Daily Weather Briefing for Wednesday, August 16, 2017

LOCAL NEWS

A power pole toppled over in the lower parking lot of the First United Methodist Church on Harrison Avenue shortly after 8 pm last night, bringing three others down with it and sparking a grass fire at the church. The landscaping burned, but the church was undamaged. Franklin Police closed the section of Harrison Avenue from Main Street to Church Street while firefighters and Duke crews did their work. Firefighters monitored the fire until Duke Energy could respond and cut power to the lines that sparked the fire. Below is a short video montage shot at the scene.




LOCAL OUTLOOK

High pressure is expected over the next few days leading to hotter conditions and below normal chances for convection. Humid and unsettled weather gradually returns late in the week and into the weekend. Some drying is favored into Sunday with a return to moist conditions to start the new work week.

Eclipse Day Forecast (August 16th Edition)

This is a collection of forecasts for the day of the eclipse for the Franklin area.

National Weather Service

A 30 percent chance of showers. Partly sunny, with a high near 82.

Accuweather

High 83° Low 61° Some sun, thunderstorms in spots

Intellicast/Weather Underground are identical

High 82° Low 64° Partly cloudy early. Scattered thunderstorms developing in the afternoon. High 82F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 50%. Rainfall: 0.07 in.

Weather Bug

High 82° Low 63° Partly sunny with a chance of showers and thunderstorms. Highs in the upper 70s. Chance of rain 50%.

Macon Media

Highs Franklin area in the upper 70s to low 80s. Nantahala, Highlands and higher elevation will be in the 70s. Skies partly to mostly cloudy. Showers and thunderstorms in the afternoon are likely. Coverage will be in a hit or miss summer pattern. Some places will be clear during totality and others will not.

When you look at the forecast over the week, try to keep in mind what this may mean for traffic conditions. If possible, leave for work or play early on the 21st and always let family members and friends know what your plans are.


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 16th (1872-2016)

Record weather events for this date in Macon County

Highest Temperature 94°F in Franklin in 1954
Lowest Temperature 46°F at the Coweeta Experimental Station in 1961
Greatest Rainfall 2.81 inches in Highlands in 1959

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 scattered showers, potential for briefly heavy rain

Patchy dense fog early. Partly sunny with highs near the mid to upper 80s in the Franklin and Otto areas and the mid to upper 70s in Highlands and higher elevations. Calm winds early, then from the southwest in the afternoon. 40% chance of scattered showers and thunderstorms, mainly after noon.


TONIGHT

Mostly cloudy with lows in the 60s and calm winds. 30% chance of scattered showers and thunderstorms.




THURSDAY

Partly sunny with highs in the mid to upper 80s in the Franklin and Otto areas and the mid to upper 70s in the higher elevations.

THURSDAY NIGHT

Mostly cloudy and muggy with lows in the 60s and calm winds. 30% chance of rain.



FRIDAY

Partly sunny with highs in the mid to upper 80s in the Franklin and Otto areas and the mid to upper 70s in the higher elevations. 40% chance of scattered showers and thunderstorms, mainly after noon.

FRIDAY NIGHT

Partly cloudy with lows in the 60s.

HAZARDS

No hazardous weather is expected. Pop-up thunderstorms are possible, but none should be strong or severe.

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

The tropics are beginning to get busy, but I believe that none of these storms will impact our weather pattern for the solar eclipse.

Hurricane GERT will parallel the east coast and poses no danger to the mainland of the United States.


Tropical Weather Outlook
NWS National Hurricane Center Miami FL
200 AM EDT Wed Aug 16 2017

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

The National Hurricane Center is issuing advisories on Hurricane Gert, located a few hundred miles west-northwest of Bermuda.

1. A broad area of low pressure located about 1000 miles east of the Lesser Antilles is producing disorganized showers and a few thunderstorms. This system is moving westward at 15 to 20 mph, and it is expected to cross into the Caribbean Sea on Friday. Environmental conditions are expected to be marginally conducive for slow development of this system during the next few days.

* Formation chance through 48 hours...low...20 percent.
* Formation chance through 5 days...medium...40 percent.

2. Showers and thunderstorms continue to show some signs of organization in association with an area of low pressure located about 600 miles west of the Cabo Verde Islands. Gradual development of this system is possible before upper-level winds become less conducive for development by the weekend. This system is expected to move west-northwestward at 15 to 20 mph during the next several days.

* Formation chance through 48 hours...low...30 percent.
* Formation chance through 5 days...medium...40 percent.

3. A tropical wave near the west coast of Africa is producing a large area of disorganized showers and thunderstorms. Environmental conditions appear conducive for gradual development of this wave while it moves westward to west-northwestward at about 15 mph during the next several days.

* Formation chance through 48 hours...low...near 0 percent.
* Formation chance through 5 days...low...30 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 6:27 a.m.
Sunrise 6:54 a.m.
Sun transit 1:38 p.m.
Sunset 8:21 p.m.
End civil twilight 8:47 p.m.

Moon

Moonrise 1:39 a.m.
Moon transit 8:44 a.m.
Moonset 3:53 p.m.
Closest Primary Moon Phase: Last Quarter on August 14, 2017 at 9:15 p.m. (local daylight time)

Phase of the Moon on August 16, 2017: Waning Crescent with 32% 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

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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.

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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 4:20 am on August 16, 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.