Daily Weather Briefing for Monday, August 7, 2017

LOCAL OUTLOOK

A warm front will remain north of the area today as low pressure moves from Texas across the Ohio Valley. The low pressure will move off the New England Coast and pull the front back over the forecast area as a cold front on Tuesday. The front is expected to stall again across our region and remain through the end of the week, with deep moisture and periods of heavy rain likely.

DAY SPONSOR

Carrion Tree Service is underwriting the daily weather briefing and public safety updates for today. they are a fully licensed and insured tree service, specializing in dangerous tree removal, view clearing, pruning, and crane services with a 24 Hour emergency response.

Their phone number is 371-4718. They are located at 120 Depot Street.

They can handle all your tree removal needs in good or bad weather.

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 7th (1872-2016)

Record weather events for this date in Macon County

Highest Temperature 98°F in Highlands in 1930
Lowest Temperature 43°F at the Coweeta Experimental Station in 1950
Greatest Rainfall 3.64 inches in Highlands in 1937

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 in the morning. Cloudy with periods of rain after a morning lull. Highs will be in the 70s. Winds will be 5 to 10 mph from the south with variably higher wind gusts in the afternoon. Rain is likely and thunderstorms are possible, mainly in the afternoon or later. Rainfall amounts between a tenth and a quarter of an inch are expected with higher accumulations possible locations that see multiple heavy rain bands and thunderstorms.



TONIGHT

Cloudy with lows in the 60s and variable light winds. Rain is likely and thunderstorms possible with rainfall amounts between a quarter and half an inch expected and more possible. Rain may be heavy at times.




TUESDAY

Mostly cloudy with highs in the 70s and may approach 80 if there are breaks in the cloud rain and cloud cover. Winds are expected to be calm and rain chances between 50% and 70% with rainfall amounts between a quarter and a half an inch expected. More may be possible.

TUESDAY NIGHT

Mostly cloudy with lows in the 60s and calm winds. 50% chance of rain.



WEDNESDAY

Mostly cloudy with highs in the 70s. Chance of showers and thunderstorms is moderately high, between 60% and 80%, with southern portions of the county more likely to see rain.

WEDNESDAY NIGHT

Mostly cloudy with lows in the 60s. 40% to 60% chance of rain across the county with better chances near the Highlands area.

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 underway that may last until Wednesday. A Hazardous Weather Outlook from the National Weather Service about the system is posted below:

NWS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK

..TODAY...Numerous showers and thunderstorms will move across the area through the day and into the evening. The potential exists for these storms to produce torrential rainfall. Some areas may experience multiple rounds of such storms, resulting in locally significant accumulation and possible flash flooding.

In addition, a few of the storms could become severe with damaging downburst winds the main threat.


..TUESDAY...Heavy rain possible. Numerous showers and thunderstorms are expected again. This will keep the threat for heavy rainfall in place across the area.

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 Storm FRANKLIN has formed in the Caribbean just north of Honduras and it is likely the storm will may landfall in central Mexico later this week.

Tropical Weather Outlook
NWS National Hurricane Center Miami FL
200 AM EDT Mon Aug 7 2017

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

The National Hurricane Center is issuing advisories on recently upgraded Tropical Storm Franklin, located a few hundred miles east of Belize.

1. An elongated area of low pressure located about midway between the Cabo Verde Islands and the Lesser Antilles is producing limited shower and thunderstorm activity. Environmental conditions are forecast to be unfavorable for development during the next several days. Upper-level winds could become more conducive for some gradual increase in organization by late week while the system moves generally west-northwestward across the tropical Atlantic at about 15 mph.

* Formation chance through 48 hours...low...near 0 percent.
* Formation chance through 5 days...low...20 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 6:20 a.m.
Sunrise 6:47 a.m.
Sun transit 1:39 p.m.
Sunset 8:31 p.m.
End civil twilight 8:58 p.m.

Moon

Moonrise 7:53 p.m. last night
Moon transit 1:13 a.m.
Moonset 6:36 a.m.
Moonrise 8:34 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: Full Moon with 100% 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 3:57 am on August 7, 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.