Winter Begins at 5:23 pm Today
The winter solstice (or hibernal solstice), as midwinter, is an astronomical phenomenon marking the day with the shortest period of daylight and the longest night of the year and in the northern hemisphere the beginning of winter. It occurs when one of the Earth's poles has its maximum tilt away from the Sun and it occurs today at 5:23pm. This day is the day when the sun appears the lowest in the sky for those of us in the northern hemisphere. That happens today at 12:12pm and the sun will be just 30.6° high in the sky, about two-thirds of the way to halfway up and only a third of the way to being directly overhead. Yesterday was the last full day of autumn or fall.
In meteorology, winter in the Northern Hemisphere spans the entire period of December through February. The seasonal significance of the winter solstice is in the reversal of the gradual lengthening of nights and shortening hours of daylight during the day. The earliest sunset and latest sunrise dates differ from winter solstice, however, and these depend on latitude, due to the variation in the solar day throughout the year caused by the Earth's elliptical orbit. Our earliest sunset occurred on December 5th and our latest sunrise will occur on January 7th.
Gift Wrapping Station to Raise Funds for Shop with a Cop
Do you struggle with finding the time to wrap all your Christmas presents AND get them under the tree before Christmas morning? Let us help! Some of Santa's best elves will be volunteering to wrap your presents for you.
Just bring your presents and Santa's helpers will supply everything else needed to get you ready for the holiday.
Santa himself will even be making a surprise appearance so if your kiddos still need their picture taken with Santa, come have some cookies and snap a picture with the big guy. Chase from Paw Patrol will even be stopping by to get some pictures taken with Santa! Pictures with Santa will be on a donation basis with donations supporting Shop with a Cop.
Santa's helpers will be wrapping your presents free of charge but are asking for a donation in return. ALL donations will benefit Shop with a Cop, which provides hundreds of children in need in the community with Christmas.
Check out the Facebook event page. [LINK]
Outlook
A slow-moving low-pressure system will continue widespread precipitation across the region today. As the low moves north of the area Saturday, dry high pressure will build in and remain in control through early next week.
THREE DAY GFS FORECAST
This animated image shows a forecast of precipitation, air pressure and thickness level (cold-air damming) for three days in six-hour increments.
Green, Yellow, and Red indicate rain. Orange and Purple Indicate Freezing Rain or other freezing precipitation. Blue indicates snow.
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 you with your with your next project.
Weather Hazards
Rain and fog may pose hazards to driving this mroning and during the day.
Rain, heavy at times, is in the forecast for today, so be careful on the roads. Turn on your headlights so other motorists can see you, increase the distance between you and the vehicle in front of you, and slow down to decrease your chances of hydroplaning in the many locations where runoff crosses the road or ponds on them. It may also snow or sleet late tonight into Saturday, so be prepared for possible slick roads for a few hours Saturday morning, especially in the higher elevations and possibly in Nantahala.
WEATHER FORECAST MAPS
Forecast maps for 7 am, 1 pm, and 7 pm.
[click on any image in this article to enlarge]
FRANKLIN AREA FORECAST
Today
Rain before noon, then showers between noon and 4pm, then rain likely after 4pm. Patchy fog before 1pm. High near 45. Winds out of the northwest 5 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90%. New precipitation amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.
Tonight
A chance of rain and snow before 1am, then a slight chance of snow between 1am and 3am. Patchy fog before 8pm. Otherwise, mostly cloudy, with lows in the upper 20s. Winds out of the northwest 10 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph. Chance of precipitation is 40%. Little or no snow accumulation expected.
Saturday
Sunny, with a high in the upper 40s. Winds out of the northwest 5 to 10 mph.
Saturday Night
Mostly clear, with a low around 30. Light winds out of the northwest.
Sunday
A 20 percent chance of showers after 4pm. Mostly sunny, with highs in the low-to-mid 50s.
Sunday Night
A chance of rain, mixing with snow after 2am, then gradually ending. Partly cloudy, with a low around freezing. Chance of precipitation is 30%.
OTTO AREA FORECAST
Today
Rain before noon, then showers between noon and 4pm, then rain likely after 4pm. Areas of fog before 11am. High near 45. Winds out of the northwest 5 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90%. New precipitation amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.
Tonight
A chance of rain and snow before 1am, then a slight chance of snow between 1am and 2am. Mostly cloudy, with lows in the upper 20s. Winds out of the northwest 10 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph. Chance of precipitation is 40%. Little or no snow accumulation expected.
Saturday
Sunny, with a high in the upper 40s. Winds out of the northwest around 5 to 10 mph.
Saturday Night
Mostly clear, with a low around 30. Winds out of the northwest around 5 mph becoming calm in the evening.
Sunday
A 20 percent chance of showers after 4pm. Mostly sunny, with a high near the low-to-mid 50s.
Sunday Night
A chance of rain between midnight and 3am. Partly cloudy, with a low around freezing. Chance of precipitation is 30%.
HIGHLANDS PLATEAU FORECAST
Today
Rain before 4pm, then snow likely, possibly mixed with rain. Areas of fog. Temperature falling from 45 at 6am to around 35 by 5pm. Winds out of the northwest 5 to 15 mph increasing to 20 to 25 mph in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 40 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90%. New snow accumulation of less than a half inch possible.
Tonight
A chance of rain and snow before 7pm, then a chance of snow between 7pm and 2am. Patchy fog before 11pm. Patchy freezing fog after 2am. Otherwise, mostly cloudy, with a low around 25. Blustery, with winds out of the northwest 15 to 25 mph, with gusts as high as 40 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%. New snow accumulation of less than a half inch possible.
Saturday
Sunny, with a high near the lower 40s. Winds out of the northwest 10 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph.
Saturday Night
Mostly clear, with a low around 30. Winds out of the northwest 5 to 10 mph.
Sunday
Mostly sunny, with a high near the upper 40s.
Sunday Night
A chance of rain and snow between 1am and 2am. Partly cloudy, with a low around freezing. Chance of precipitation is 30%.
NANTAHALA AREA FORECAST
Today
Rain before noon, then rain showers between noon and 5pm, then rain and snow showers likely after 5pm. Areas of fog. Highs in the lower 40s. Winds out of the northwest 5 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90%. Little or no snow accumulation expected.
Tonight
Rain and snow likely, becoming all snow after 7pm. Patchy fog before 11pm. Patchy freezing fog after 2am. Otherwise, mostly cloudy, with a low around 25. Winds out of the northwest 10 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 30 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New snow accumulation of 1 to 2 inches possible.
Saturday
Mostly sunny, with a high near the low-to-mid 40s. Winds out of the northwest 5 to 10 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph.
Saturday Night
Mostly clear, with a low around 30. Inds out of the west 5 to 10 mph.
Sunday
A 30 percent chance of showers, mainly after 5pm. Mostly sunny, with a high near the upper 40s.
Sunday Night
A chance of rain before midnight, then a chance of rain and snow between midnight and 4am, then a chance of snow after 4am. Partly cloudy, with a low around freezing. Chance of precipitation is 40%.
Macon County Almanac for December 21, 2018
Highest Temperature 71°F at the Coweeta Experimental Station in 1978
Lowest Temperature -5°F in Highlands in 1901
Greatest Rainfall 3.18 inches in Highlands in 1918
Greatest Snowfall 12.0 inches in Franklin in 1876
CROWDFUNDING 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. Those who support Macon Media with at least a dollar a month receive early access to video of some events and meetings before they are made public on the website. Videos and news involving public safety are not subject to early access.
Patreon Subscriber History May 2014 to Present
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. Early price deals end December 31st. All new sponsors beginning Jan 1st or later, are subject to increasing prices in the future while that sponsored before December 31st, 2018, get lifetime low rates and other rewards for early sponsorship when new Macon Media platforms are launched.
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.
Published at 2:54 am on December 21, 2018
Posts
0 comments :
Post a Comment