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Weather
Hazards and Tropical Weather
Almanac
Macon Calendar
Local and StateNews
Special Section: Supreme Court January 13th Rulings on Vaccine Mandates
National News Roundup
COVID-19 News and Updates
Science and Technology
On This Day
Support Macon Media
OUTLOOK
Dry high pressure continues until the next cold front arrives Wednesday night into Thursday morning. A cyclone develops along this front as it moves offshore Friday, and another round of wintry weather is possible across the region the first part of the weekend.
SCHOOL ANNOUNCEMENTS
Franklin Area Schools
Due to road conditions throughout the county, Macon County Schools-Franklin area will be closed today, Wednesday, January 19, 2022 with an optional workday for faculty & staff. This will be a traditional snow day and not a remote learning day.
Nantahala School
Due to the lasting effects of the Winter Storm and the high potential of refreezing overnight, Nantahala School will be closed to students today, Wednesday, January 19th. It will be an Optional Teacher Workday for faculty and staff.
Highlands School
Today is a remote learning day of school. Faculty and staff should arrive to school tomorrow no later than 10:00. Please contact your students to advise of your remote learning instructions. Please remember to sign in at the front desk before 10:00. If you are unable to report to school by 10:00 tomorrow morning, please contact Mr. Jetter or Mrs. Holbrooks.
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Local Weather
General Forecast Through Thursday Night
Franklin Area
Today
Patchy freezing fog before 9am. Mostly sunny, with highs in the mid 50s. Light and variable winds.
Tonight
A chance of rain between 8pm and 1am, then showers after 1am. Patchy fog after 1am. Lows in the mid-to-upper 30s. Calm winds. Chance of precipitation is 90%. New precipitation amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch possible.
Thursday
Showers, mainly before 11am, then a chance of rain after 1pm. Highs in the mid 40s. Calm winds increasing to come out of the northwest around 5 mph in the afternoon. Chance of rain is 80%. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible.
Thursday Night
A slight chance of rain before 8pm, then a slight chance of sleet between 8pm and 10pm, then a slight chance of snow after 10pm. Mostly cloudy, with lows in the mid 20s. Light winds out of the northeast. Chance of precipitation is 20%.
Friday
A 30 percent chance of snow, mainly after 10am. Mostly cloudy, with highs in the mid 30s. Calm winds.
Friday Night
A 30 percent chance of snow, mainly after 10am. Mostly cloudy, with highs in the mid 30s. Calm winds.
Highlands Plateau
Today
Partly sunny, with highs near 50. Calm winds in the morning increasing to come out of the southwest 5 to 10 mph in the afternoon.
Tonight
Showers, mainly before 4am, then rain after 4am. Patchy fog after 9pm. Lows in the mid 30s. Winds out of the southeast around 5 mph becoming light and variable. Chance of rain is 80%. New rainfall amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch possible.
Thursday
Rain and snow before 1pm, then a chance of rain between 1pm and 4pm, then a chance of snow after 4pm. Highs in the mid-to-upper 30s. WInds out of the northwest 5 to 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New snow accumulation of less than a half inch possible.
Thursday Night
A 20 percent chance of snow. Mostly cloudy, with lows around 17. Winds out of the northwest 5 to 10 mph in the morning becoming calm ibefore midnight.
Friday
A 40 percent chance of snow, mainly after 8am. Mostly cloudy, with highs in the upper 20s. Calm winds.
Friday Night
A 40 percent chance of snow, mainly before 3am. Mostly cloudy, with lows around 14.
Otto and South Central Macon County
Today
Patchy freezing fog between 8am and 9am. Mostly sunny, with highs in the low-to-mid 50s. Calm winds in the morning increasing to come out of the south around 5 mph in the afternoon.
Tonight
Rain likely, mainly between 1am and 2am, then showers after 2am. Patchy fog after 1am. Lows in the upper 30s. Calm winds. Chance of precipitation is 90%. New precipitation amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.
Thursday
Showers, mainly before 9am, then a chance of rain after 1pm. High in the mid 40s. Calm winds in the morning increasing to come out of the northwest around 5 mph in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible.
Thursday Night
A slight chance of rain before 8pm, then a slight chance of freezing rain and sleet between 8pm and 10pm, then a slight chance of snow after 10pm. Mostly cloudy, with lows in the mid 20s. Winds out of the north around 5 mph becoming calm in the evening. Chance of precipitation is 20%.
Friday
A 30 percent chance of snow, mainly after 8am. Mostly cloudy, with highs in the mid 30s. Calm winds.
Friday Night
A 40 percent chance of snow, mainly before 1am. Mostly cloudy, with lows around 20.
Nantahala Area
Today
Mostly sunny, with highs near 50. Light winds out of the south.
Tonight
Rain likely, mainly between 11pm and midnight, then showers after midnight. Patchy fog after midnight. Low in the mid-to-upper 30s. Calm winds. Chance of precipitation is 90%. New precipitation amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.
Thursday
Rain, mainly before 9am. Highs near 40. Winds out of the northwest 3 to 6 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible.
Thursday Night
A 20 percent chance of snow. Mostly cloudy, with lows in the mid 20s. Light and variable winds.
Friday
A 30 percent chance of snow, mainly after noon. Mostly cloudy, with highs in the low-to-mid 30s. Calm winds.
Friday Night
A 30 percent chance of snow, mainly before 1am. Mostly cloudy, with lows around 20.
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Hazards and Tropical Weather
...AREAS OF BLACK ICE EXPECTED TO CAUSE TREACHEROUS ROAD CONDITIONS AGAIN THIS MORNING...
Plentiful sunshine has caused snowmelt across the area yesterday afternoon. In locations that still have snow on the ground and wet roadways have refrozen overnight. Black ice and frozen slush will likely form on the roadways. Slick and hazardous roads should be expected through this morning when sunshine should again allow the ice to thaw.
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Almanac
Air quality is in the lower range of yellow for most of the county, with the ridges and other higher elevations today being in the lower range of yellow.
Fire and Smoke Map
Local Air Monitor
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 19th
Record weather events for this date in Macon County
(1872-2016)
Highest Temperature 70°F at the Coweeta Experimental Station in 2017
Lowest Temperature -7°F in Highlands in 1994
Greatest Rainfall 2.80 inches in Franklin in 1876
Greatest Snowfall 3.6 inches in Highlands in 1998
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)
THIS SPACE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK
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Local and State News
COVID-19 Numbers for Macon County: [November 15, 2021]
• Get free at-home COVID-19 tests [COVIDtests.gov]
• Asheville emergency shelter already over capacity plans to stay open rest of January [WLOS-TV (Asheville, NC)]
• Asheville officer fired after punching man sues DA, police chief over his record [Ashevulle Citizen-Times]
• North Carolina's primary was already delayed. Now it could be delayed again — until June [Blue Ridge Public Radio]
• Macon County Board of Commissioners - January 2022 Regular Meeting [Macon Media]
Franklin Town Council - January 2022 Regular Meeting
Asheville Citizen-Times COVID-19 Tracker [Asheville Citizen-Times]
Previously:
• Special Section: Supreme Court Hears Vaccine Mandate Cases [Nacon Media (Jan 7th, 2022)]
The documents:
• In National Federation of Independent Business v. Department of Labor, the court blocked the federal government’s vaccine-or-test requirement for workplaces of 100 or more employees. [PDF of Opinion]
• In Biden v. Missouri, the court allowed the government’s vaccine mandate for workers at federally funded health care facilities to take effect nationwide. [PDF of Opinion]
• Fractured court blocks vaccine-or-test requirement for large workplaces but green-lights vaccine mandate for health care workers [SCOTUSblog]
• Who Decides, Redux? [The Volokh Conspiracy]
• The Supreme Court sunk Biden’s vaccine/testing mandate for private employers. What you need to know. [Poynter]
• Supreme Court blocks Biden Covid vaccine mandate for businesses, allows health-care worker rule [CNBC]
-->
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National and World News Roundup
• Athletes warned against speaking up on human rights at Beijing Games [Reuters]
• Biden administration launches website for free at-home COVID-19 tests [ABC News Clip on Youtube]
WATCH LIVE at 10am: Senate opens debate on voting rights bills, setting up a potential filibuster showdown
• Oil hits 7-yr highs as Mideast unrest stokes more supply jitters [Channel News Asia]
• Rudy Giuliani among Trump allies subpoenaed by Jan. 6 panel [AP News]
• NASA scientists estimate Tonga blast at 10 megatons [NPR]
• Quadriga CEO's widow speaks out over his death and the missing crypto millions [CBC News]
• Russia moves more troops westward amid Ukraine tensions [AP News]
• Texas says supply chain issues have limited the number of voter registration forms it can give out [KUT-FM]
Global National: Jan. 18, 2022 | Canadian researchers find security flaws in China's Olympics app
NBC Nightly News Full Broadcast - January 18th, 2021
PBS NewsHour Full Episode January 18th, 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: Vaccination advice in the age of omicron
• Inmates sue Arkansas doc, jail after unknowingly taking dangerous doses of ivermectin [ars TECHNICA]
• Omicron is not that mild: 50,000 to 300,000 more US deaths projected by March: COVID-19 updates [USA Today]
• People Are Hiding That Their Unvaccinated Loved Ones Died of COVID [The Atlantic]
• Florida Department of Health confirms Dr. Raul Pino put on leave for encouraging Orange County Department of Health employees to get vaccinated [WMFE-FM]
• US airlines warn of ‘catastrophic disruption’ on Wednesday due to 5G activation [The Verge]
• Backlash as US billionaire dismisses Uyghur abuse [BBC News]
• Astronomers propose building a neutrino telescope — out of the Pacific Ocean[Space.com]
• Habitat for Humanity builds 3D-printed home in 28 hours [Free Think]
• 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
• Starlink Mission [SpaceX Youtube Channel]
• Linux malware sees 35% growth during 2021 [Bleeping Computer]
• Microsoft to buy embattled 'Call of Duty' publisher Activision in $68 billion bailout [Business Insider]
Podcasts and Long Form Videos
WeatherBrains 835
Level1 News January 18 2022: Snorlax On Crime
• Cordkillers 392 – What Price is Right? (w/ Lamarr Wilson) [Cordkillers]
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On This Day
January 19th is the 19th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar; 346 days remain until the end of the year (347 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)
379 – Emperor Gratian elevates Flavius Theodosius at Sirmium to Augustus, and gives him authority over all the eastern provinces of the Roman Empire. 649 – Conquest of Kucha: The forces of Kucha surrender after a forty-day siege led by Tang dynasty general Ashina She'er, establishing Tang control over the northern Tarim Basin in Xinjiang.
1419 – Hundred Years' War: Rouen surrenders to Henry V of England, completing his reconquest of Normandy.
1511 – The Italian Duchy of Mirandola surrenders to the Pope.
1520 – Sten Sture the Younger, the Regent of Sweden, is mortally wounded at the Battle of Bogesund and dies on February 3.
1607 – San Agustin Church in Manila is officially completed; it is the oldest church still standing in the Philippines.
1639 – Hämeenlinna (Swedish: Tavastehus) was granted privileges after it separated from the Vanaja parish as its own city in Tavastia.
1764 – John Wilkes is expelled from the British House of Commons for seditious libel.
1764 – Bolle Willum Luxdorph records in his diary that a mail bomb, possibly the world's first, has severely injured the Danish Colonel Poulsen, residing at Børglum Abbey.
1788 – The second group of ships of the First Fleet arrive at Botany Bay.
1795 – The Batavian Republic is proclaimed in the Netherlands, replacing the Dutch Republic.
1817 – An army of 5,423 soldiers, led by General José de San Martín, crosses the Andes from Argentina to liberate Chile and then Peru.
1829 – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe's Faust: The First Part of the Tragedy receives its premiere performance.
1839 – The British East India Company captures Aden.
1853 – Giuseppe Verdi's opera Il trovatore receives its premiere performance in Rome.
1861 – American Civil War: Georgia joins South Carolina, Florida, Mississippi, and Alabama in declaring secession from the United States.
1862 – American Civil War: Battle of Mill Springs: The Confederacy suffers its first significant defeat in the conflict.
1871 – Franco-Prussian War: In the Siege of Paris, Prussia wins the Battle of St. Quentin. Meanwhile, the French attempt to break the siege in the Battle of Buzenval will end unsuccessfully the following day.
1883 – The first electric lighting system employing overhead wires, built by Thomas Edison, begins service at Roselle, New Jersey.
1899 – Anglo-Egyptian Sudan is formed.
1901 – English Queen Victoria stricken with paralysis. She dies three days later at the age of 81.
1915 – Georges Claude patents the neon discharge tube for use in advertising.
1915 – German strategic bombing during World War I: German zeppelins bomb the towns of Great Yarmouth and King's Lynn in the United Kingdom killing at least 20 people, in the first major aerial bombardment of a civilian target.
1917 – Silvertown explosion: A blast at a munitions factory in London kills 73 and injures over 400. The resulting fire causes over £2,000,000 worth of damage.
1920 – The United States Senate votes against joining the League of Nations.
1920 – The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is founded.
1937 – Howard Hughes sets a new air record by flying from Los Angeles to New York City in seven hours, 28 minutes, 25 seconds.
1941 – World War II: HMS Greyhound and other escorts of convoy AS-12 sink Italian submarine Neghelli with all hands 64 kilometres (40 mi) northeast of Falkonera.
1942 – World War II: The Japanese conquest of Burma begins.
1945 – World War II: Soviet forces liberate the Łódź Ghetto. Of more than 200,000 inhabitants in 1940, less than 900 had survived the Nazi occupation.
1946 – General Douglas MacArthur establishes the International Military Tribunal for the Far East in Tokyo to try Japanese war criminals.
1953 – Almost 72 percent of all television sets in the United States are tuned into I Love Lucy to watch Lucy give birth.
1960 – Japan and the United States sign the US–Japan Mutual Security Treaty
1960 – Scandinavian Airlines System Flight 871 crashes near Ankara Esenboğa Airport in Turkey, killing all 42 aboard.
1969 – Student Jan Palach dies after setting himself on fire three days earlier in Prague's Wenceslas Square to protest about the invasion of Czechoslovakia by the Soviet Union in 1968. His funeral turns into another major protest.
1977 – President Gerald Ford pardons Iva Toguri D'Aquino (a.k.a. "Tokyo Rose").
1978 – The last Volkswagen Beetle made in Germany leaves VW's plant in Emden. Beetle production in Latin America continues until 2003.
1981 – Iran hostage crisis: United States and Iranian officials sign an agreement to release 52 American hostages after 14 months of captivity.
1983 – Nazi war criminal Klaus Barbie is arrested in Bolivia.
1983 – The Apple Lisa, the first commercial personal computer from Apple Inc. to have a graphical user interface and a computer mouse, is announced.
1986 – The first IBM PC computer virus is released into the wild. A boot sector virus dubbed (c)Brain, it was created by the Farooq Alvi Brothers in Lahore, Pakistan, reportedly to deter unauthorized copying of the software they had written.
1991 – Gulf War: Iraq fires a second Scud missile into Israel, causing 15 injuries.
1993 – Czech Republic and Slovakia join the United Nations.
1995 – After being struck by lightning the crew of Bristow Helicopters Flight 56C are forced to ditch. All 18 aboard are later rescued.
1996 – The barge North Cape oil spill occurs as an engine fire forces the tugboat Scandia ashore on Moonstone Beach in South Kingstown, Rhode Island.
1997 – Yasser Arafat returns to Hebron after more than 30 years and joins celebrations over the handover of the last Israeli-controlled West Bank city.
1999 – British Aerospace agrees to acquire the defence subsidiary of the General Electric Company plc, forming BAE Systems in November 1999.
2007 – Turkish-Armenian journalist Hrant Dink is assassinated in front of his newspaper's Istanbul office by 17-year-old Turkish ultra-nationalist Ogün Samast.
2007 – Four-man Team N2i, using only skis and kites, completes a 1,093-mile (1,759 km) trek to reach the Antarctic pole of inaccessibility for the first time since 1965 and for the first time ever without mechanical assistance.
2012 – The Hong Kong-based file-sharing website Megaupload is shut down by the FBI.
2014 – A bomb attack on an army convoy in the city of Bannu kills at least 26 Pakistani soldiers and injures 38 others.
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Published at 5:00am on Wednesday, January 19, 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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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 next project.
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Local Weather
General Forecast Through Thursday Night
Franklin Area
Today
Patchy freezing fog before 9am. Mostly sunny, with highs in the mid 50s. Light and variable winds.
Tonight
A chance of rain between 8pm and 1am, then showers after 1am. Patchy fog after 1am. Lows in the mid-to-upper 30s. Calm winds. Chance of precipitation is 90%. New precipitation amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch possible.
Thursday
Showers, mainly before 11am, then a chance of rain after 1pm. Highs in the mid 40s. Calm winds increasing to come out of the northwest around 5 mph in the afternoon. Chance of rain is 80%. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible.
Thursday Night
A slight chance of rain before 8pm, then a slight chance of sleet between 8pm and 10pm, then a slight chance of snow after 10pm. Mostly cloudy, with lows in the mid 20s. Light winds out of the northeast. Chance of precipitation is 20%.
Friday
A 30 percent chance of snow, mainly after 10am. Mostly cloudy, with highs in the mid 30s. Calm winds.
Friday Night
A 30 percent chance of snow, mainly after 10am. Mostly cloudy, with highs in the mid 30s. Calm winds.
Highlands Plateau
Today
Partly sunny, with highs near 50. Calm winds in the morning increasing to come out of the southwest 5 to 10 mph in the afternoon.
Tonight
Showers, mainly before 4am, then rain after 4am. Patchy fog after 9pm. Lows in the mid 30s. Winds out of the southeast around 5 mph becoming light and variable. Chance of rain is 80%. New rainfall amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch possible.
Thursday
Rain and snow before 1pm, then a chance of rain between 1pm and 4pm, then a chance of snow after 4pm. Highs in the mid-to-upper 30s. WInds out of the northwest 5 to 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New snow accumulation of less than a half inch possible.
Thursday Night
A 20 percent chance of snow. Mostly cloudy, with lows around 17. Winds out of the northwest 5 to 10 mph in the morning becoming calm ibefore midnight.
Friday
A 40 percent chance of snow, mainly after 8am. Mostly cloudy, with highs in the upper 20s. Calm winds.
Friday Night
A 40 percent chance of snow, mainly before 3am. Mostly cloudy, with lows around 14.
Otto and South Central Macon County
Today
Patchy freezing fog between 8am and 9am. Mostly sunny, with highs in the low-to-mid 50s. Calm winds in the morning increasing to come out of the south around 5 mph in the afternoon.
Tonight
Rain likely, mainly between 1am and 2am, then showers after 2am. Patchy fog after 1am. Lows in the upper 30s. Calm winds. Chance of precipitation is 90%. New precipitation amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.
Thursday
Showers, mainly before 9am, then a chance of rain after 1pm. High in the mid 40s. Calm winds in the morning increasing to come out of the northwest around 5 mph in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible.
Thursday Night
A slight chance of rain before 8pm, then a slight chance of freezing rain and sleet between 8pm and 10pm, then a slight chance of snow after 10pm. Mostly cloudy, with lows in the mid 20s. Winds out of the north around 5 mph becoming calm in the evening. Chance of precipitation is 20%.
Friday
A 30 percent chance of snow, mainly after 8am. Mostly cloudy, with highs in the mid 30s. Calm winds.
Friday Night
A 40 percent chance of snow, mainly before 1am. Mostly cloudy, with lows around 20.
Nantahala Area
Today
Mostly sunny, with highs near 50. Light winds out of the south.
Tonight
Rain likely, mainly between 11pm and midnight, then showers after midnight. Patchy fog after midnight. Low in the mid-to-upper 30s. Calm winds. Chance of precipitation is 90%. New precipitation amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.
Thursday
Rain, mainly before 9am. Highs near 40. Winds out of the northwest 3 to 6 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible.
Thursday Night
A 20 percent chance of snow. Mostly cloudy, with lows in the mid 20s. Light and variable winds.
Friday
A 30 percent chance of snow, mainly after noon. Mostly cloudy, with highs in the low-to-mid 30s. Calm winds.
Friday Night
A 30 percent chance of snow, mainly before 1am. Mostly cloudy, with lows around 20.
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Hazards and Tropical Weather
...AREAS OF BLACK ICE EXPECTED TO CAUSE TREACHEROUS ROAD CONDITIONS AGAIN THIS MORNING...
Plentiful sunshine has caused snowmelt across the area yesterday afternoon. In locations that still have snow on the ground and wet roadways have refrozen overnight. Black ice and frozen slush will likely form on the roadways. Slick and hazardous roads should be expected through this morning when sunshine should again allow the ice to thaw.
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Almanac
Air quality is in the lower range of yellow for most of the county, with the ridges and other higher elevations today being in the lower range of yellow.
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 19th
Record weather events for this date in Macon County
(1872-2016)
Highest Temperature 70°F at the Coweeta Experimental Station in 2017
Lowest Temperature -7°F in Highlands in 1994
Greatest Rainfall 2.80 inches in Franklin in 1876
Greatest Snowfall 3.6 inches in Highlands in 1998
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)
THIS SPACE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK
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Local and State News
COVID-19 Numbers for Macon County: [November 15, 2021]
• Get free at-home COVID-19 tests [COVIDtests.gov]
• Asheville emergency shelter already over capacity plans to stay open rest of January [WLOS-TV (Asheville, NC)]
• Asheville officer fired after punching man sues DA, police chief over his record [Ashevulle Citizen-Times]
• North Carolina's primary was already delayed. Now it could be delayed again — until June [Blue Ridge Public Radio]
Franklin Town Council - January 2022 Regular Meeting
Asheville Citizen-Times COVID-19 Tracker [Asheville Citizen-Times]
Previously:
• Special Section: Supreme Court Hears Vaccine Mandate Cases [Nacon Media (Jan 7th, 2022)]
The documents:
• In National Federation of Independent Business v. Department of Labor, the court blocked the federal government’s vaccine-or-test requirement for workplaces of 100 or more employees. [PDF of Opinion]
• In Biden v. Missouri, the court allowed the government’s vaccine mandate for workers at federally funded health care facilities to take effect nationwide. [PDF of Opinion]
• Fractured court blocks vaccine-or-test requirement for large workplaces but green-lights vaccine mandate for health care workers [SCOTUSblog]
• Who Decides, Redux? [The Volokh Conspiracy]
• The Supreme Court sunk Biden’s vaccine/testing mandate for private employers. What you need to know. [Poynter]
• Supreme Court blocks Biden Covid vaccine mandate for businesses, allows health-care worker rule [CNBC]
-->
Back to Top
National and World News Roundup
• Athletes warned against speaking up on human rights at Beijing Games [Reuters]
• Biden administration launches website for free at-home COVID-19 tests [ABC News Clip on Youtube]
WATCH LIVE at 10am: Senate opens debate on voting rights bills, setting up a potential filibuster showdown
• Oil hits 7-yr highs as Mideast unrest stokes more supply jitters [Channel News Asia]
• Rudy Giuliani among Trump allies subpoenaed by Jan. 6 panel [AP News]
• NASA scientists estimate Tonga blast at 10 megatons [NPR]
• Quadriga CEO's widow speaks out over his death and the missing crypto millions [CBC News]
• Russia moves more troops westward amid Ukraine tensions [AP News]
• Texas says supply chain issues have limited the number of voter registration forms it can give out [KUT-FM]
Global National: Jan. 18, 2022 | Canadian researchers find security flaws in China's Olympics app
NBC Nightly News Full Broadcast - January 18th, 2021
PBS NewsHour Full Episode January 18th, 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: Vaccination advice in the age of omicron
• Inmates sue Arkansas doc, jail after unknowingly taking dangerous doses of ivermectin [ars TECHNICA]
• Omicron is not that mild: 50,000 to 300,000 more US deaths projected by March: COVID-19 updates [USA Today]
• People Are Hiding That Their Unvaccinated Loved Ones Died of COVID [The Atlantic]
• Florida Department of Health confirms Dr. Raul Pino put on leave for encouraging Orange County Department of Health employees to get vaccinated [WMFE-FM]
• US airlines warn of ‘catastrophic disruption’ on Wednesday due to 5G activation [The Verge]
• Backlash as US billionaire dismisses Uyghur abuse [BBC News]
• Astronomers propose building a neutrino telescope — out of the Pacific Ocean[Space.com]
• Habitat for Humanity builds 3D-printed home in 28 hours [Free Think]
• 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
• Starlink Mission [SpaceX Youtube Channel]
• Linux malware sees 35% growth during 2021 [Bleeping Computer]
• Microsoft to buy embattled 'Call of Duty' publisher Activision in $68 billion bailout [Business Insider]
Podcasts and Long Form Videos
WeatherBrains 835
Level1 News January 18 2022: Snorlax On Crime
• Cordkillers 392 – What Price is Right? (w/ Lamarr Wilson) [Cordkillers]
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On This Day
January 19th is the 19th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar; 346 days remain until the end of the year (347 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)
379 – Emperor Gratian elevates Flavius Theodosius at Sirmium to Augustus, and gives him authority over all the eastern provinces of the Roman Empire. 649 – Conquest of Kucha: The forces of Kucha surrender after a forty-day siege led by Tang dynasty general Ashina She'er, establishing Tang control over the northern Tarim Basin in Xinjiang.
1419 – Hundred Years' War: Rouen surrenders to Henry V of England, completing his reconquest of Normandy.
1511 – The Italian Duchy of Mirandola surrenders to the Pope.
1520 – Sten Sture the Younger, the Regent of Sweden, is mortally wounded at the Battle of Bogesund and dies on February 3.
1607 – San Agustin Church in Manila is officially completed; it is the oldest church still standing in the Philippines.
1639 – Hämeenlinna (Swedish: Tavastehus) was granted privileges after it separated from the Vanaja parish as its own city in Tavastia.
1764 – John Wilkes is expelled from the British House of Commons for seditious libel.
1764 – Bolle Willum Luxdorph records in his diary that a mail bomb, possibly the world's first, has severely injured the Danish Colonel Poulsen, residing at Børglum Abbey.
1788 – The second group of ships of the First Fleet arrive at Botany Bay.
1795 – The Batavian Republic is proclaimed in the Netherlands, replacing the Dutch Republic.
1817 – An army of 5,423 soldiers, led by General José de San Martín, crosses the Andes from Argentina to liberate Chile and then Peru.
1829 – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe's Faust: The First Part of the Tragedy receives its premiere performance.
1839 – The British East India Company captures Aden.
1853 – Giuseppe Verdi's opera Il trovatore receives its premiere performance in Rome.
1861 – American Civil War: Georgia joins South Carolina, Florida, Mississippi, and Alabama in declaring secession from the United States.
1862 – American Civil War: Battle of Mill Springs: The Confederacy suffers its first significant defeat in the conflict.
1871 – Franco-Prussian War: In the Siege of Paris, Prussia wins the Battle of St. Quentin. Meanwhile, the French attempt to break the siege in the Battle of Buzenval will end unsuccessfully the following day.
1883 – The first electric lighting system employing overhead wires, built by Thomas Edison, begins service at Roselle, New Jersey.
1899 – Anglo-Egyptian Sudan is formed.
1901 – English Queen Victoria stricken with paralysis. She dies three days later at the age of 81.
1915 – Georges Claude patents the neon discharge tube for use in advertising.
1915 – German strategic bombing during World War I: German zeppelins bomb the towns of Great Yarmouth and King's Lynn in the United Kingdom killing at least 20 people, in the first major aerial bombardment of a civilian target.
1917 – Silvertown explosion: A blast at a munitions factory in London kills 73 and injures over 400. The resulting fire causes over £2,000,000 worth of damage.
1920 – The United States Senate votes against joining the League of Nations.
1920 – The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is founded.
1937 – Howard Hughes sets a new air record by flying from Los Angeles to New York City in seven hours, 28 minutes, 25 seconds.
1941 – World War II: HMS Greyhound and other escorts of convoy AS-12 sink Italian submarine Neghelli with all hands 64 kilometres (40 mi) northeast of Falkonera.
1942 – World War II: The Japanese conquest of Burma begins.
1945 – World War II: Soviet forces liberate the Łódź Ghetto. Of more than 200,000 inhabitants in 1940, less than 900 had survived the Nazi occupation.
1946 – General Douglas MacArthur establishes the International Military Tribunal for the Far East in Tokyo to try Japanese war criminals.
1953 – Almost 72 percent of all television sets in the United States are tuned into I Love Lucy to watch Lucy give birth.
1960 – Japan and the United States sign the US–Japan Mutual Security Treaty
1960 – Scandinavian Airlines System Flight 871 crashes near Ankara Esenboğa Airport in Turkey, killing all 42 aboard.
1969 – Student Jan Palach dies after setting himself on fire three days earlier in Prague's Wenceslas Square to protest about the invasion of Czechoslovakia by the Soviet Union in 1968. His funeral turns into another major protest.
1977 – President Gerald Ford pardons Iva Toguri D'Aquino (a.k.a. "Tokyo Rose").
1978 – The last Volkswagen Beetle made in Germany leaves VW's plant in Emden. Beetle production in Latin America continues until 2003.
1981 – Iran hostage crisis: United States and Iranian officials sign an agreement to release 52 American hostages after 14 months of captivity.
1983 – Nazi war criminal Klaus Barbie is arrested in Bolivia.
1983 – The Apple Lisa, the first commercial personal computer from Apple Inc. to have a graphical user interface and a computer mouse, is announced.
1986 – The first IBM PC computer virus is released into the wild. A boot sector virus dubbed (c)Brain, it was created by the Farooq Alvi Brothers in Lahore, Pakistan, reportedly to deter unauthorized copying of the software they had written.
1991 – Gulf War: Iraq fires a second Scud missile into Israel, causing 15 injuries.
1993 – Czech Republic and Slovakia join the United Nations.
1995 – After being struck by lightning the crew of Bristow Helicopters Flight 56C are forced to ditch. All 18 aboard are later rescued.
1996 – The barge North Cape oil spill occurs as an engine fire forces the tugboat Scandia ashore on Moonstone Beach in South Kingstown, Rhode Island.
1997 – Yasser Arafat returns to Hebron after more than 30 years and joins celebrations over the handover of the last Israeli-controlled West Bank city.
1999 – British Aerospace agrees to acquire the defence subsidiary of the General Electric Company plc, forming BAE Systems in November 1999.
2007 – Turkish-Armenian journalist Hrant Dink is assassinated in front of his newspaper's Istanbul office by 17-year-old Turkish ultra-nationalist Ogün Samast.
2007 – Four-man Team N2i, using only skis and kites, completes a 1,093-mile (1,759 km) trek to reach the Antarctic pole of inaccessibility for the first time since 1965 and for the first time ever without mechanical assistance.
2012 – The Hong Kong-based file-sharing website Megaupload is shut down by the FBI.
2014 – A bomb attack on an army convoy in the city of Bannu kills at least 26 Pakistani soldiers and injures 38 others.
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Published at 5:00am on Wednesday, January 19, 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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