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Weather
Hazards and Tropical Weather
Almanac
Macon Calendar
Local and StateNews
National News Roundup
COVID-19 News and Updates
Science and Technology
On This Day
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OUTLOOK
A dry cold front tracks over the forecast area today with high pressure building in quickly behind it leading to a decent pressure gradient. Therefore, gusty winds can be expected across the mountains and with breezy conditions elsewhere this morning into early this evening. High pressure remains over the southeast US through Friday leading to dry conditions. Temps will be on a warming trend Friday into the weekend leading to well above normal temps for Christmas weekend.
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Local Weather
National Weather Map for Today
General forecast through Saturday Night
Franklin area
Today
Patchy fog before 9am. Otherwise, sunny, with highs near 50. Winds out of the northwest 5 to 10 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph.
Tonight
Clear, with lows in the low-to-mid 20s. Winds out of the northwest around 5 mph becoming calm before midnight.
Thursday
Sunny, with highs in the upper 50s. Calm winds in the morning increasing to come out of the southwest around 5 mph in the afternoon.
Thursday Night
Mostly clear, with lows around 30. Calm winds.
Friday
Mostly sunny, with highs near 60. Calm winds in the morning increasing to come out of the southwest around 5 mph in the afternoon.
Friday Night
A 20 percent chance of showers after 9pm. Mostly cloudy, with lows in the lower 40s.
Christmas Day
Partly sunny, with highs in the mid 60s.
Saturday Night
Partly cloudy, with lows in the mid 40s.
Highlands Plateau
Today
Sunny, with highs in the mid 40s. WInds out of the northwest 10 to 20 mph, with gusts as high as 35 mph.
Tonight
Clear, with lows in the mid-to-upper 20s. Winds out of the northwest 5 to 10 mph becoming light after midnight.
Thursday
Sunny, with highs near 50. Winds out of the southwest 3 to 6 mph.
Thursday Night
Mostly clear, with lows around freezing. Winds out of the west around 5 mph.
Friday
Mostly sunny, with highs in the lower 50s. Winds out of the northwest 5 to 10 mph shifting to come out of the southwest in the afternoon.
Friday Night
A 20 percent chance of showers after 9pm. Mostly cloudy, with lows in the lower 40s.
Christmas Day
Partly sunny, with highs near 60.
Saturday Night
Partly cloudy, with lows in the mid 40s.
Otto area
Today
Patchy fog before 9am. Otherwise, sunny, with highs near 50. WInds out of the northwest 5 to 10 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph.
Tonight
Clear, with lows in the mid 20s. Winds out of the northwest around 5 mph becoming calm after midnight.
Thursday
Sunny, with highs in the mid-to-upper 50s. Calm winds in the morning increasing to come out of the south around 5 mph in the afternoon.
Thursday Night
Mostly clear, with lows around freezing. Light and variable winds.
Friday
Mostly sunny, with highs near 60. Calm winds in the morning increasing to come out of the southwest 5 to 10 mph in the afternoon.
Friday Night
A 20 percent chance of showers after 9pm. Mostly cloudy, with lows in the mid 40s.
Christmas Day
Partly sunny, with highs in the mid 60s.
Saturday Night
Partly cloudy, with lows in the upper 40s.
Nantahala area
Today
Patchy fog before 9am. Otherwise, sunny, with highs in the low-to-mid 40s. Winds out of the northwest 5 to 10 mph.
Tonight
Clear, with lows in the upper 20s. Winds out of the northwest around 5 mph becoming calm before midnight.
Thursday
Sunny, with highs in the mid 50s. Light and variable winds.
Thursday Night
Mostly clear, with lows in the mid 30s. Calm winds.
Friday
Mostly sunny, with highs in the mid 50s. Calm winds in the morning increasing to come out of the southwest 5 to 10 mph in the afternoon.
Friday Night
A 20 percent chance of showers after 8pm. Mostly cloudy, with lows in the mid 40s.
Christmas Day
Partly sunny, with highs near 60.
Saturday Night
Partly cloudy, with lows in the upper 40s.
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Hazards and Tropical Weather
...Areas of Dense Fog This Morning...
Hazardous weather is not expected today.
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Almanac
Air Quality
Air quality is in the upper range of green for most of the county, with the ridges and other higher elevations today being in the upper range of green.
Fire and Smoke Map
Pollen
Pollen levels are expected to be in the low range (1.4 out of 12) today with a mixed trace of sources being the main culprit. Tomorrow is expected to be in the low range (0.3 out of 12).
Record Weather Events for December 22nd
Record weather events for this date in Macon County
(1872-2016)
Highest Temperature 68°F at the Coweeta Experimental Station in 2013
lowest Temperature -2°F at the Coweeta Experimental Station in 1960
Greatest One-Day Rainfall 4.12 inches in Highlands in 1918
Greatest One-Day Snowfall 7.0 inches in Franklin in 1873
Record weather events for December in Macon County
Highest Temperature 78°F in Franklin on Dec 31, 1951
Lowest Temperature -12°F in Highlands on Dec 30, 1917
Greatest Rainfall 6.00 inches in Highlands on Dec 14, 1901
Greatest One-Day Snowfall 12.0 inches in Franklin on Dec 21, 1876
All-time record weather events for Macon County
Highest Temperature 101°F in Franklin on Jul 29, 1952
Lowest Temperature -19°F in Highlands on Jan 21, 1985
Greatest Rainfall 21.15 inches in Highlands on Jul 29, 1879
Greatest One-Day Snowfall 25.5 inches at the Coweeta Experimental Station on Mar 13, 1993
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Macon Calendar
(send your event to calendar@maconmedia.com)
Experiencing Nature Through Expanded Senses
"Friends of the Greenway is hosting an indoor "Experiencing Nature Through Expanded Senses" with leader, Diane Wildermuth. Sessions will be held at FROG Quarters on December 15 at 10:30 AM or 12:30 PM. Contact Diane at 421-5539 or dswnatureguide@outlook.com for additional information or to register."
THE POLAR EXPRESS™ Train Ride
THE POLAR EXPRESS™ with the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad is back in 2021! The 1¼ hour round-trip passenger excursion comes to life as the train departs the Bryson City depot for a journey through the quiet wilderness for a special visit at the North Pole. Set to the sounds of the motion picture soundtrack, guests on board will enjoy warm cocoa and a treat while listening and reading along with the magical story. Children’s faces show the magic of the season when the train arrives at the North Pole to find Santa Claus waiting. Santa will board THE POLAR EXPRESS™, greeting each child and presenting them with a special gift as in the story, their own silver sleigh bell. Christmas carols will be sung as they return back to the Bryson City Depot. For tickets, see [GSMR.com]
Dillsboro Lights & Luminaries
Adapted from an old Scandinavian custom of lighting the way for the Christ child, more than 2,500 candles in small white bags line the streets and every storefront is aglow with Christmas lights and decorations. Shopkeepers and restaurants are open late. See Santa and Mrs. Claus as they ride through town in their pickup truck. Write a letter to Santa and drop it off at his special mailbox. Live music on Front Street. For more information, see [Visit Dillsboro]
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Local and State News
COVID-19 Numbers for Macon County: [November 15, 2021]
• Macon County Reports Two Additional Deaths Related to COVID-19 [Macon Media]
• Organizations scrambling to relocate 80 from Asheville's Ramada Inn before March [WLOS-TV]
• North Carolina man who spent over 24 years in prison receives full pardon from Gov. Cooper [WGHP-TV]
• Additional funding through national infrastructure bill is welcome sight for NC airports [WNCT-TV]
• Antisemitic flyers distributed to Greensboro Jewish community, North Carolina [Jerusalem Post]
• NC Supreme Court says new trial is in order for man accused of threatening DA [WLOS-TV]
• NC Supreme Court Ruling [2021-NCSC-164 (PDF)]
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National and World News Roundup
President Biden Delivers Remarks on the Status of the Country’s Fight Against COVID-19
• Putin warns of possible military response over ‘aggressive’ NATO [The Guardian]
• Remarks by President Biden on the Fight Against COVID-19[The White House]
• President Biden Announces New Actions to Protect Americans Against the Delta and Omicron Variants as We Battle COVID-19 this Winter [SOURCE]
Bushcraft Bear: La Palma Volcano Report for December 21st, 2021
Little hike in the rain to my old bushcraft place. The island is getting greener Dry place in a cave
• Police arrest bystander for filming traffic stop, allegedly interfering with investigation [KWTX-TV]
• Mediaite’s List of Most Influential in News Media 2021 [Mediaite]
NBC Nightly News Full Broadcast - December 21st, 2021
PBS NewsHour Full Episode December 21st, 2021
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COVID-19 News and Updates
Since it looks like we may be in for a new wave of infections, here is a section on COVID-19. It will include local, regional, state, national, and global items.
COVID-19 Numbers for Macon County: [November 18, 2021]
• WHO Coronavirus (COVID-19) Dashboard [World Health Organization]
Globally, as of 5:15pm CET, 21 December 2021, there have been 274,628,461 confirmed cases of COVID-19, including 5,358,978 deaths, reported to WHO. As of 20 December 2021, a total of 8,387,658,165 vaccine doses have been administered.
In United States of America, from 3 January 2020 to 5:15pm CET, 21 December 2021, there have been 50,565,638 confirmed cases of COVID-19 with 799,942 deaths, reported to WHO. As of 17 December 2021, a total of 478,091,073 vaccine doses have been administered.
Updated Guidance for Clinicians on COVID-19 Vaccines
• Series of preclinical studies supports the Army’s pan-coronavirus vaccine development strategy [US Army]
• Bill O’Reilly: I Had to Console Trump After MAGA Fans Booed Him for Getting Vaccine Booster [Daily Beast]
• Secret Service: Nearly $100B stolen in pandemic relief funds [Cleveland 19]
• Employer must face worker's lawsuit over husband's COVID death -California court [Reuters]
• Teachers stage ‘sick out’ after Pennsylvania high school student dies of COVID [Centre Daily Times]
• Hospitalizations are again on the rise as Covid cases surge [NBC News]
• SARS-CoV-2 infection and persistence throughout the human body and brain [Research Square]
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Science and Technology News Roundup
Level1 News December 22 2021: Not A Video Was Stirring, Unless Approved By the Mouse
SpaceX CRS-24 Dragon docking
• A dinosaur embryo has been found in a fossilized egg [Yahoo! News]
• Amazon issues false copyright strike against New World YouTuber for reporting bug [Neowin]
• Revolutionary New Intelligent Transistor Developed [SciTechDaily]
• DuckDuckGo working on a standalone web browser for Mac & Windows [Apple Insider]
• China is Home to World's First Small Modular Nuclear Reactor [Bloomberg]
• Hackers Can Penetrate 93% of Local Networks [InfoSecurity Magazine]
• The story of the fight to archive the internet [TechRadarE]
• China Ordered Amazon to Delete Reviews of Xi Jinping’s Book, Reuters Reports [Yahoo! News]
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On This Day
December 22nd is the 356th day of the year (357th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar; nine days remain until the end of the year.
Historical Events
(Please note that the Wikipedia articles often contain a bibliography and links to where you can learn more about a historical event)
AD 69 – Vespasian is proclaimed Emperor of Rome; his predecessor, Vitellius, attempts to abdicate but is captured and killed at the Gemonian stairs.
401 – Pope Innocent I is elected, the only pope to succeed his father in the office.
856 – Damghan earthquake: An earthquake near the Persian city of Damghan kills an estimated 200,000 people, the sixth deadliest earthquake in recorded history.
880 – Luoyang, eastern capital of the Tang dynasty, is captured by rebel leader Huang Chao during the reign of Emperor Xizong.
1135 – Three weeks after the death of King Henry I of England, Stephen of Blois claims the throne and is privately crowned King of England.
1216 – Pope Honorius III approves the Dominican Order through the papal bull of confirmation Religiosam vitam.
1769 – Sino-Burmese War: The war ends with an uneasy truce.
1788 – Nguyễn Huệ proclaims himself Emperor Quang Trung, in effect abolishing on his own the Lê dynasty.
1790 – The Turkish fortress of Izmail is stormed and captured by Alexander Suvorov and his Russian armies.
1807 – The Embargo Act, forbidding trade with all foreign countries, is passed by the U.S. Congress, at the urging of President Thomas Jefferson.
1808 – Ludwig van Beethoven conducts and performs in concert at the Theater an der Wien, Vienna, with the premiere of his Fifth Symphony, Sixth Symphony, Fourth Piano Concerto (performed by Beethoven himself) and Choral Fantasy (with Beethoven at the piano).
1851 – India's first freight train is operated in Roorkee, to transport material for the construction of the Ganges Canal.
1851 – The Library of Congress in Washington, D.C., burns.
1864 – American Civil War: Savannah, Georgia, falls to the forces of General Sherman.
1885 – Itō Hirobumi, a samurai, becomes the first Prime Minister of Japan.
1888 – The Christmas Meeting of 1888, considered to be the official start of the Faroese independence movement.
1890 – Cornwallis Valley Railway begins operation between Kentville and Kingsport, Nova Scotia.
1891 – Asteroid 323 Brucia becomes the first asteroid discovered using photography.
1894 – The Dreyfus affair begins in France, when Alfred Dreyfus is wrongly convicted of treason.
1906 – An Mw 7.9 earthquake strikes Xinjiang, China, killing at least 280.
1920 – The GOELRO economic development plan is adopted by the 8th Congress of Soviets of the Russian SFSR.
1921 – Opening of Visva-Bharati College, also known as Santiniketan College, now Visva Bharati University, India.
1937 – The Lincoln Tunnel opens to traffic in New York City.
1939 – Indian Muslims observe a "Day of Deliverance" to celebrate the resignations of members of the Indian National Congress over their not having been consulted over the decision to enter World War II with the United Kingdom.
1940 – World War II: Himara is captured by the Greek army.
1942 – World War II: Adolf Hitler signs the order to develop the V-2 rocket as a weapon.
1944 – World War II: Battle of the Bulge: German troops demand the surrender of United States troops at Bastogne, Belgium, prompting the famous one word reply by General Anthony McAuliffe: "Nuts!"
1944 – World War II: The Vietnam People's Army is formed to resist Japanese occupation of Indochina, now Vietnam.
1948 – Sjafruddin Prawiranegara established the Emergency Government of the Republic of Indonesia (Pemerintah Darurat Republik Indonesia, PDRI) in West Sumatra.
1963 – The cruise ship Lakonia burns 290 kilometres (180 mi) north of Madeira, Portugal with the loss of 128 lives.
1964 – The first test flight of the SR-71 (Blackbird) takes place at Air Force Plant 42 in Palmdale, California, United States.
1965 – In the United Kingdom, a 70 miles per hour (110 km/h) speed limit is applied to all rural roads including motorways for the first time.
1968 – Cultural Revolution: People's Daily posted the instructions of Mao Zedong that "The intellectual youth must go to the country, and will be educated from living in rural poverty."
1971 – The international aid organization Doctors Without Borders is founded by Bernard Kouchner and a group of journalists in Paris, France.
1974 – Grande Comore, Anjouan and Mohéli vote to become the independent nation of Comoros. Mayotte remains under French administration.
1974 – The house of former British Prime Minister Edward Heath is attacked by members of the Provisional IRA.
1978 – The pivotal Third Plenum of the 11th National Congress of the Communist Party of China is held in Beijing, with Deng Xiaoping reversing Mao-era policies to pursue a program for Chinese economic reform.
1984 – "Subway vigilante" Bernhard Goetz shoots four would-be muggers on a 2 express train in Manhattan section of New York, United States.
1987 – In Zimbabwe, the political parties ZANU and ZAPU reach an agreement that ends the violence in the Matabeleland region known as the Gukurahundi.
1989 – Communist President of Romania Nicolae Ceaușescu is overthrown by Ion Iliescu after days of bloody confrontations. The deposed dictator and his wife Elena flee Bucharest in a helicopter as protesters erupt in cheers.
1989 – Berlin's Brandenburg Gate re-opens after nearly 30 years, effectively ending the division of East and West Germany.
1990 – Lech Wałęsa is elected President of Poland.
1990 – Final independence of Marshall Islands and Federated States of Micronesia after termination of trusteeship.
1996 – Airborne Express Flight 827 crashes near Narrows, Virginia, killing all six people on board.
1997 – Acteal massacre: Attendees at a prayer meeting of Roman Catholic activists for indigenous causes in the small village of Acteal in the Mexican state of Chiapas are massacred by paramilitary forces.
1997 – Hussein Farrah Aidid relinquishes the disputed title of President of Somalia by signing the Cairo Declaration, in Cairo, Egypt. It is the first major step towards reconciliation in Somalia since 1991.
1999 – Just after taking off from London Stansted Airport, Korean Air Cargo Flight 8509 crashes into Hatfield Forest near Great Hallingbury, killing all four people on board.
2001 – Burhanuddin Rabbani, political leader of the Northern Alliance, hands over power in Islamic State of Afghanistan to the interim government headed by President Hamid Karzai.
2001 – Richard Reid attempts to destroy a passenger airliner by igniting explosives hidden in his shoes aboard American Airlines Flight 63.
2008 – An ash dike ruptured at a solid waste containment area in Roane County, Tennessee, releasing 4.2 million m3 (1.1 billion US gal) of coal fly ash slurry.
2010 – The repeal of the Don't ask, don't tell policy, the 17-year-old policy banning homosexuals serving openly in the United States military, is signed into law by President Barack Obama.
2012 – Bashir Ahmad Bilour of Awami National Party and eight others are killed in a Pakistan Taliban bomber suicide attack in Dhaki Nalbandi area near Qissa Khwani Bazaar.
2016 – A study finds the VSV-EBOV vaccine against the Ebola virus between 70 and 100% effective, thus making it the first proven vaccine against the disease.
2017 – United Nations Security Council Resolution 2397 against North Korea is unanimously approved.
2018 – A tsunami caused by an eruption of Anak Krakatau in Indonesia kills at least 430 people and injures almost a thousand more.
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Published at 5:00am on Wednesday, December 22, 2021
Author: Bobby Coggins
Resources used to compile the information in this article include, but are not limited to the following websites or books: MaconMedia.com, youtube.com, weather.gov, airnow.gov, wikipedia.com, onthisday.com, ncdcr.gov, ncsu.edu, utah.edu, https://www.microbe.tv/twiv/, wolfram.com, biorxiv.org, aps.org, nejm.org, plos.org, cell.com, researchsquare.com, cureus.com, spc.noaa.gov, nhc.noaa.gov, ncdenr.org, medrxiv.org, archive.org, ncpedia.org, nasa.gov, https://ww2days.com, nih.gov, carolinapublicpress.org, microbe.tv, smokymountainnews.com, psypost.org, blogspot.com, pollen.com, franklinnc.com, maconnc.org, spaceweather.com, solarham.com, loc.gov, ncleg.net, senate.gov, house.gov, whitehouse.gov, drudgereport.com, politico.com, realclearpolitics.com, ushmm.org, This Day in North Carolina History, World War II Day By Day, The Holocaust Encyclopedia, The Timetables of History, The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, The World History and Book of Facts (multiple years), On This Day In History: Over 4,000 facts, The NASA Archives. 60 Years in Space, This Day in North Carolina History, The Smithsonian History of Space Exploration: From the Ancient World to the Extraterrestrial Future, Spaceflight, 2nd Edition: The Complete Story from Sputnik to Curiousity, The Story of Civilization (11 volumes), The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, American History, Volume 1: 1492-1877, American History, Volume 2: 1877 - Present, A Complete Chronolgy of the Second World War. Weather and Almanac 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, National Hurricane Center, Penn State University Electronic Wall Map, The State Climate Office of North Carolina, Storm Prediction Center, U.S. Naval Observatory, University of Utah Department of Atmospheric Sciences, and the Weather Prediction Center. Back to Top
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