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Weather
Hazards and Tropical Weather
Almanac
Macon Calendar
Local and StateNews
Special Section: Supreme Court Hears Vaccine Mandate Cases
National News Roundup
COVID-19 News and Updates
Science and Technology
On This Day
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OUTLOOK
Dry and cold high pressure will persist across the region before retreating offshore Thursday. A reinforcing cold front will cross the region from the northwest Thursday night, bringing some snow to the North Carolina mountains. A strong low pressure system developing over the Plains on Saturday will cross the southeast on Sunday. This low pressure system will have the potential to bring wintry weather to our region over the weekend, especially Saturday night through Sunday. Another system will cross the southern Appalachians late Monday.
Hazardous Weather Outlook
A low pressure system will quickly cross the mountains from the northwest tonight. Light snow accumulations are expected with the passage of this system, especially over the higher elevations and near the Tennessee border. A stronger storm system will arrive from the west over the weekend. More significant snow accumulations will be possible late Saturday through early Monday. Sleet and freezing rain may mix in at times in southern mountain locations. All interests should closely monitor this system since winter weather impacts could be substantial, but remain highly uncertain at this time.
A Word About Snow Maps and Computer Models
A lot of amateur forecasters often share snow cover maps they see posted online. Most of the time, they only share the maps that show the most snow and neglect to let their friends or readers know that these maps are just the ones that show the most snow instead of trying to communicate uncertainties in the forecast. Macon Media considers any forecast map for an event more than 72 hours away to be unreliable and will not share any because of this unless it is a map prepared by professionals at the National Weather Service, Lokel Yokel Weather or a few other trusted meterologists. Perhaps a better tool are charts called meteograms that allow forecast uncertainty to be communicated to the public so they can manage expectations of an event. The above chart is the output of a Short Range Ensemble Forecast of comouter models by the National Weather Service for their weather station located at the Macon County Airport. The map is annotated to help you understand the information being displayed. You can click on the map to embiggen it to a larger size or download it to your device to expand it even more.
In the interest of promting transparency and to communicate uncertainties in the forecast, Macon Media will try to share some of these products in the future. While it's a bit technical and not as sexy or popular for generating social media buzz or "becoming viral" as posting a clown map, it is more responsible and sober. --Bobby
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Local Weather
General Forecast Through Sunday Night
Franklin Area
Today
Mostly cloudy, with highs near 50. Calm winds in the morning increasing to come out of the northwest around 5 mph in the afternoon.
Tonight
A slight chance of rain, mixing with snow after 11pm, then gradually ending. Partly cloudy, with lows in the upper 20s. Calm winds in the early evening increasing to come out of the northwest around 5 mph after midnight. Chance of precipitation is 20%.
Friday
Mostly sunny, with highs near 50. Calm winds in the morning increasing to come out of the northwest around 5 mph in the afternoon.
Friday Night
Mostly cloudy, with lows in the mid-to-upper 20s. Calm winds.
Saturday
A 20 percent chance of rain after 1pm. Mostly cloudy, with highs in the mid 40s.
Saturday Night
A chance of rain showers before 9pm, then rain and snow showers likely between 9pm and 11pm, then snow showers after 11pm. The snow could be heavy at times. Lows in the mid-to-upper 20s. Chance of precipitation is 90%.
Sunday
Snow showers. Highs near 40. Chance of precipitation is 90%.
Sunday Night
Snow showers likely, mainly before 7pm. Mostly cloudy, with lows around 20. Chance of precipitation is 60%.
Highlands Plateau
Today
Partly sunny, with highs in the mid 40s. Winds out of the northwest 5 to 10 mph.
Tonight
A slight chance of rain and snow between 8pm and 11pm. Partly cloudy, with lows in the upper 20s. Winds out of the northwest 5 to 10 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%.
Friday
Sunny, with highs in the mid 40s. Winds out of the northwest 5 to 10 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph.
Friday Night
Mostly cloudy, with lows in the upper 20s. Winds out of the north around 5 mph in the early evening shifting to come out of the southeast after midnight.
Saturday
A slight chance of rain after 1pm, mixing with snow after 5pm. Mostly cloudy, with highs in the mid 30s. Chance of precipitation is 20%.
Saturday Night
Snow showers, mainly after 9pm. The snow could be heavy at times. Lows in the mid 20s. Chance of precipitation is 90%.
Sunday
Snow showers. The snow could be heavy at times. Highs near 30. Chance of precipitation is 90%.
Sunday Night
Snow showers likely, mainly before 7pm. Mostly cloudy, with lows around 20. Chance of precipitation is 60%.
Otto and South Central Macon County
Today
Cloudy, then gradually becoming mostly sunny, with highs near 50. Calm winds in the morning increasing to come out of the northwest around 5 mph in the afternoon.
Tonight
A 20 percent chance of showers before 8pm. Partly cloudy, with lows around 30. Winds out of the north 5 to 10 mph.
Friday
Sunny, with highs near 50. Winds out of the northwest 5 to 10 mph.
Friday Night
Mostly cloudy, with lows around 30. Light and variable winds.
Saturday
A 20 percent chance of rain after 1pm. Mostly cloudy, with highs in the mid 40s.
Saturday Night
A chance of rain and snow before 11pm, then a chance of rain, snow, and freezing rain between 11pm and midnight, then snow after midnight. The snow could be heavy at times. Lows in the mid-to-upper 20s. Chance of precipitation is 80%.
Sunday
Snow. The snow could be heavy at times. Highs in the mid 30s. Chance of precipitation is 90%.
Sunday Night
A chance of snow before midnight, then a chance of snow showers between midnight and 1am. Mostly cloudy, with lows in the lower 20s. Chance of precipitation is 40%.
Nantahala Area
Today
A 20 percent chance of showers after 4pm. Cloudy, then gradually becoming mostly sunny, with highs in the mid 40s. Calm winds in the morning increasing to come out of the southwest around 5 mph in the afternoon.
Tonight
A 20 percent chance of showers before 9pm. Partly cloudy, with lows around freezing. Winds out of the northwest 3 to 6 mph.
Friday
Mostly sunny, with highs in the lower 40s. Winds out of the northwest 5 to 10 mph.
Friday Night
Mostly cloudy, with lows around 30. Light and variable winds.
Saturday
A slight chance of rain and snow before 1pm, then a slight chance of rain between 1pm and 5pm, then a chance of rain and snow after 5pm. Mostly cloudy, with highs in the low-to-mid 40s. Chance of precipitation is 30%.
Saturday Night
A chance of rain and snow before 8pm, then snow. The snow could be heavy at times. Lows around 30. Chance of precipitation is 80%. Otto and South Central Macon County
Today
Sunny, with highs in the low-to-mid 50s. Calm winds.
Tonight
Increasing clouds, with lows in the upper 20s. Calm winds.
Thursday
A 20 percent chance of showers after 1pm. Mostly cloudy, with highs near 50. Light and variable winds in the morning increasing to come out of the west around 5 mph in the afternoon.
Thursday Night
A chance of rain showers, possibly mixing with snow after 11pm, then gradually ending. Mostly cloudy, with lows around 30. Winds out of the northwest 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain/snow is 30%. Little or no snow accumulation expected.
Friday
Mostly sunny, with highs 1in the upper 40s. Winds out of the northwest 5 to 10 mph.
Friday Night
Mostly cloudy, with lows in the upper 20s.
Nantahala Area
Today
Sunny, with highs 1in the upper 40s. Calm winds.
Tonight
Increasing clouds, with lows around freezing. Calm winds.
Thursday
A 30 percent chance of showers, mainly after 4pm. Mostly cloudy, with highs in the mid 40s. Calm winds in the morning increasing to come out of the west around 5 mph in the afternoon. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible.
Thursday Night
A chance of rain showers, mixing with snow after 10pm, then gradually ending. Mostly cloudy, with lows around freezing. Winds out of the northwest 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain/snow is 40%. Little or no snow accumulation expected.
Friday
Mostly sunny, with highs near 40. Winds out of the northwest wind around 5 mph.
Friday Night
Mostly cloudy, with lows around 30.
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Hazards and Tropical Weather
A low pressure system will quickly cross the mountains from the northwest tonight. Light snow accumulations are expected with the passage of this system, especially over the higher elevations and near the Tennessee border. A stronger storm system will arrive from the west over the weekend. More significant snow accumulations will be possible late Saturday through early Monday. Sleet and freezing rain may mix in at times in southern mountain locations. All interests should closely monitor this system since winter weather impacts could be substantial, but remain highly uncertain at this time.
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Almanac
Air quality is in the extreme upper range of green for most of the county, with the ridges and other higher elevations today being in the extreme upper range of green.
Fire and Smoke Map
Pollen
Pollen levels are expected to be in the low range (1.2 out of 12) today with Juniper being the main culprit. Tomorrow is expected to be in the low range (2.4 out of 12).
Record Weather Events for January 13th
Record weather events for this date in Macon County
(1872-2016)
Highest Temperature 72°F at the Coweeta Experimental Station in 2013
Lowest Temperature -14°F in Highlands in 1895
Greatest Rainfall 2.62 inches in Highlands in 2005
Greatest Snowfall 5.0 inches in Highlands in 1982
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)
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Local and State News
COVID-19 Numbers for Macon County: [November 15, 2021]
• A shift for sanctuaries: Wildlife Commission considers opening new areas to bear hunting [Smoky Mountain News (Waynesville, NC)]
• Some wintry weather Thursday night before a bigger snow threat this weekend [WLOS-TV (Asheville, NC)]
• 'Prepare for a storm': Meteorologists 'pretty confident' weekend winter weather coming to WNC [Asheville Citizen-Times]
• No injuries reported in Cullowhee fire [The Sylva Herald]
Franklin Town Council - January 2022 Regular Meeting
Asheville Citizen-Times COVID-19 Tracker [Asheville Citizen-Times]
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National and World News Roundup
• Inflation rises 7% over the past year, highest since 1982 [CNBC]
• Alabama woman who joined Islamic State stuck in refugee camp [AP News]
President Biden Pays Respects to Former Senator Harry Reid at Capitol Rotunda
• U.S. posts smallest budget deficit in two years as employment rebounds [Reuters]
• Official: Police used fake DNA reports during interrogations [AP News]
• Ohio legislative maps declared unconstitutional [Courthouse news Service]
NBC Nightly News Full Broadcast - January 12th, 2021
PBS NewsHour Full Episode January 12th, 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 5:31pm CET, 10 January 2022, there have been 305,914,601 confirmed cases of COVID-19, including 5,486,304 deaths, reported to WHO. As of 9 January 2022, a total of 9,126,987,353 vaccine doses have been administered.
In United States of America, from 3 January 2020 to 5:31pm CET, 10 January 2022, there have been 59,138,083 confirmed cases of COVID-19 with 830,334 deaths, reported to WHO. As of 23 December 2021, a total of 485,274,895 vaccine doses have been administered.
Dr John Campbell: US record breaking cases and hospitalizations
Q and A with Amy and Vincents
• The COVID generation: how is the pandemic affecting kids’ brains? [Nature]
• Omicron is creating a 'crisis, red-tier situation' in health care [NBC News]
• Texas school district asks parents to become substitute teachers amid COVID surge [KTBC-TV (Austin, TX)]
• West Virginia governor feels 'extremely unwell' after testing positive for Covid-19 and cancels state legislature address [CNN]
• Nearly one quarter of US hospitals reporting staff shortages [KOMO-TV (Seattle, WA)]
• Assessing the effect of beard hair lengths on face masks used as personal protective equipment during the COVID-19 pandemic [US National Library of Medicine]
• Monitoring COVID-19
[Centers for Disease Control and Prevention]
[Outbreak.info]
• CDC Releases Emergency Guidance for Healthcare Facilities to Prepare for Potential Omicron Surge [Centers for Disease Control and Prevention]
• COVID-19 case rates by county in 2021 [AXIOS]
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Science and Technology News Roundup
• NASA’s InSight Enters Safe Mode During Regional Mars Dust Storm [Jet Propulsion Laboratory]
• PCIe 5.0 is just beginning to come to new PCs, but version 6.0 is already here [Ars Technica]
• 54 years ago, a computer programmer fixed a massive bug and created an existential crisis [Inverse]
• The Subversive Genius of Extremely Slow Email [The Atlantic]
• TWiV 852: Tree man syndrome [This Week in Virology]
Podcasts and Long Form Videos
SpaceX: Transporter-3 Mission
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On This Day
January 13th is the 13th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar; 352 days remain until the end of the year (353 in leap years).
Historical Events
(Please note that the Wikipedia articles often contain a bibliography and links to where you can learn more about a historical event)
27BC – Octavian transfers the state to the free disposal of the Roman Senate and the people. He receives Spain, Gaul, and Syria as his province for ten years.
532 – The Nika riots break out, during the racing season at the Hippodrome in Constantinople, as a result of discontent with the rule of the Emperor Justinian I.
1435 – Sicut Dudum, forbidding the enslavement of the Guanche natives in Canary Islands by the Spanish, is promulgated by Pope Eugene IV.
1547 – Henry Howard, Earl of Surrey, is sentenced to death for treason, on the grounds of having quartered his arms to make them similar to those of the King, Henry VIII of England.
1793 – Nicolas Jean Hugon de Bassville, representative of Revolutionary France, is lynched by a mob in Rome.
1797 – French Revolutionary Wars: A naval battle between a French ship of the line and two British frigates off the coast of Brittany ends with the French vessel running aground, resulting in over 900 deaths.
1815 – War of 1812: British troops capture Fort Peter in St. Marys, Georgia, the only battle of the war to take place in the state.
1822 – The design of the Greek flag is adopted by the First National Assembly at Epidaurus.
1833 – United States President Andrew Jackson writes to Vice President Martin Van Buren expressing his opposition to South Carolina's defiance of federal authority in the Nullification Crisis.
1840 – The steamship Lexington burns and sinks four miles off the coast of Long Island with the loss of 139 lives.
1842 – Dr. William Brydon, an assistant surgeon in the British East India Company Army during the First Anglo-Afghan War, becomes famous for being the sole survivor of an army of 4,500 men and 12,000 camp followers when he reaches the safety of a garrison in Jalalabad, Afghanistan.
1847 – The Treaty of Cahuenga ends the Mexican–American War in California.
1849 – Establishment of the Colony of Vancouver Island.
1849 – Second Anglo-Sikh War: Battle of Chillianwala: British forces retreat from the Sikhs.
1888 – The National Geographic Society is founded in Washington, D.C.
1893 – The Independent Labour Party of the United Kingdom holds its first meeting.
1893 – U.S. Marines land in Honolulu, Hawaii from the USS Boston to prevent the queen from abrogating the Bayonet Constitution.
1895 – First Italo-Ethiopian War: The war's opening battle, the Battle of Coatit, occurs; it is an Italian victory.
1898 – Émile Zola's J'accuse…! exposes the Dreyfus affair.
1900 – To combat Czech nationalism, Emperor Franz Joseph decrees German will be language of the Austro-Hungarian Armed Forces.
1908 – The Rhoads Opera House fire in Boyertown, Pennsylvania kills 171 people.
1910 – The first public radio broadcast takes place; a live performance of the operas Cavalleria rusticana and Pagliacci is sent out over the airwaves from the Metropolitan Opera House in New York.
1915 – The 6.7 Mw Avezzano earthquake shakes the Province of L'Aquila in Italy with a maximum Mercalli intensity of XI (Extreme), killing between 29,978 and 32,610.
1920 – The Reichstag Bloodbath of January 13, 1920, the bloodiest demonstration in German history.
1935 – A plebiscite in Saarland shows that 90.3% of those voting wish to join Nazi Germany.
1939 – The Black Friday bushfires burn 20,000 square kilometers of land in Australia, claiming the lives of 71 people.
1942 – Henry Ford patents a soybean car, which is 30% lighter than a regular car.
1942 – World War II: First use of an aircraft ejection seat by a German test pilot in a Heinkel He 280 jet fighter.
1950 – British submarine HMS Truculent collides with an oil tanker in the Thames Estuary, killing 64 men.
1950 – Finland forms diplomatic relations with the People's Republic of China.
1951 – First Indochina War: The Battle of Vĩnh Yên begins.
1953 – An article appears in Pravda accusing some of the most prestigious and prominent doctors, mostly Jews, in the Soviet Union of taking part in a vast plot to poison members of the top Soviet political and military leadership.
1958 – The Moroccan Army of Liberation ambushes a Spanish patrol in the Battle of Edchera.
1963 – Coup d'état in Togo results in the assassination of president Sylvanus Olympio.
1964 – Anti-Muslim riots break out in Calcutta, in response to anti-Hindu riots in East Pakistan. About one hundred people are killed.
1964 – In Manchester, New Hampshire, fourteen-year-old Pamela Mason is murdered. Edward Coolidge is tried and convicted of the crime, but the conviction is set aside by the landmark Fourth Amendment case Coolidge v. New Hampshire (1971).
1966 – Robert C. Weaver becomes the first African American Cabinet member when he is appointed United States Secretary of Housing and Urban Development.
1968 – Johnny Cash performs live at Folsom State Prison.
1972 – Prime Minister Kofi Abrefa Busia and President Edward Akufo-Addo of Ghana are ousted in a bloodless military coup by Colonel Ignatius Kutu Acheampong.
1977 – Japan Air Lines Cargo Flight 1045, a Douglas DC-8 jet, crashes onto the runway during takeoff from Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport, killing five.
1978 – United States Food and Drug Administration requires all blood donations to be labeled "paid" or "volunteer" donors.
1982 – Shortly after takeoff, Air Florida Flight 90, a Boeing 737 jet, crashes into Washington, D.C.'s 14th Street Bridge and falls into the Potomac River, killing 78 including four motorists.
1985 – A passenger train plunges into a ravine in Ethiopia, killing 428 in the worst railroad disaster in Africa.
1986 – A month-long violent struggle begins in Aden, South Yemen between supporters of Ali Nasir Muhammad and Abdul Fattah Ismail, resulting in thousands of casualties.
1988 – Lee Teng-hui becomes the first native Taiwanese President of the Republic of China.
1990 – Douglas Wilder becomes the first elected African American governor as he takes office as Governor of Virginia in Richmond, Virginia.
1991 – Soviet Union troops attack Lithuanian independence supporters in Vilnius, killing 14 people and wounding around 1,000 others.
1993 – Space Shuttle program: Endeavour heads for space for the third time as STS-54 launches from the Kennedy Space Center.
1993 – The Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) is signed.
1993 – Operation Southern Watch: U.S.A.F., U.S.N., R.A.F. and French Air Force jets attack AAA and SAM sites in Southern Iraq.
1998 – Alfredo Ormando sets himself on fire in St. Peter's Square, protesting against homophobia.
2001 – An earthquake hits El Salvador, killing more than 800.
2012 – The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia sinks off the coast of Italy due to the captain Francesco Schettino's negligence and irresponsibility. There are 32 confirmed deaths.
2018 – A false emergency alert warning of an impending missile strike in Hawaii causes widespread panic in the state.
2020 – The Thai Ministry of Public Health confirms the first case of COVID-19 outside China.
2021 – Outgoing U.S. President Donald Trump is impeached for a second time on a charge of incitement of insurrection following the storming of the Capitol one week prior.
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Published at 5:00am on Thursday, January 13, 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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