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Friday, March 3, 2023

LIVEBLOG: Severe Weather Event on Friday, March 3rd, 2023



OPEN THREAD - SEVERE WEATHER
Friday, March 03, 2023
2:00pm

Skip to updates, which will be posted in reverse chronological order [STORM UPDATES]
A strong cold front that has produced a line of severe storms are approaching Macon County from the west. The line is accompanied by high wind gusts that are often exceeding 60 mph and torrential rainfall exceeding 4 inches per hour. Expect multiple power outages this afternoon when the storms pass through sometime between 3pm and 6pm.

Please use caution and stay off the roads while this line of storms passes and give the NCDOT, Duke Energy, the Town of Franklin and Highlands Work Crews, and Haywood EMC time to restore service. Unless it is to escape hazardous conditions, please consider staying put tonight. Roadways will likely be filled with limbs, powerlines and other debris. If you see a wire down in the roadway or elsewhere, please do not attempt to move it. Call 911 to report it. Do not touch a power line or anything in contact with it, and keep others away until help arrives.

Use the comments in this thread to keep one another updated on conditions in your area or to ask about conditions. Please be kind to one another.

Duke Energy Customers

Report your outage by texting OUT to 57801, report online or call 800.POWERON (800.769.3766)

Haywood EMC Customers call 828-452-2281 or toll-free at 1-800-951-6088 to report an outage at 828-452-2281 or toll-free at 1-800-951-6088

WEATHER SPONSOR 
Adams, an Old Castle Company http://facebook.com/Adams.Oldcastle.Franklin.NC

DAY SPONSOR 
Franklin Office Supply 
FranklinOfficeSupply.com

STORM SPONSOR 
Young Tree Service 
 YoungTreeService.com 828-421-0967


A mirror of this post is on Facebook via the embed below:




STORM UPDATES



4.40am on Saturday

Real-time coverage of this event has been concluded. When the legacy media outlets post stories online about this event, links to their articles will be added. --Bobby

******************
3.20am [Facebook]

POWER OUTAGE REPORT
03-04-2023
3.20am

MACON 
Active Outages...83
Customers Without Power...2208
Estimated Time of Restoration...Assessment underway

JACKSON 
Active Outages...51
Customers Without Power...751
Estimated Time of Restoration...Assessment underway

SWAIN
Active Outages...7
Customers Without Power...266
Estimated Time of Restoration...Assessment underway

DUKE ENERGY 
Active Power Outages:507
Total Customers Without Power:10,936
NC - Customers Without Power:10,091
SC - Customers Without Power:845

HAYWOOD EMC
0 Customers in Macon County
176 out in Haywood County
21 in Jackson County
Active Power Outages:27
Total Customers Without Power:203

*********************
6.50pm [Facebook]

OPEN THREAD - SEVERE WEATHER AFTERMATH THREAD
Friday, March 03, 2023
6.50pm

I am not feeling well and will be unable to continue covering this storm and its aftermath, so here is another open thread for you guys and gals to keep each other in the loop as to what you are seeing and hearing.

A strong cold front produced a line of severe storms that swept thrpugh Macpon County this afternoon. The line was accompanied by high wind gusts,torrential rainfall, hail, and lightning. Expect multiple power outages this afternoon when the storms pass through sometime between 3pm and 6pm.

Please use caution and stay off the roads while this line of storms passes and give the NCDOT, Duke Energy, the Town of Franklin and Highlands Work Crews, and Haywood EMC time to restore service. Unless it is to escape hazardous conditions, please consider staying put tonight. Roadways will likely be filled with limbs, powerlines and other debris. If you see a wire down in the roadway or elsewhere, please do not attempt to move it. Call 911 to report it. Do not touch a power line or anything in contact with it, and keep others away until help arrives.

Use the comments in this thread to keep one another updated on conditions in your area or to ask about conditions. Please be kind to one another. 

STORM SPONSOR
Young Tree Service
YoungTreeService.com

Duke Energy Customers
Report your outage by texting OUT to 57801, report online or call 800.POWERON (800.769.3766)

Haywood EMC Customers call 828-452-2281 or toll-free at 1-800-951-6088 to report an outage.
at 828-452-2281 or toll-free at 1-800-951-6088

POWER OUTAGE REPORT
03-03-2023
5.00pm

MACON 
Active Outages...94
Customers Without Power...6656
Estimated Time of Restoration...Assessment underway

JACKSON 
Active Outages...70
Customers Without Power...1602
Estimated Time of Restoration...Assessment underway

SWAIN
Active Outages...11
Customers Without Power...157
Estimated Time of Restoration...Assessment underway

DUKE ENERGY 
Active Power Outages:494
Total Customers Without Power:16,358
NC - Customers Without Power:15,889
SC - Customers Without Power:469

HAYWOOD EMC
352 Customers in Macon County
1089 out in Haywood County
896 in Jackson County
Active Power Outages:42
Total Customers Without Power:2463

*********************
6.42pm [Facebook]

A tree is reported to be down near 800 Teague Road. It is in a difficult-to-see position. Clarks Chapel VFD is responding.
Please use caution in the area for the next couple of hours or so.

****************
6.39pm [Facebook]

Two simultaneous calls 

Call 1 
There is a report of a tree down on a powerline near 400 Noah Gison Road. The powerline is sparking. Franklin VFD is responding.
Please use caution in the area for the next couple of hours or so.

Call 2
A tree is down on some powerlines and sparks are present near 200 Deal Road. Franklin VFD is responding.

***********************
6.16pm [Facebook]

Tree down on a car near 1350 Clarks Chapel Road. The entire roadway is blocked. This is near the intersection with Dowdle Mountain Road. No injuries.
Clarks Chapel VFD is responding.

Please reroute around this location for the next hour or two.

*********************
5.23pm

CORRECTION. The rain is over. The wind is still blowing and a Wind Advisory will be in effect until 7am in the morning, We are not out of the woods yet.

*****************


5.06pm

The storm is almost over. The line is just to the east of Franklin stretching from the southwest to the northeast. Only the Highlands Plateau has severe weather remaining. It should be past in ten minutes or so for those in that area.






***********************
POWER OUTAGE REPORT
03-03-2023
5.00pm

MACON 

Active Outages...95
Customers Without Power...5794
Estimated Time of Restoration...Assessment underway

JACKSON 

Active Outages...44
Customers Without Power...579
Estimated Time of Restoration...Assessment underway

SWAIN

Active Outages...15
Customers Without Power...757
Estimated Time of Restoration...Assessment underway

DUKE ENERGY 
Active Power Outages:455
Total Customers Without Power:17,836
NC - Customers Without Power:12,621
SC - Customers Without Power:5,215

HAYWOOD EMC
233 Customers in Macon County
250 out in Haywood County
729 in Jackson County
Active Power Outages:13
Total Customers Without Power:2064

**************************
4.55pm

A reader reported (at 4.26pm) a large tree down on Fulton Road. The road was blocked.

**********
4.51PM





BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED 
Severe Thunderstorm Warning 
National Weather Service Greenville-Spartanburg SC 
418 PM EST Fri Mar 3 2023

The National Weather Service in Greenville-Spartanburg has issued a

* Severe Thunderstorm Warning for... Habersham County in northeastern Georgia... Rabun County in northeastern Georgia...

* Until 515 PM EST.

* At 417 PM EST, severe thunderstorms were located along a line extending from 3 miles northwest of Hiawassee to 11 miles north of Dahlonega to 6 miles west of Dawsonville, moving east at 40 mph.

 HAZARD...60 mph wind gusts.

 SOURCE...Radar indicated.

 IMPACT...Expect damage to trees and power lines.

* Locations impacted include... Clayton, Clarkesville, Cornelia, Baldwin, Demorest, Alto, Mountain City, Tiger, Dillard and Sky Valley.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

A Tornado Watch remains in effect until 800 PM EST for northeastern Georgia...western North Carolina...and Upstate South Carolina.

Remain alert for a possible tornado! Tornadoes can develop quickly from severe thunderstorms. If you spot a tornado go at once into the basement or small central room in a sturdy structure.

A few trees and power lines will be blown down in the warned area. Storms will be accompanied by brief heavy rainfall, and little or no lightning. Seek shelter inside an interior room.

Please report damaging winds, hail, or flooding to the National Weather Service by calling toll free, 1, 800, 2 6 7, 8 1 0 1, or by posting on our Facebook page, or Tweet it using hashtag nwsgsp. Your message should describe the event and the specific location where it occurred.


***************************
4.40pm 

There is a report of a tree on a vehicle near 1200 Walnut Creek Road. A firefighter is on the scene and requesting assistance with traffic control. Cullasaja-Gorge VFD is responding


Photo ©2023 by Ellen Agee and used with permission.


*********************
4.39pm

Here is a look at that last cluster of lightning strikes!




*****************************
4.35pm 

An area of intense rain and heavy winds is about to come into Macon County from the southwest. Rain is falling at a rate of over 4 inches in this cell and it is moving to the northeast at 106 knots (121 mph). Winds are gusting up to 70 mph in this region, so please stay inside and seek shelter in the most sturdy portion of your home. Hail up to half an inch is also associated with this cell.




*************
4.26pm Readers have been reporting a tree down and waterline break at Yonder. Here is the post:
 

*************************
3.57pm

Some of these storm cells are traveling over 100 mph.

This one in southwest Macon County is traveling from the southwest to the northeast at 89 knots, or 102.419mph!!!




**********************
3.46pm

Most of the outages in Macon County are on the Highlands Plateau near Highlands and Cashiers. Over 6,000 Duke Energy and Haywood EMC customers are without electrical service right now.

*********************
POWER OUTAGE REPORT
03-03-2023
3.40pm

MACON 

Active Outages...28
Customers Without Power...2907
Estimated Time of Restoration...Assessment underway

JACKSON 

Active Outages...12
Customers Without Power...4339
Estimated Time of Restoration...Assessment underway

SWAIN

Active Outages...7
Customers Without Power...389
Estimated Time of Restoration...Assessment underway

DUKE ENERGY 
Active Power Outages:152
Total Customers Without Power:15,516
NC - Customers Without Power:10,357
SC - Customers Without Power:5,159

HAYWOOD EMC
69 Customers in Macon County
1115 out in Haywood County
874 in Jackson County
Active Power Outages:12
Total Customers Without Power:1785


*****************************

3.40pm

Live Transformer in the Roadway near Pete McCoy Road and Clarks Chapel Road. Clarks Chapel VFD responding.

If you're crazy enough to be out and about in this storm, avoid this location for the next several hours. 


*********************************

URGENT - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED 
Tornado Watch Number 63 
NWS Storm Prediction Center Norman OK 
240 PM EST Fri Mar 3 2023

 The NWS Storm Prediction Center has issued a

 * Tornado Watch for portions of North Georgia Western North Carolina Western South Carolina Eastern Tennessee Far southwest Virginia

 * Effective this Friday afternoon and evening from 240 PM until 800 PM EST.

 * Primary threats include... A few tornadoes and a couple intense tornadoes possible Scattered damaging winds likely with isolated significant gusts to 75 mph possible

 SUMMARY...A long-lived QLCS should continue to progress rapidly east across the southern Appalachians vicinity through early evening. Damaging winds and embedded tornadoes will be possible.

 The tornado watch area is approximately along and 60 statute miles east and west of a line from 35 miles north northeast of Bristol TN to 30 miles southwest of Athens GA. For a complete depiction of the watch see the associated watch outline update (WOUS64 KWNS WOU3).

 PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

 REMEMBER...A Tornado Watch means conditions are favorable for tornadoes and severe thunderstorms in and close to the watch area. Persons in these areas should be on the lookout for threatening weather conditions and listen for later statements and possible warnings.


3.03pm A Tornado Watch for Macon County has been issued. Will update with details.





***************************
POWER OUTAGE REPORT
03-03-2023
2.50pm

MACON 

Active Outages...11
Customers Without Power...2843
Estimated Time of Restoration...Assessment underway

JACKSON 

Active Outages...6
Customers Without Power...4327
Estimated Time of Restoration...Assessment underway

MACON 

Active Outages...63
Customers Without Power...260
Estimated Time of Restoration...Assessment underway

DUKE ENERGY 
Active Power Outages:131
Total Customers Without Power:13,990
NC - Customers Without Power:8,393
SC - Customers Without Power:5,597

HAYWOOD EMC
7 Customers in Macon County
1039 out in Haywood County
Active Power Outages:6
Total Customers Without Power:1060


***************
2.27pm 




over 200,000 in Tennessee are currently without electrical service after the line of storms has passed through 






2.15pm The Storm Prediction Center in Norman, Oklahoma has posted an alert that conditions are probably going to require a Tornado Watch for the area included inside the red area on the above map. The full text of the advisory is posted below:

Mesoscale Discussion 0247
NWS Storm Prediction Center Norman OK
0112 PM CST Fri Mar 03 2023
Areas affected...Eastern Tennessee into parts of northern Georgia
Concerning...Severe potential...Tornado Watch likely
Valid 031912Z - 032045Z
Probability of Watch Issuance...80 percent
SUMMARY...An additional watch will likely be needed for parts of eastern Tennessee and northern Georgia. Despite weaker thermodynamics, strong, veering low-level winds will support a risk for damaging winds and brief tornadoes.
DISCUSSION...A fast moving line of storms will continue eastward through Middle Tennessee and northern Alabama. Strong wind fields continue to be sampled by regional VAD data. Some cloud cover has kept temperatures a bit subdued, particularly in north Georgia. Parts of eastern Tennessee have warmed into the mid 70s F. Between cooler temperatures, decreased moisture, and warmer temperatures aloft (especially with southward extent), the overall thermodynamic environment will likely be weaker than areas to the west. However, storm motion in addition to 50-70 kts within the boundary layer would support a threat for damaging winds even with relatively weak updrafts. Strong low-level shear would also promote some risk for brief tornadoes within the line of storms. A watch for parts of this region will likely be needed this afternoon.


#WNCnews #MaconSafety #MaconWx

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