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Saturday, April 30, 2022

News and Weather Briefing for Saturday, April 30, 2022



Here is an index to assist you in moving from section to section within the article.

Back to Top
Weather
Hazards and Tropical Weather
Almanac
Macon Calendar
Local and StateNews
Russo-UKrainian War Updates
National News Roundup
COVID-19 News and Updates
Science and Technology
Russo-Ukrainian War Videos (mostly long form)
On This Day
Support Macon Media


OUTLOOK

An active weather pattern begins this weekend with a series of frontal systems crossing the area from Sunday into much of next week. Expect above normal temperatures and a chance of afternoon and evening showers and thunderstorms most days.


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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 Sunday Night





Franklin Area

Today

Mostly sunny, with highs in the mid-to-upper 70s. Calm winds in the morning increasing to come out of the south around 5 mph in the afternoon.

Tonight



Mostly cloudy, with lows in the mid 50s. Calm winds.

Sunday Showers and thunderstorms likely, mainly after noon. Mostly cloudy, with highs in the mid 70s. Calm winds early in the morning increasing to come out of the southwest 5 to 10 mph by midmorning. Chance of rain is 70%. New rainfall amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.

Sunday Night

A chance of showers and thunderstorms before 2am, then a slight chance of showers. Partly cloudy, with lows in the low-to-mid 50s. Light winds out of the southwest. Chance of rain is 50%. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.

Monday

A 20 percent chance of showers. Mostly sunny, with highs in the low-to-mid 80s. Calm winds in the morning increasing to come out of the southwest around 5 mph in the afternoon.

Monday Night

A 20 percent chance of showers before 3am. Mostly cloudy, with lows in the mid 50s.

Highlands Plateau

Today

Mostly sunny, with highs near 68. South wind 5 to 10 mph.

Tonight

A slight chance of showers, then a chance of showers and thunderstorms after 4am. Mostly cloudy, with lows in the low-to-mid 50s. Winds out of the south 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain is 30%. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.

Sunday

Showers and thunderstorms likely, mainly after noon. Mostly cloudy, with highs in the mid-to-upper 60s. Winds out of the southwest 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain is 70%. New rainfall amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.

Sunday Night

A chance of showers and thunderstorms before 2am, then a slight chance of showers. Partly cloudy, with lows in the lower 50s. Southwest wind around 5 mph becoming light and variable after midnight. Chance of rain is 50%. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.

Monday

A 20 percent chance of showers. Mostly sunny, with highs in the mid 70s. Light and variable winds early in the morning increasing to come out of the southwest around 5 mph in the morning.

Monday Night

A slight chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with lows in the mid 50s. Chance of rain is 20%.

Otto and South Central Macon County

Today

Mostly sunny, with highs in the mid 70s. Calm winds becoming south around 5 mph in the afternoon.

Tonight

A slight chance of showers, with thunderstorms also possible after 5am. Mostly cloudy, with lows in the mid 50s. Calm winds. Chance of rain is 20%.

Sunday

Showers and thunderstorms likely, mainly after noon. Mostly cloudy, with highs in the mid 70s. Winds out of the southwest 3 to 8 mph. Chance of rain is 70%. New rainfall amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.

Sunday Night

A chance of showers and thunderstorms before 3am, then a slight chance of showers. Partly cloudy, with lows in the mid 50s. Light and variable winds. Chance of rain is 50%. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.

Monday

A 20 percent chance of showers. Mostly sunny, with highs in the lower 80s. Calm winds in the morning increasing to come out of the southwest around 5 mph in the afternoon.

Monday Night

A slight chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with lows in the mid 50s. Chance of rain is 20%.

Nantahala Area

Today

Mostly sunny, with highs in the mid 70s. Calm winds A slight chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 56. Chance of precipitation is 20%.southwest around 5 mph in the afternoon.

Tonight

Partly cloudy, with lows in the mid-to-upper 50s. Calm winds.

Sunday

Showers and thunderstorms. Highs near 70. Winds out of the southwest 3 to 7 mph. Chance of rain is 80%. New rainfall amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.

Sunday Night

Showers and thunderstorms likely before 3am, then a slight chance of showers. Partly cloudy, with lows in the mid 50s. Light winds out of the southwest. Chance of rain is 60%. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.

Monday

A 20 percent chance of showers. Mostly sunny, with highs in the upper 70s. Light winds out of the southwest.

Monday Night

A 20 percent chance of showers. Partly cloudy, with lows in the mid-to-upper 50s.







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Hazards and Tropical Weather



Hazardous weather is not expected today or tonight.






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Almanac

24 Hour Smoke Forecast

Below is the High Resolution Rapid Refresh from NOAA National Centers for Environmental Prediction for our area. It runs from 3am EDT today to 4pm EDT this afternoon.















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 middle range of yellow .

Fire and Smoke Map




Local Air Monitor



Pollen

Pollen levels are expected to be in the medium-high range (8.4 out of 12) today with Oak, Beech, and Birch being the main culprits. Tomorrow is expected to be in the medium range (6.4 out of 12).




Record Weather Events for April 30th

Record weather events for this date in Macon County
(1872-2016)

Highest Temperature 88°F at the Coweeta Experimental Station in 1970
Lowest Temperature 27°F in Highlands in 1992
Greatest Rainfall 3.40 inches at the Coweeta Experimental Station in 1963
Greatest Snowfall (No measurable snowfall has been recorded on this date since records started being kept in 1872)


Record weather events for March in Macon County

Weather Extremes for Macon County for the month of April Data available from 1873 to 2018 Highest Temperature 91°F in Franklin on 04-26-1986
Lowest Temperature 13°F in Highlands on 04-01-1987
Greatest Rainfall 7.00 inches in Highlands on 04-07-1895
Greatest Snowfall 9.5 inches in Franklin on 04-04-1987

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

• Princeton finds 'no credible allegations' of data manipulation from researcher who helped in NC redistricting [WRAL-TV (Raleigh, NC)]

• NC continues to clear its rape kit backlog but challenges remain [WTVD-TV (Raleigh, NC)]

• Blue Ridge Parkway reopened as firefighters battle 200-acre wildfire, now 30% contained [WLOS-TV (Asheville, NC)]

• New ethics Complaint Filed Against Madison Cawthorn (NSFW) [Daily Mail]

• Macon County Board of Commissioners - April 2022 Regular Meeting [Macon Media]

• Interactive map: average date of last spring freeze across the United States [Climate.gov]


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Special Section: Russo-Ukrainian War Updates
(sharing of a particular source is not an endorsement)
(Longer videos are in the Russo-Ukraine Videos section)



• Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, April 29 [Institute for the Study of War] [PDF]

• ‘Ghost of Kyiv’ war hero dies in battle after shooting down 40 Russian aircraft [India Today]

Russia Advances in East Ukraine, Combat Footage (FNN Live) | Funker530



Ukraine admits heavy losses in Russian onslaught | DW News



Artillery Positions in School | Operator Starsky



JOMINI OF THE WEST MAP (April 29th)





• Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky Says Russian Troops Came Close To Capturing Him And His Family [NDTV]

• Putin Accepts Invitation to Attend G20 Summit, Setting Up Biden Showdown [Newsweek]

• Russia pounds eastern Ukraine, strikes Kyiv with missiles [Courthouse News ServiceE]

• Putin’s ‘middle finger’ to the UN sends clear message to the West [Al Jazeera]

• Russian-appointed “governor” of Kherson region charged with treason by the Ukrainian authorities [Ukrinform]


News from Russian or pro-Russian outlets or Video About the Russian Perspective

• Crisis in Ukraine result of US desire to build unipolar world – Russia [Russia Today]

• Poland wants to snatch a piece of its pie from collapsing Ukraine [Pravda ]

The Ukraine War From Russia's Perspective




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National and World News Roundup

• USS George Washington sailors detail difficult working conditions after string of suicides [Yahoo! News]

• A key inflation gauge jumped 6.6% in March, most since 1982 [ABC News]

• Premier of British Virgin Islands arrested in Miami on drug trafficking charges [NBC News]

• Why the Past 10 Years of American Life Have Been Uniquely Stupid [The Atlantic]

• QAnon-Affiliated Ron Watkins Bombs at GOP Debate, Forced to Take Back Wild Claim About Biden and Ukraine: ‘I Made a Mistake’ [MEDIAITE]

Global National: April 29, 2022 | Appeals for Russia to allow safe evacuation of Mariupol plant



NBC Nightly News Full Broadcast - April 29th, 2022


PBS NewsHour Full Episode April 29th, 2022




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COVID-19 News and Updates

Here is a section on COVID-19. It includes 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 5:47pm CEST, 29 April 2022, there have been 510,270,667 confirmed cases of COVID-19, including 6,233,526 deaths, reported to WHO. As of 27 April 2022, a total of 11,477,767,378 vaccine doses have been administered.
In United States of America, from 3 January 2020 to 5:47pm CEST, 29 April 2022, there have been 80,420,406 confirmed cases of COVID-19 with 985,482 deaths, reported to WHO. As of 22 April 2022, a total of 556,437,068 vaccine doses have been administered.

• Online misinformation is linked to early COVID-19 vaccination hesitancy and refusal [Nature]

• Covid deaths no longer overwhelmingly among the unvaccinated as toll on elderly grows [Washington Post]

• Masks back by popular demand on San Francisco BART trains [AP News]

• REPORT: COVID Leading Cause Of Work-Related Deaths In Washington State [WXL-FM (Portland, OR)]

• South Africa braces for fifth COVID surge, another major Chinese city tracks outbreak [CIDRAP]




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Science and Technology News Roundup

• FBI Searched Data of Millions of Americans Without Warrants [Bloomberg]

• Amazon Stock Erases $184 Billion In Value After Inflation Triggers Unexpected Loss And 'Ugly' Selloff [Forbes]

• Apple to developers: if we deleted your old app, it deserved it [The Verge]

• Ocean life projected to die off in mass extinction if emissions remain high [NBC News]

• Chevron’s profit quadruples in the first quarter as higher oil and gas prices boost operations [CNBC]

• MIT Engineers Created a Portable Device that Zaps Seawater to Make Drinking Water [Yahoo! News]

• Intel CEO now expects chip shortage to last into 2024 [CNBC]

• Singaporean wins $100k prize in challenge to build AI models that detect deepfakes [The Straights Times]

• Free, legally available series/movies on YouTube in a Netlflix-like interface [Lamplight TV]


Podcasts and Long Form Videos
Anything from educational, entertainment, history, current events and technology

It's Like an Onion Stuffed with Peanut Butter - ASRock AMD Radeon RX 6500 XT Review | Level 1 Techs



Beam Me a Recharge, Scotty - DTNS 4264 | Daily TechNews Show



Schelling Points for Alien Contact | Cool Worlds



Raptor Vacuum Thrust Simulators Assembled for Starship Testing | SpaceX Boca Chica



Deep Space Update 04-29-2022 | Scott Manley






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Russo-Ukrainian War Videos (mostly long form)

--> Real Reason Russia Gave Crimea to Ukraine | Infographics



Russia-Ukraine War: Russia Admits Striking Ukraine's Kyiv During UN Chief's Visit



Why the Russian Army T-72 Tank is Worse Than You Think | Task and Purpose







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On This Day

April 30 is the 120th day of the year (121st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar; 245 days remain until the end of the year.

Historical Events



Historical Events

(Please note that the Wikipedia articles often contain a bibliography and links to where you can learn more about a historical event)





311 – The Diocletianic Persecution of Christians in the Roman Empire ends.
1315 – Enguerrand de Marigny is hanged at the instigation of Charles, Count of Valois.
1492 – Spain gives Christopher Columbus his commission of exploration. He is named admiral of the ocean sea, viceroy and governor of any territory he discovers.
1513 – Edmund de la Pole, Yorkist pretender to the English throne, is executed on the orders of Henry VIII.
1557 – Mapuche leader Lautaro is killed by Spanish forces at the Battle of Mataquito in Chile.
1598 – Juan de Oñate begins the conquest of Santa Fe de Nuevo México.
1598 – Henry IV of France issues the Edict of Nantes, allowing freedom of religion to the Huguenots.
1636 – Eighty Years' War: Dutch Republic forces recapture a strategically important fort from Spain after a nine-month siege.
1789 – On the balcony of Federal Hall on Wall Street in New York City, George Washington takes the oath of office to become the first elected President of the United States.
1803 – Louisiana Purchase: The United States purchases the Louisiana Territory from France for $15 million, more than doubling the size of the young nation.
1812 – The Territory of Orleans becomes the 18th U.S. state under the name Louisiana.
1838 – Nicaragua declares independence from the Central American Federation.
1863 – A 65-man French Foreign Legion infantry patrol fights a force of nearly 2,000 Mexican soldiers to nearly the last man in Hacienda Camarón, Mexico.
1871 – The Camp Grant massacre takes place in Arizona Territory.
1885 – Governor of New York David B. Hill signs legislation creating the Niagara Reservation, New York's first state park, ensuring that Niagara Falls will not be devoted solely to industrial and commercial use.
1897 – J. J. Thomson of the Cavendish Laboratory announces his discovery of the electron as a subatomic particle, over 1,800 times smaller than a proton (in the atomic nucleus), at a lecture at the Royal Institution in London.[2]
1900 – Hawaii becomes a territory of the United States, with Sanford B. Dole as governor.
1905 – Albert Einstein completes his doctoral thesis at the University of Zurich.
1925 – Automaker Dodge Brothers, Inc is sold to Dillon, Read & Co. for US$146 million plus $50 million for charity.
1927 – The Federal Industrial Institute for Women opens in Alderson, West Virginia, as the first women's federal prison in the United States.
1937 – The Commonwealth of the Philippines holds a plebiscite for Filipino women on whether they should be extended the right to suffrage; over 90% would vote in the affirmative.
1939 – The 1939–40 New York World's Fair opens.
1939 – NBC inaugurates its regularly scheduled television service in New York City, broadcasting President Franklin D. Roosevelt's N.Y. World's Fair opening day ceremonial address.
1943 – World War II: The British submarine HMS Seraph surfaces near Huelva to cast adrift a dead man dressed as a courier and carrying false invasion plans.
1945 – World War II: Führerbunker: Adolf Hitler and Eva Braun commit suicide after being married for less than 40 hours. Soviet soldiers raise the Victory Banner over the Reichstag building.
1945 – World War II: Stalag Luft I prisoner-of-war camp near Barth, Germany is liberated by Soviet soldiers, freeing nearly 9000 American and British airmen.
1947 – In Nevada, Boulder Dam is renamed Hoover Dam.
1948 – In Bogotá, Colombia, the Organization of American States is established.
1956 – Former Vice President and Democratic Senator Alben Barkley dies during a speech in Virginia.
1957 – Supplementary Convention on the Abolition of Slavery entered into force.
1961 – K-19, the first Soviet nuclear submarine equipped with nuclear missiles, is commissioned.
1963 – The Bristol Bus Boycott is held in Bristol to protest the Bristol Omnibus Company's refusal to employ Black or Asian bus crews, drawing national attention to racial discrimination in the United Kingdom.
1973 – Watergate scandal: U.S. President Richard Nixon announces that White House Counsel John Dean has been fired and that other top aides, most notably H. R. Haldeman and John Ehrlichman, have resigned.
1975 – Fall of Saigon: Communist forces gain control of Saigon. The Vietnam War formally ends with the unconditional surrender of South Vietnamese president Dương Văn Minh.
1980 – Beatrix is inaugurated as Queen of the Netherlands following the abdication of Juliana.
1980 – The Iranian Embassy siege begins in London.
1982 – The Bijon Setu massacre occurs in Calcutta, India.
1993 – CERN announces World Wide Web protocols will be free.
1994 – Formula One racing driver Roland Ratzenberger is killed in a crash during the qualifying session of the San Marino Grand Prix run at Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari outside Imola, Italy.
1999 – Neo-Nazi David Copeland carries out the last of his three nail bombings in London at the Admiral Duncan gay pub, killing three people and injuring 79 others.[3]
2000 – Canonization of Faustina Kowalska in the presence of 200,000 people and the first Divine Mercy Sunday celebrated worldwide.
2004 – U.S. media release graphic photos of American soldiers committing war crimes against Iraqi prisoners at Abu Ghraib prison.
2008 – Two skeletal remains found near Yekaterinburg, Russia are confirmed by Russian scientists to be the remains of Alexei and Anastasia, two of the children of the last Tsar of Russia, whose entire family was executed at Yekaterinburg by the Bolsheviks.
2009 – Chrysler files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.
2009 – Seven civilians and the perpetrator are killed and another ten injured at a Queen's Day parade in Apeldoorn, Netherlands in an attempted assassination on Queen Beatrix.
2012 – An overloaded ferry capsizes on the Brahmaputra River in India killing at least 103 people.
2013 – Willem-Alexander is inaugurated as King of the Netherlands following the abdication of Beatrix.
2014 – A bomb blast in Ürümqi, China kills three people and injures 79 others.
2021 – Forty-five men and boys are killed in the Meron stampede in Israel.





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Support Macon Media

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.



Become a Patron!



Or, if you prefer Pay Pal, try PayPal.me/MaconMedia


Published at 5:15am on Saturday, April 30, 2022
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

Friday, April 29, 2022

News and Weather Briefing for Friday, April 29, 2022



Here is an index to assist you in moving from section to section within the article.

Back to Top
Weather
Hazards and Tropical Weather
Almanac
Macon Calendar
Local and StateNews
Russo-UKrainian War Updates
National News Roundup
COVID-19 News and Updates
Science and Technology
Russo-Ukrainian War Videos (mostly long form)
On This Day
Support Macon Media


OUTLOOK

Dry high pressure will continue to move off the East Coast through tonight. An active weather pattern begins this weekend with a series of low pressure systems crossing the Mississippi and Ohio River Valleys through much of next week. This will give our region chances of showers and thunderstorms for several days.


---BEGIN SPONSOR SEGMENT---



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 next project.



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Local Weather

General Forecast Through Sunday Night





Franklin Area

Today

Partly sunny, with highs in the low-to-mid 70s. Calm winds in the morning increasing to come out of the south around 5 mph in the afternoon.

Tonight

Partly cloudy, with lows around 50. Calm winds.

Saturday

A slight chance of rain before noon, then a chance of showers between noon and 2pm, then a chance of showers and thunderstorms after 2pm. Partly sunny, with highs in the mid 70s. Calm winds in the morning increasing to come out of the southwest 5 to 10 mph in the afternoon. Chance of rain is 30%. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.

Saturday Night

A chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with lows in the mid 50s. Light winds out of the southeast. Chance of rain is 30%.

Sunday

A chance of showers, then showers and possibly a thunderstorm after 11am. Highs in the mid 70s. Chance of rain is 80%.

Sunday Night

Showers with drizzle likely before midnight, then a chance of drizzle between midnight and 2am. Lows in the lower 50s. Chance of rain is 80%.

Highlands Plateau

Today

Mostly sunny, with highs in the mid 60s. Winds out of the south 3 to 8 mph.

Tonight

Partly cloudy, with lows around 50. Calm winds becoming south southeast around 5 mph.

Saturday

A slight chance of rain before 11am, then a chance of showers between 11am and 2pm, then a chance of showers and thunderstorms after 2pm. Partly sunny, with highs in the mid 60s. Winds out of the southwest 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain is 30%. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.

Saturday Night

A chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with lows in the low-to-mid 50s. WInds out of the south around 5 mph. Chance of rain is 40%.

Sunday

A chance of showers, then showers and possibly a thunderstorm after 11am. Highs in the mid 60d. Chance of rain is 80%.

Sunday Night

Showers, mainly before 9pm. Lows around 50. Chance of rain is 80%.

Otto and South Central Macon County

Today

Mostly sunny, with highs in the lower 70s. Calm winds in the morning increasing to come out of the south around 5 mph in the afternoon.

Tonight

Partly cloudy, with lows around 50. Calm winds.

Saturday

A chance of showers, with thunderstorms also possible after 2pm. Partly sunny, with highs in the mid 70s. Calm winds early in the morning increasing to come out of the southwest 5 to 10 mph by midmorning. Chance of rain is 30%. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.

Saturday Night

A chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with lows in the mid 50s. Winds out of the southeast around 5 mph becoming calm before midnight. Chance of rain is 40%.

Sunday

A chance of showers, then showers and possibly a thunderstorm after 11am. Highs in the low-to-mid 70s. Chance of rain is 80%.

Sunday Night

Showers, mainly before 9pm. Lows in the low-to-mid 50s. Chance of rain is 80%.

Nantahala Area

Today

Mostly sunny, with highs near 70. Calm winds in the morning increasing to come out of the southwest around 5 mph in the afternoon.

Tonight

Partly cloudy, with lows in the lower 50s. Calm winds.

Saturday

A slight chance of rain before noon, then a chance of showers between noon and 2pm, then a chance of showers and thunderstorms after 2pm. Partly sunny, with highs in the lower 70s. Calm winds in the morning increasing to come out of the south around 5 mph in the afternoon. Chance of rain is 30%. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.

Saturday Night

A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with lows in the mid-to-upper 50s. Winds out of the southeast 3 to 5 mph.

Sunday

Showers and thunderstorms likely, then showers and possibly a thunderstorm after 11am. Highs near 70. Chance of rain is 90%.

Sunday Night

Showers likely, mainly before 9pm. Partly cloudy, with lows in the mid 50s. Chance of rain is 60%.







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Hazards and Tropical Weather



Hazardous weather is not expected today or tonight.






Back to Top
Almanac

24 Hour Smoke Forecast

Below is the High Resolution Rapid Refresh from NOAA National Centers for Environmental Prediction for our area. It runs from 2am EDT today to 1pm EDT this afternoon.















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 middle range of yellow .

Fire and Smoke Map




Local Air Monitor



Pollen

Pollen levels are expected to be in the medium-high range (9.1 out of 12) today with Oak, Beech, and Birch being the main culprits. Tomorrow is expected to be in the medium-high range (8.1 out of 12).




Record Weather Events for April 29th

Record weather events for this date in Macon County
(1872-2016)

Highest Temperature 88°F at the Coweeta Experimental Station in 1986
Lowest Temperature 23°F in Highlands in 1928
Greatest Rainfall 2.96 inches at the Coweeta Experimental Station in 1958
Greatest Snowfall 0.1 inches in Highlands in 1928


Record weather events for March in Macon County

Weather Extremes for Macon County for the month of April Data available from 1873 to 2018 Highest Temperature 91°F in Franklin on 04-26-1986
Lowest Temperature 13°F in Highlands on 04-01-1987
Greatest Rainfall 7.00 inches in Highlands on 04-07-1895
Greatest Snowfall 9.5 inches in Franklin on 04-04-1987

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

• Leandro case judge says NC schools are due $785M but nixes funds transfer to pay for it [WRAL-TV (Raleigh, NC)]

• GOPAC Election Fund Releases Analysis on NC-11 Republican Primary [GOPAC Election Fund]

• Why NC is involved with Spring Lake’s finances [Carolina Public Press]

• Fire closes portion of Blue Ridge Parkway near Pisgah Inn; 172 acres burning [WLOS-TV (Asheville, NC)]

• Swain commissioners oppose Smokies parking fee [Smoky Mountain News]

• Macon County Board of Commissioners - April 2022 Regular Meeting [Macon Media]

• Interactive map: average date of last spring freeze across the United States [Climate.gov]


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Special Section: Russo-Ukrainian War Updates
(sharing of a particular source is not an endorsement)
(Longer videos are in the Russo-Ukraine Videos section)



• Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, April 29 [Institute for the Study of War] [PDF]

• Ukraine Invasion Update #24, (04-22-2022) [Institute for the Study of War] [PDF]

Russia Advances in East Ukraine, Combat Footage (FNN Live) | Funker530



Ukraine: Putin warns of fast response to intervention | DW News



Interview from Hell: Rubizhne, Donbas | Operator Starsky



JOMINI OF THE WEST MAP (April 29th)





• Russia-Ukraine war latest: Former NATO commander warns that West must gear up for war [Yahoo! News]

• Ukraine: German lawmakers overwhelmingly approve heavy weapons deliveries [DW News]

• Air attacks hit near UN chief as Antonio Guterres visits Ukraine [Al Jazeera]

• Moldova urges calm, boosts security after Transnistria blasts [France 24]

• Biden proposes $33bn to help Ukraine in war [BBC News]

• Ukraine war: Thousands of UK troops to be sent to Europe in bid to combat Russian aggression [Sky News]


News from Russian or pro-Russian outlets or Video About the Russian Perspective

• Kremlin accuses Britain of ‘threatening’ European security [Russia Today]

• Romania's military convoys travel towards Moldova-Ukraine border [Pravda ]

• US Ambassador Sullivan slams Lavrov’s recent statement as ‘nuclear blackmail’ [TASS Russian News Agency]

The Ukraine War From Russia's Perspective




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National and World News Roundup

• Heat wave scorches India’s wheat crop, snags export plans [AP News]

• White House seeks $500 million for farmers to grow more wheat, pay for market loans [Reuters via Yahoo! News]

• FDA moves to ban menthol cigarettes, flavored cigars [Courthouse News Service]

• Derek Chauvin appeals murder conviction for killing George Floyd [CBS News]

• Trevor Reed's parents to David Muir: 'He looked horrible ... we started crying' [ABC News]

4/28/22: Press Briefing by Press Secretary Jen Psaki | White House



President Biden Delivers Remarks on Ukraine | White House



Global National: April 28, 2022 | Missiles strike Kyiv after UN chief visits over war crimes



NBC Nightly News Full Broadcast - April 28th, 2022


PBS NewsHour Full Episode April 28th, 2022




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COVID-19 News and Updates

Here is a section on COVID-19. It includes 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 5:22pm CEST, 25 April 2022, there have been 507,501,771 confirmed cases of COVID-19, including 6,220,390 deaths, reported to WHO. As of 18 April 2022, a total of 11,324,805,837 vaccine doses have been administered.
In United States of America, from 3 January 2020 to 5:22pm CEST, 25 April 2022, there have been 80,174,978 confirmed cases of COVID-19 with 983,872 deaths, reported to WHO. As of 15 April 2022, a total of 552,480,933 vaccine doses have been administered.

• COVID-19 vaccines provide better protection against related pneumonia than previous symptomatic infection [International Journal of Infectious Diseases]

• Moderna Files for Authorization of its COVID-19 Vaccine in Young Children Six Months to Under Five Years of Age [Moderna]

• Measles cases surge nearly 80% in wake of Covid chaos, with fears other diseases could follow [The Guardian]

• Are We in the Middle of an Invisible COVID Wave? [The Atlantic]

• L.A. coronavirus cases up 40% in one week; hospitalizations rising, too [Los Angeles Times]

• Beijing halts weddings and funerals and closes schools in Covid fightback [The Guardian]




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Science and Technology News Roundup

• Fossils found high in Swiss Alps may be of largest animal ever [Courthouse News Service]

• Researchers find Amazon uses Alexa voice data to target you with ads [The Verge]

• 64% of workers would consider quitting if asked to return to the office full-time [CNBC]

• Improving Weather Data Using High-Altitude Balloons [NASA]

• Two-inch diamond wafers could store a billion Blu-Ray's worth of data [New Atlas]

• Twitter admits overstating audience figures for 3 years [Financial Times]

• Musk sells $4B in Tesla shares, presumably for Twitter deal [AP News]

• Ford Motor loses $3.1 billion due to chip shortage and Rivian [CBS News]

• Physicists make ‘impossible’ superconductor discovery that could make computers hundreds of times faster [Independent]

• Free, legally available series/movies on YouTube in a Netlflix-like interface [Lamplight TV]


Podcasts and Long Form Videos
Anything from educational, entertainment, history, current events and technology

It's Like an Onion Stuffed with Peanut Butter - ASRock AMD Radeon RX 6500 XT Review | Level 1 Techs



Beam Me a Recharge, Scotty - DTNS 4264 | Daily TechNews Show



Ice Age Giants at Brookfield Zoo - Giant Animatronic Creatures - Plus Mold-a-Ramas



Rocket Engine Cycles: How do you power a rocket engine? | Everyday Astronaut



Linux Action News 238 | Jupiter Broadcasting



There's Gotta Be a Better Way - Android 13 Beta 1, Upside Down Cake, Pixel Watch AMA, Google Wallet



Ship QD With Updated Design Delivered to Launch Site and Installed | Starship Boca Chica






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Russo-Ukrainian War Videos (mostly long form)

--> Putin threatens west over Ukraine 'interference' | DW News



This Map Helps Explain Why the Russia-Ukraine War Hasn’t Ended



How the Czech Republic is supporting Ukraine's fight against Russia



Putin can't resist interfering in the military planning' | James Heappey







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On This Day

April 29 is the 119th day of the year (120th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar; 246 days remain until the end of the year.

Historical Events



Historical Events

(Please note that the Wikipedia articles often contain a bibliography and links to where you can learn more about a historical event)





1091 – Battle of Levounion: The Pechenegs are defeated by Byzantine Emperor Alexios I Komnenos.
1386 – Battle of the Vikhra River: The Principality of Smolensk is defeated by the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and becomes its vassal.
1429 – Joan of Arc arrives to relieve the Siege of Orléans.
1483 – Gran Canaria, the main island of the Canary Islands, is conquered by the Kingdom of Castile.
1521 – Swedish War of Liberation: Swedish troops defeat a Danish force in the Battle of Västerås.
1624 – French king Louis XIII names Cardinal Richelieu chief minister of France.
1760 – French forces commence the siege of Quebec which is held by the British.
1770 – James Cook arrives in Australia at Botany Bay, which he names.
1781 – American Revolutionary War: British and French ships clash in the Battle of Fort Royal off the coast of Martinique.
1826 – The galaxy Centaurus A or NGC 5128 is discovered by James Dunlop.
1852 – Roget's Thesaurus, created by Peter Roget, was released to the public.
1861 – Maryland in the American Civil War: Maryland's House of Delegates votes not to secede from the Union.
1862 – American Civil War: The Capture of New Orleans by Union forces under David Farragut.
1864 – Theta Xi fraternity is founded at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, the only fraternity to be founded during the American Civil War.
1903 – A landslide kills 70 people in Frank, in the District of Alberta, Canada.
1910 – The Parliament of the United Kingdom passes the People's Budget, the first budget in British history with the expressed intent of redistributing wealth among the British public.
1911 – Tsinghua University, one of mainland China's leading universities, is founded.
1916 – World War I: The UK's 6th Indian Division surrenders to Ottoman Forces at the Siege of Kut in one of the largest surrenders of British forces up to that point.
1916 – Easter Rising: After six days of fighting, Irish rebel leaders surrender to British forces in Dublin, bringing the Easter Rising to an end.
1944 – World War II: New Zealand-born SOE agent Nancy Wake, a leading figure in the French Resistance and the Gestapo's most wanted person, parachutes back into France to be a liaison between London and the local maquis group.
1945 – World War II: The Surrender of Caserta is signed by the commander of German forces in Italy.
1945 – World War II: Airdrops of food begin over German-occupied regions of the Netherlands.
1945 – World War II: HMS Goodall (K479) is torpedoed by U-286 outside the Kola Inlet, becoming the last Royal Navy ship to be sunk in the European theatre of World War II.
1945 – World War II: Führerbunker: Adolf Hitler marries his longtime partner Eva Braun in a Berlin bunker and designates Admiral Karl Dönitz as his successor; Hitler and Braun both commit suicide the following day.
1945 – Dachau concentration camp is liberated by United States troops.
1945 – The Italian commune of Fornovo di Taro is liberated from German forces by Brazilian forces.
1946 – The International Military Tribunal for the Far East convenes and indicts former Prime Minister of Japan Hideki Tojo and 28 former Japanese leaders for war crimes.
1951 – Tibetan delegates arrive in Beijing and sign a Seventeen Point Agreement for Chinese sovereignty and Tibetan autonomy.
1953 – The first U.S. experimental 3D television broadcast shows an episode of Space Patrol on Los Angeles ABC affiliate KECA-TV.
1965 – Pakistan's Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (SUPARCO) successfully launches its seventh rocket in its Rehber series.
1967 – After refusing induction into the United States Army the previous day, Muhammad Ali is stripped of his boxing title.
1968 – The controversial musical Hair, a product of the hippie counter-culture and sexual revolution of the 1960s, opens at the Biltmore Theatre on Broadway, with some of its songs becoming anthems of the anti-Vietnam War movement.
1970 – Vietnam War: United States and South Vietnamese forces invade Cambodia to hunt Viet Cong.
1974 – Watergate scandal: United States President Richard Nixon announces the release of edited transcripts of White House tape recordings relating to the scandal.
1975 – Vietnam War: Operation Frequent Wind: The U.S. begins to evacuate U.S. citizens from Saigon before an expected North Vietnamese takeover. U.S. involvement in the war comes to an end.
1975 – Vietnam War: The North Vietnamese army completes its capture of all parts of South Vietnamese-held Trường Sa Islands.
1986 – A fire at the Central library of the City of Los Angeles Public Library damages or destroys 400,000 books and other items.
1986 – The United States Navy aircraft carrier USS Enterprise becomes the first nuclear-powered aircraft carrier to transit the Suez Canal, navigating from the Red Sea to the Mediterranean Sea to relieve the USS Coral Sea.
1986 – Chernobyl disaster: American and European spy satellites capture the ruins of the 4th Reactor at the Chernobyl Power Plant.
1991 – A cyclone strikes the Chittagong district of southeastern Bangladesh with winds of around 155 miles per hour (249 km/h), killing at least 138,000 people and leaving as many as ten million homeless.
1991 – The 7.0 Mw  Racha earthquake affects Georgia with a maximum MSK intensity of IX (Destructive), killing 270 people.
1992 – Riots in Los Angeles, following the acquittal of police officers charged with excessive force in the beating of Rodney King. Over the next three days 63 people are killed and hundreds of buildings are destroyed.
1997 – The Chemical Weapons Convention of 1993 enters into force, outlawing the production, stockpiling and use of chemical weapons by its signatories.
2004 – The final Oldsmobile is built in Lansing, Michigan, ending 107 years of vehicle production.
2011 – The Wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton takes place at Westminster Abbey in London.
2013 – A powerful explosion occurs in an office building in Prague, believed to have been caused by natural gas, and injures 43 people.
2013 – National Airlines Flight 102, a Boeing 747-400 freighter aircraft, crashes during takeoff from Bagram Airfield in Parwan Province, Afghanistan, killing seven people.
2015 – A baseball game between the Baltimore Orioles and the Chicago White Sox sets the all-time low attendance mark for Major League Baseball. Zero fans were in attendance for the game, as the stadium was officially closed to the public due to the 2015 Baltimore protests.
2019 - Indonesia plans to relocate its capital from Jakarta due to the city sinking, according to a government minister
2019 - Over 700 people infected with measles in the US, highest number for 25 years
2020 - World record for the longest single lightning flash of 477miles (768km) across US states of Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi according to World Meteorological Organization
2021 - Brazil's official COVID-19 death toll passes 400,000, with daily fatalities at 3,000, down from 4,000





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Published at 5:00am on Friday, April 29, 2022
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