and frequent lightning.

A prolonged rain event is expected to begin on Monday that may last until Wednesday.

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 Sun Aug 6 2017

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

1. Showers and thunderstorms associated with a strong tropical wave located over the central Caribbean Sea have changed little. However, further development of this system is possible while it moves west-northwestward at 10 to 15 mph, and a tropical depression or tropical storm could form over the northwestern Caribbean Sea before it reaches the Yucatan peninsula late Monday or Tuesday. Even if formation does not occur before the system reaches the Yucatan peninsula, a tropical depression or tropical storm could form over the Bay of Campeche by midweek. Development would likely not occur if the system moves inland over Central America and southeastern Mexico and does not re-emerge over water. An Air Force Reserve reconnaissance aircraft is scheduled to investigate this system this afternoon, if necessary. Interests along the coasts of Honduras, Belize, and the Yucatan peninsula of Mexico should monitor the progress of this disturbance.

* Formation chance through 48 hours...medium...60 percent.
* Formation chance through 5 days...high...80 percent.

2. Shower activity associated with an elongated area of low pressure located about 1100 miles west-southwest of the Cabo Verde Islands has changed little during the past several hours. Some slow development is still possible during the next two to three days before the system encounters less favorable environmental conditions by the middle of the week. This system is expected to move generally west-northwestward across the tropical Atlantic at about 15 mph.

* Formation chance through 48 hours...low...30 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.


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 6:19 a.m.
Sunrise 6:47 a.m.
Sun transit 1:39 p.m.
Sunset 8:32 p.m.
End civil twilight 8:59 p.m.

Moon


Moon transit 12:24 a.m.
Moonset 5:40 a.m.
Moonrise 7:53 p.m.

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

Phase of the Moon on August 6, 2017: Waxing Gibbous with 99% 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 5:26 am on August 6, 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.