Daily Weather Briefing for Tuesday, April 17, 2018

LOCAL NEWS

Navy Seaman 2nd Class Frank Wood, who died as a result of the attack on Pearl Harbor, was laid to rest with full military honors Saturday in Carson Cemetery just west of Franklin. Wood, who was from Jackson, Ohio, died during his service aboard the battleship USS Oklahoma. Video and photos from the event are on the blog. [LINK]


LOCAL OUTLOOK

After cold conditions tonight, temperatures will warm once again through midweek. Another cold front will move through the area on Wednesday night, bringing a chance of rain to the mountains. Dry and seasonal conditions are expected for the end of the week.


WEATHER SPONSOR



Adams Products, a Division of Oldcastle is underwriting the daily weather briefing & public safety updates for the month.

Open 7:30 AM to 4:00 PM, M-F, located at 895 Hickory Knoll Road, Franklin, NC. Visit our Facebook page at:
https://www.facebook.com/Adams.Oldcastle.Franklin.NC/

All your masonry needs are available. Our phone number is 828.524.8545, the public is welcome, we’ll help with your with your next project.





Weather Almanac for April 17th (1872-2016)

Record weather events for this date in Macon County

Highest Temperature 88°F at the Coweeta Experimental Station in 2006
Lowest Temperature 19°F in Highlands 2014
Greatest Rainfall 3.06 inches in Highlands in 1945
Greatest One-Day Snowfall (no snowfall has been recorded on this date since record keeping began in 1872)

Record Weather Events for April (1872-2017)

Highest Temperature 91°F in Franklin on April 26, 1986
Lowest Temperature 13°F in Highlands on April 1, 1987
Greatest Rainfall 7.00 inches in Highlands on April 7, 1895
Greatest One-Day Snowfall 9.5 inches in Franklin on April 4, 1987



THREE DAY OUTLOOK

The images below represent the daily forecast at 8 am for today, tomorrow and the day after tomorrow. Click on any of them to enlarge.




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FRANKLIN AREA

TODAY (Freeze Warning until 9 am/Wind Advisory until 8 pm)

Patchy frost before 9 am. Mostly sunny with highs near the mid-60s and winds 10 to 15 mph, gusting into the 20 to 25 mph range.

TONIGHT

Mostly clear with lows near the mid-40s and winds 5 to 10 mph out of the west.

WEDNESDAY

Sunny with highs in the mid-70s. Light winds out of the west early, then increasing to 10 to 15 mph out of the southwest with gusts as high as 20 mph.

WEDNESDAY NIGHT

Partly cloudy with lows in the upper 40s and winds 5 to 10 mph out of the southwest.

THURSDAY

Sunny with highs in the mid-60s.

THURSDAY NIGHT

Mostly clear with lows in the mid-30s.

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OTTO AREA

TODAY (Freeze Warning until 9 am/Wind Advisory until 8 pm)

Temperatures starting out near freezing. Sunny skies with highs near the mid-60s. Winds 10 to 15 mph out of the northwest with gusts near 25 mph.


TONIGHT

Mostly clear with lows in the mid-40s and winds 5 to 10 mph out of the west.

WEDNESDAY

Sunny with highs near the mid-70s and winds 5 to 15 mph out of the southwest with gusts up to 20 mph.

WEDNESDAY NIGHT

Partly cloudy with lows near the upper 40s and winds out of the west. Slight chance of rain after midnight.

THURSDAY

Sunny with highs near the mid-60s.

THURSDAY NIGHT

Mostly clear with lows in the mid-30s.

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HIGHLANDS AREA

TODAY (Freeze Warning until 9 am/Wind Advisory until 8 pm)

Patchy frost in the morning. Sunny skies with highs near the mid-50s and wind chills making it feel much colder. Winds 20 to 25 mph out of the northwest with gusts in the 40 mph range.

TONIGHT

Mostly clear with lows in the mid-40s and wind chill values in the 30s. Winds 15 to 20 mph out of the northwest with gusts in the 30 mph range.

WEDNESDAY

Sunny with highs near the mid-to-upper 60s. Winds 10 to 15 mph out of the southwest with gusts in the 25 mph range.

WEDNESDAY NIGHT

Partly cloudy with lows in the mid-40s and wind chill values in the 30s. Winds 15 to 20 mph out of the west with gusts near 30 mph.

THURSDAY

Sunny with highs in the mid-50s and windy.

THURSDAY NIGHT

Mostly clear with lows near freezing.

--------------------------------------------
NANTAHALA AREA

TODAY (Freeze Warning until 9 am/Wind Advisory until 8 pm)

Patchy frost in the morning. Sunny with highs near 60. Winds 15 to 20 mph out of the west with gusts in the 25 to 30 mph range. Higher in the higher elevations.

TONIGHT

Mostly clear with lows in the mid-40s. Winds 10 to 15 mph out of the west with gusts in the 20 mph range.

WEDNESDAY

Sunny with highs near 70. Winds out of the west 10 to 15 mph and gusts in the 20 mph range.

WEDNESDAY NIGHT

Partly cloudy with lows in the mid-40s. Winds 10 to 15 mph out of the west with gusts in the 25 to 30 mph range.

THURSDAY

Sunny with highs in the mid-50s.

THURSDAY NIGHT

Mostly clear with lows near freezing.

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GOES 16 GeoColor - True Color daytime, multispectral IR at night
11:32 pm last night to 2:27 am this morning


HAZARDS

It's that time of year when people try to plant too early, so Frost and Freeze Warnings are issued by the National Weather Service to remind these people to cover their plants. This morning is one of those mornings.

There is also a Wind Advisory in effect until 8 pm tonight for locations above 3500 feet. Copies of these products from the National Weather Service are posted below for your convenience.


FREEZE WARNING AND WIND ADVISORY


Wind Advisory
URGENT - WEATHER MESSAGE
National Weather Service Greenville-Spartanburg SC
1228 AM EDT Tue Apr 17 2018

...FREEZING TEMPERATURES EXPECTED...

.Temperatures across the southwest mountains will drop below freezing.



...WIND ADVISORY IN EFFECT UNTIL 8 PM EDT THIS EVENING ABOVE 3500 FEET...
...FREEZE WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 9 AM EDT THIS MORNING...

The National Weather Service in Greenville-Spartanburg has issued a Wind Advisory ABOVE 3500 FEET, which is in effect until 8 PM EDT this evening.

* LOCATIONS...Elevations above 3500 feet across the North Carolina Mountains west of the French Broad Valley.

* HAZARDS...Strong wind gusts and freezing temperatures.

* TIMING...Strong winds will persist through the morning and afternoon and gradually diminish later this evening.

* WINDS...Northwest 15 to 30 mph with gusts up to 50 mph.

* TEMPERATURES...Lows in the mid 20s.

* IMPACTS...Gusty winds will blow around unsecured objects. Tree limbs could be blown down and a few power outages may result. Frost and freeze conditions may damage sensitive vegetation. Take steps now to protect tender plants from the cold.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

A Freeze Warning means sub-freezing temperatures are imminent or highly likely. These conditions will kill crops and other sensitive vegetation.

A Wind Advisory means that winds of 35 mph are expected. Winds this strong can make driving difficult...especially for high profile vehicles. Use extra caution.

Stay tuned to NOAA Weather Radio or your favorite source of weather information for the latest updates. Additional details can be found at www.weather.gov/gsp.

Macon Media maintains a Severe Weather Preparedness Page at http://thunderpigblog.blogspot.com/p/breaking-news-hub.html for those who are interested.

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



2:27 am this morning



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 graphics. 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.

FRANKLIN BIRD CLUB

Wednesday, April 18th at 8am
Bird walk along the Greenway. Meet at Salali Lane at 8:00 am.
First walk of the year at Salali!
(Parking is off Fox Ridge Road which is just south of Franklin Flea Market on Highlands Rd.)

OPERATION CHRISTMAS CHILD

I am writing to thank the residents of Franklin, Highlands, and Macon County for spreading joy to children around the world this Christmas. Through the generosity of the Macon County community, 4,636 shoeboxes were collected; and the Western North Carolina Area Team was able to exceed our goal by collecting 20,038 shoebox gifts for Operation Christmas Child, the world’s largest Christmas project of its kind. The International total for 2017 was 11,012,840 shoeboxes!

As National Volunteer Week (April 15 – 21) approaches, I wanted to pass along information about an opportunity for Macon County residents to join a local volunteer team with Operation Christmas Child. This project of the international Christian relief organization, Samaritan’s Purse, sends gift-filled shoeboxes to millions of children in need each year and gives local residents the opportunity to make a worldwide impact. “National Volunteer Week is a great time to become a part of this international project,” said June Trull, who heads up the Western North Carolina Area Team of Operation Christmas Child.“Joining an Operation Christmas Child Area Team is an amazing way to give back year-round and share God’s love with children in need.”



Operation Christmas Child has delivered more than 157 million gift-filled shoeboxes to children in more than 160 countries since 1993. This year, the local Western North Carolina Area Team hopes to collect 21,000 shoebox gifts to contribute to the 2018 global goal of reaching more than 11 million children in need.

Operation Christmas Child is a project of Samaritan’s Purse, an international Christian relief and evangelism organization headed by Franklin Graham. The mission of Operation Christmas Child is to demonstrate God’s love in a tangible way to children in need around the world, and together with the local church worldwide, to share the Good News of Jesus Christ.

Thank You
Brenda Hackett
Samaritan's Purse
Media Support
Western North Carolina Area Team
Operation Christmas Child
828-369-6674/ bjandhack@hotmail.com
samaritanspurse.org/occnewsroom



COMMUNITY WALK ON THE GREENWAY

The Friends of the Greenway invites the community to participate in a "Walk on the Greenway" on April 21, 2018 at 10:30 AM beginning at the Macon County Library (on Siler Rd). Sunny Himes will lead about a 2 mile walk, highlighting several natural communities including a Red Cedar-Hardwood Woodland, Montane Alluvial Forest, and Floodplain wetlands. Discussion points will be historic and current uses of the land around the Greenway, how these uses shaped today's terrain and plant community compositions, and the challenges of wildland restoration in a popular urban park. Ms. Himes is a lecturer at Western Carolina University in botany, ecology and introduction biology. She is a past FROG Board member and continues to manage restoration projects on the Greenway. A $5 donation is suggested for this benefit walk. Send an email of your interest in participating on the walk to: frog28734@gmail.com.




From Bully to Buddy, A Community Forum
Please note this forum is now taking place on the 26th of April

Bullying affects us all in different ways. Let’s work this out together.
Sincere invitations to the bully, the bullied and those in between — all ages — all genders Featuring: interaction, role playing, dialogue, discovery and direction (and some fun!)

This forum will be taking place on Wednesday, April 26 at 6 PM - 8 PM
pin in Tartan Hall at First Presbyterian Church, 26 Church Street, Franklin, NC

Join the event page on Facebook to find out more and to receive updates. [LINK]


Series of Dementia Workshops Coming in March and April

A campaign to tackle the stigma and lack of understanding around dementia is underway in Macon County with the support of area churches, the Southwestern Commission Area Agency on Aging, Macon County Public Library, Angel Medical, Macon County Senior Services, and Macon County DSS.

Hickory Knoll United Methodist Church  has partnered with a growing list of area churches throughout Macon County to host a workshop series, ‘Dementia Friends NC’ beginning on Tuesdays, March 20, 2018. Designed to help build awareness about dementia and identify ways local citizens can help people who are living with it in our community, the four-session workshop series is being made possible through a Missional Engagement Team Grant of the Smoky Mountain District of The United Methodist Church.

The 90-minute sessions will take place on four consecutive Tuesdays, beginning March 20, 2018, with both afternoon and evening sessions offered, as well as choice of venue.  All 2:00 p.m. sessions will be offered at the John & Dorothy Crawford Senior Center.   All 7:00 p.m. sessions will be offered at the Macon County Public Library.

ALL WORKSHOPS WILL BE FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC.

More information, including a schedule of meeting locations and times, are on the blog. [LINK]

Uptown Gallery classes
(These are on-going classes – repeat weekly)

Free classes and open studio times are being offered at the The Uptown Gallery in Franklin. Join others at a painting open studio session every Tuesday from 6:30 pm – 9:00 pm or on Thursday from 11:00 am – 3:00 pm. 

Bring your own materials and join an on-going drawing course led by gallery artists on Fridays, from 11am – 2 pm. For information on days open, hours and additional art classes and workshops, contact the gallery on 30 East Main Street at (828) 349 – 4607.




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 6:33 a.m.
Sunrise 6:59 a.m.
Sun transit 1:33 p.m.
Sunset 8:08 p.m.
End civil twilight 8:34 p.m.


Moon

Moonrise 8:18 a.m.
Moon transit 3:06 p.m.
Moonset 10:00 p.m.


Phase of the Moon on April 17, 2018: Waxing Crescent with 3% of the Moon's visible disk illuminated.
Closest Primary Moon Phase: New Moon on April 15, 2018 at 9:57 p.m. (local daylight time)

Sky Guides for this week


Sky and Telescope Magazine 
Astronomy Magazine


There will be three solar and two lunar eclipses in 2018. [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

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

3:33 am on April 17, 2018

#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.