Daily Weather Briefing for Tuesday, January 31, 2017

Weather Advisories and Warnings Across the USA
NATIONAL OUTLOOK

...Heavy snow possible across the Northern Rockies...

...Snow possible from the Upper Great Lakes into the Northeast...

Low pressure over the Great Lakes will move eastward off New England Coast by Wednesday morning. The system will produce rain and snow over parts of the Ohio Valley that will move to the Mid-Atlantic Coast by Tuesday afternoon while more rain and snow develops over the Ohio Valley by Wednesday morning. The area of rain and snow will, likewise, move to the Mid-Atlantic by Wednesday evening. In addition, snow will develop over parts of the Upper Mississippi Valley/Great Lakes that will expand into parts of the Northeast through Wednesday evening. The snow will wane to lake effect snow over parts of the Great Lakes on Wednesday into Wednesday evening.

Meanwhile, moisture moving inland over parts of the Northwest and upper-level energy will aid in producing rain and higher elevation snow over parts of the Pacific Northwest through Wednesday morning. Additionally, snow will also develop over parts of the Northern Intermountain Region/Northern Rockies that will expand into parts of the Central High Plains on Tuesday into Wednesday evening.




LOCAL OVERVIEW

A warm southerly flow of air will result in much above normal temperatures through mid week. A dry cold front is expected to arrive from the northwest on Thursday dropping temperatures back below-normal Friday through the weekend. A low-pressure system and associated cold front will approach from the west at the end of the weekend with light to moderate precip.


THREE DAY OUTLOOK




Tuesday

Sunny with highs near the lower 60s and winds out of the west 5 to 10 mph, gusting to 20 mph.


Tuesday Night

Partly cloudy with lows near the mid to upper 30s and winds out of the west to 5 mph.




Wednesday

Partly sunny with highs near the lower 60s and calm winds early rising to come from the west 5 to 10 mph in the afternoon.

Wednesday Night

Mostly cloudy with lows near 40 and winds out of the west. 30% chance of rain with rainfall amounts less than a tenth of an inch expected.




Thursday

Mostly sunny with highs near the mid to upper 50 and winds out of the northwest.


Thursday Night

Partly cloudy with lows near the mid 30s.




HAZARDS

No hazardous weather is expected.

As always, you can check to see what advisories, watches and warnings are in effect for Macon County by visiting http://is.gd/MACONWARN



MACON CALENDAR

If you have an event you wish to be added to this calendar, please send the information, along with a flyer of photo, to editor@maconmedia.com
There is no charge for civic, educational or non profit groups.

PRAYERS AGAINST DRUGS

There will be a "Prayers Against Drugs" rally on Friday at 6 pm at the Courthouse Square in downtown Franklin for those who are interested in participating in the spiritual warfare against the epidemic of drug abuse in our community. Read more about it at the blog. [LINK]



Adult Planetarium Programs at the Library
Shows at 2 pm and 6 pm on Thursday, February 9th
For more information, visit the blog.



MARDI GRAS DINNER TO BENEFIT REACH OF MACON COUNTY

A Mardi Gras Dinner to benefit REACH of Macon County will be held at Root + Barrel Kitchen on Main Street on Tuesday, February 28th at 6:30 pm.
Reserved tickets are $75 and open seating is $60.
More information is on the flyer posted here.





Weather Extremes Almanac for January 31, 2017



North Carolina

High Temperature 82ºF in Fayetteville, Cumberland County in 2002
Low Temperature -16ºF in Banner Elk, Avery County in 1966
Greatest One-Day Rainfall 10.50 inches in MOntreat, Yancey County in 1957
Greatest One-Day Snowfall 25.1 inches on Grandfather Mountain, Avery County in 1998

Macon County

High Temperature 78ºF at the Coweeta Experimental Station in 2002
Low Temperature -6ºF iat the Coweeta Experimental Station in 1966
Greatest One-Day Rainfall 3.51 inches at the Coweeta Experimental Station in 2013
Greatest One-Day Snowfall 5.0 inches in Highlands in 1899


Astronomy


Twilight Begins: 7:06 am
Sunrise: 7:33 am
Sunset 6:01 pm
Twilight Ends: 6:28 pm
Day Length: 11 hours 22 minutes

Moon Phase: Waxing Crescent with 15% of the Moon's visible disk illuminated
Moonrise 9:49 am
Moonset 9:58 pm

Observing the Skies

Evening Events and Planets

Chart shows sky at 8:30 pm tonight



Venus and Mars are the bright evening planets.

VENUS
Rises 9:35 am
Sets 9:38 pm
Brightness -4.4 Magnitude
Distance 0.543 AU
Constellation: Pisces

MARS
Rises 9:57 am
Sets 10:00 pm
Brightness 1.1 Magnitude
Distance: 1.847 AU
Constellation: Pisces



Morning Events and Planets

Chart shows sky at 4 am on Wednesday, Feb 1st at 4 am




MERCURY
Rises 6:24 am
Sets 4:10 pm
Brightness 0.0200 AU
Constellation: Sagittarius

SATURN 

Rises 4:32 am
Sets 2:18 pm
Brightness 1.4 Magnitude
Distance: 10.690 AU
Constellation: Ophiuchus

JUPITER
Rises 11:36 pm
Sets 10: 55 am
Brightness -2.0 Magnitude
Distance: 5.057 AU
Constellation: Virgo


Sky Guides for this week (Jan 27- Feb 4)

Sky and Telescope Magazine 
Astronomy Magazine



Earth Sky has an article on the eclipses of 2017. [LINK]

Heavens Above has an Android App that will assist you in observing the sky and even has a satellite tracker that will let you know when the International Space Station and dozens of other satellites are overhead. [LINK]

Stellarium is also an app that will assist you in observing the sky. It is available in both Android [LINK] and iOS versions. [LINK]





CROWD FUNDING OR DAY SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES

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.

If you have a business or event you are interested in sponsorship opportunities or underwriting coverage, send an email to editor@MaconMedia.com for more information. Serious inquiries only.

Thank You to the people who have been sending in donations and those businesses who are underwriting coverage of news and events. You have kept Macon Media online.

You have made it possible for Macon Media to begin purchasing state of the art equipment and begin work on building a real website with features not employed by any local news outlets.

You can find out more information on how to do that and some of what I plan to accomplish if I reach certain levels of funding at >> https://www.patreon.com/MaconMedia

Published at 4:31 am on Jan 31, 2017

#WNCscan #MaconWx #MaconSafety


Be kind to one another.


Data and information sources: Sources (except where otherwise credited): heavens-above.com, National Centers for Environmental Prediction, The National Weather Service, National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration, Penn State University Electronic Wall Map, The State Climate Office of North Carolina, Storm Prediction Center, U.S. Naval Observatory, and the Weather Prediction Center.

Read More

Daily Weather Briefing for Monday, January 30, 2017

Weather Advisories and Warnings Across the

USA
NATIONAL OUTLOOK

...Snow possible from the Upper Midwest and Great Lakes to the Appalachians and Mid-Atlantic...

...High winds possible for portions of the northern plains...

A series of upper-level troughs will bring snow to areas from the Upper Midwest to the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast through Monday. The first upper-level trough will move from the Ohio valley toward the Mid-Atlantic coast tonight, sparking the development of a low pressure system along the Mid-Atlantic coast. A broad area of snow showers is occurring this afternoon across the Great Lakes as well as portions of the Ohio and Tennessee valleys. Snow will begin to spread east across the Appalachians and into the Mid-Atlantic tonight. As the new system begins to organize across the Mid-Atlantic region, a band of moderate snowfall is possible across portions of the Delmarva and southern New Jersey. Snow will come to an end across the Mid-Atlantic Monday morning as the low pressure system pulls away into the Atlantic Ocean. A second fast-moving low pressure system will develop across the northern plains early Monday in response to a vigorous upper-level disturbance. An area of snow will develop in association with this system Monday morning across the Upper Midwest, which will then spread east across the Upper Great Lakes through the day Monday. Additionally, high wind gusts in excess of 60 mph are possible across the northern plains on Monday in the wake of this system. By Monday night into Tuesday, snow associated with this second system is expected to spread into the Lower Great Lakes as well as the Northeast and northern Mid-Atlantic.

Most of the western U.S. will remain dry through the short range as high pressure remains overhead. Late Monday into Tuesday, an upper-level disturbance will move into the Northwest bringing scattered areas of snow, and coastal rain. A colder air mass moving into the northern plains will strengthen a frontal zone across the northern High Plains and northern Rockies, which could serve to enhance snowfall across these areas by Tuesday.

Temperatures on Monday will be 5 to 15 degrees below average across much of the eastern U.S., but will warm to slightly above average for most areas by Tuesday.

Meanwhile, the central U.S. will remain warmer than average through the short range, with temperatures 10 to 20 degrees above normal.



DAY SPONSOR

Carrion Tree Service is underwriting the daily weather briefing and public safety updates for today. they are a fully licensed and insured tree service, specializing in dangerous tree removal, view clearing, pruning, and crane services with a 24 Hour emergency response.

Their phone number is 371-4718. They are located at 120 Depot Street.

They can handle all your tree removal needs in good or bad weather.



LOCAL OVERVIEW

An upper level trough will persist over the eastern part of the country through Monday, keeping temperatures near to slightly below normal. An upper level ridge and relatively warm high pressure builds in from the west for the middle of the week. Then a cold front will drop south into the region on Thursday, bringing cooler temperatures in for next weekend.


THREE DAY OUTLOOK




Monday

Partly sunny with with decreasing clouds with highs near the lower 40s and winds from the northwest around 10 mph.


Monday Night

Mostly clear with lows near the mid to upper 20s. Winds out of the northwest calming before midnight.




Tuesday

Mostly sunny with highs near 60 and variable light winds in the morning shifting to come out of the west 5 to 10 mph in the afternoon.

Tuesday Night

Partly cloudy with lows near the mid 30s and winds out of the west calming before midnight.




Wednesday

Partly sunny with highs near 60.


Wednesday Night

Mostly cloudy with lows near the mid to upper 30s.




HAZARDS

No hazardous weather expected. Overnight snow flurries may leave some of the roads slick. The NCDOT has been out treating the roads, so most of them should be okay, but please exercise caution and drive a little slower this morning on your commute. Less than an inch accumulation in the valleys is expected.

As always, you can check to see what advisories, watches and warnings are in effect for Macon County by visiting http://is.gd/MACONWARN

The National Weather Service has issued a Hazardous Weather Outlook for our area, the full text of which is posted below...

..MONDAY...Winter weather possible. Snow showers are expected to continue into monday morning before tapering off in the afternoon. While accumulations should be confined to the tennessee border counties from the smokies north... The high elevations of Graham...northern Buncombe...And northern Jackson counties could receive 1 to 3 inches of snow... While valley communities in these counties could see a dusting.



MACON CALENDAR

If you have an event you wish to be added to this calendar, please send the information, along with a flyer of photo, to editor@maconmedia.com
There is no charge for civic, educational or non profit groups.

PRAYERS AGAINST DRUGS

There will be a "Prayers Against Drugs" rally on Friday at 6 pm at the Courthouse Square in downtown Franklin for those who are interested in participating in the spiritual warfare against the epidemic of drug abuse in our community. Read more about it at http://thunderpigblog.blogspot.com/2017/01/prayers-against-drugs-rally-scheduled.html





MARDI GRAS DINNER TO BENEFIT REACH OF MACON COUNTY

A Mardi Gras Dinner to benefit REACH of Macon County will be held at Root + Barrel Kitchen on Main Street on Tuesday, February 28th at 6:30 pm.
Reserved tickets are $75 and open seating is $60.
More information is on the flyer posted here.





Weather Extremes Almanac for January 30, 2017



North Carolina

High Temperature 83ºF in High Point, Guilford County in 1947
Low Temperature -26ºF on Grandfather Mountain, Avery County in 1966
Greatest One-Day Rainfall 4.20 inches in Franklin, Macon County in 1875
Greatest One-Day Snowfall 19.8 inches in Harmony, Iredell County in 1905

Macon County

High Temperature 76ºF at the Coweeta Experimental Station in 2002
Low Temperature -14ºF in Highlands in 1966
Greatest One-Day Rainfall 4.20 inches in Franklin, Macon County in 1875
Greatest One-Day Snowfall 3.5 inches in Highlands in 1981


Astronomy


Twilight Begins: 7:07 am
Sunrise: 7:34 am
Sunset 6:00 pm
Twilight Ends: 6:27 pm
Day Length: 11 hours 20 minutes

Moon Phase: Waxing Crescent with 8% of the Moon's visible disk illuminated
Moonrise 9:12 am
Moonset 8:56 pm

Observing the Skies

Evening Events and Planets

Chart shows sky at 8:30 pm

tonight



Venus and Mars are the bright evening planets.

VENUS
Rises 9:38 am
Sets 9:38 pm
Brightness -4.4 Magnitude
Distance 0.550 AU
Constellation: Pisces

MARS
Rises 9:59 am
Sets 10:00 pm
Brightness 1.1 Magnitude
Distance: 1.840 AU
Constellation: Pisces



Morning Events and Planets

Chart shows sky at 4 am on Tuesday, January 31st at 4 am




MERCURY
Rises 6:22 am
Sets 4:08 pm
Brightness 0.0 Magnitude
Distance 1.187 AU
Constellation: Sagittarius

SATURN 

Rises 9:29 am
Sets 2:36 pm
Brightness 1.4 Magnitude
Distance: 10.703 AU
Constellation: Ophiuchus

JUPITER
Rises 11:40 pm
Sets 10:58 am
Brightness -2.0 Magnitude
Distance: 5.072 AU
Constellation: Virgo


Sky Guides for this week (Jan 27- Feb 4)

Sky and Telescope Magazine 
Astronomy Magazine



Earth Sky has an article on the eclipses of 2017. [LINK]

Heavens Above has an Android App that will assist you in observing the sky and even has a satellite tracker that will let you know when the International Space Station and dozens of other satellites are overhead. [LINK]

Stellarium is also an app that will assist you in observing the sky. It is available in both Android [LINK] and iOS versions. [LINK]





CROWD FUNDING OR DAY SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES

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.

If you have a business or event you are interested in sponsorship opportunities or underwriting coverage, send an email to editor@MaconMedia.com for more information. Serious inquiries only.

Thank You to the people who have been sending in donations and those businesses who are underwriting coverage of news and events. You have kept Macon Media online.

You have made it possible for Macon Media to begin purchasing state of the art equipment and begin work on building a real website with features not employed by any local news outlets.

You can find out more information on how to do that and some of what I plan to accomplish if I reach certain levels of funding at >> https://www.patreon.com/MaconMedia

Published at 12:02 am on Jan 30, 2017

#WNCscan #MaconWx #MaconSafety


Be kind to one another.


Data and information sources: Sources (except where otherwise credited): heavens-above.com, National Centers for Environmental Prediction, The National Weather Service, National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration, Penn State University Electronic Wall Map, The State Climate Office of North Carolina, Storm Prediction Center, U.S. Naval Observatory, and the Weather Prediction Center.

Read More

"Prayers Against Drugs" Rally Scheduled for Friday Feb 3rd at the Courthouse Square in Franklin

Attention Prayer Warriors

There will be a "Prayers Against Drugs" rally on Friday at 6 pm at the Courthouse Square in downtown Franklin for those who are interested in participating in the spiritual warfare against the epidemic of drug abuse in our community. More information from the organizers has been added below.



- Place: Courthouse Square
- Date: Friday, February 3, 2017
- Time: 6pm

You are invited to attend the “Prayers Against Drugs" rally on 2/03/17 at the Courthouse square at 6pm. We ate asking for our community to come together in a spiritual welfare against Drug abuse. We look forward to seeing you there.

Psalms 103: 2-4 “Bless the Lord, 0 my soul, and forget not all his benefits;
Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases;
Who redeemeth thy life from destruction;
who crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies;“

More information on the flyer posted below

Read More

Daily Weather Briefing for Sunday January 29, 2017

Weather Advisories and Warnings Across the USA
NATIONAL OUTLOOK

A weak boundary over the Great Lakes will weaken by Monday. The system will produce lake effect/lake enhanced snow over the Great Lakes into parts of Northern New England that will slowly come to an end ahead of the next system by Monday afternoon into evening. In addition, upper-level energy over Middle Mississippi Valley will move eastward off the Mid-Atlantic Coast followed by a second area of upper-level energy from the Upper Great Lakes. The energy will produce snow over the Ohio/Tennessee Valleys and rain over parts of the Tennessee Valley on Sunday morning. Rain and snow from this system will move into parts of the Mid-Atlantic and Central Appalachians through Monday evening.

Meanwhile over Florida, upper-level energy over the Southeast/Eastern Gulf Coast will move off the Florida Coast by Sunday evening. The energy will produce rain over parts of Florida through late Sunday night.

Furthermore, a front moving onshore over the West Coast of Canada will weaken while a new front develops over the Upper/Middle Mississippi Valley into the Central Plains/High Plains on Monday afternoon into evening. The dying boundary will move into the Pacific Northwest that will produce rain over parts of the Northwest Sunday afternoon into late Sunday evening. As the energy associated with the western front moves into the Northern Plains/Upper Mississippi Valley on Monday the new front will develop over the region. The system will produce snow over the Northern Plains/Upper Mississippi Valley on Monday morning that will expand into the Upper Great Lakes by Monday evening.



LOCAL OVERVIEW

A broad upper level trough will persist over the eastern part of the country to start the week keeping temperatures near normal if not slightly below. At the same time, pockets of upper level energy will help generate intermittent snow showers across the western North Carolina mountains into Monday. An upper level ridge and relatively warm high pressure builds in from the west on Tuesday. Accumulations in the valleys should be less than an inch or so, more at elevations above 2500 feet.



THREE DAY OUTLOOK




Sunday

Cloudy with highs near the lower 40s and winds out of the west 5 to 15 mph, gusting to 25 mph or so. 40% chance of precipitation, with a rain/snow mix falling until the afternoon, when it will turn to all rain. Little or no snow accumulation is expected in the valleys where most of us live.


Sunday Night

Mostly cloudy with lows near the low to mid 20s and winds out of the northwest 10 to 15 mph, gusting to 25 mph in the valleys and up to 35 mph on the ridges. 50% chance of snow with accumulations of less than an inch or so in the valleys and perhaps a couple of inches above 2500 feet. Altitudes above 3500 feet couple see up to 3 inches or so overnight. Win d chills will be in the teens at times.




Monday

Mostly sunny with highs near the upper 30s to near 40 and winds out of the northwest 10 to 15 mph, gusting to 25 mph. Wind chills will be below freezing for most of the day.

Monday Night

Partly cloudy with lows near the mid to upper 20s and light winds out of the northwest.




Tuesday

Mostly sunny with highs near the mid to upper 50s and winds out of the west 5 to 10 mph.


Tuesday Night

Partly cloudy with lows near freezing.




HAZARDS

No hazardous weather expected. Winds will be up a bit, so if you're burning brush piles or debris, please use caution and either put it off for a couple of days or build some lines around what you're burning.

Snow flurries, heavy at times, through early Monday are in the forecast. Less than an inch accumulation in the valleys is expected. If you're out driving around when one of the snow showers hit, please exercise caution on the roadways.

As always, you can check to see what advisories, watches and warnings are in effect for Macon County by visiting http://is.gd/MACONWARN



MACON CALENDAR

If you have an event you wish to be added to this calendar, please send the information, along with a flyer of photo, to editor@maconmedia.com
There is no charge for civic, educational or non profit groups.



MARDI GRAS DINNER TO BENEFIT REACH OF MACON COUNTY

A Mardi Gras Dinner to benefit REACH of Macon County will be held at Root + Barrel Kitchen on Main Street on Tuesday, February 28th at 6:30 pm.
Reserved tickets are $75 and open seating is $60.
More information is on the flyer posted here.





Weather Extremes Almanac for January 29, 2017



North Carolina

High Temperature 85ºF in Willard, Pender County in 1918
Low Temperature -16ºF in Montreat, Yancey County in 1934
Greatest One-Day Rainfall 4.50 inches in Washington, Beaufort County in 2014
Greatest One-Day Snowfall 12.0 inches in Banner Elk, Avery County in 1930

Macon County

High Temperature 73ºF at the Coweeta Experimental Station in 1999
Low Temperature -9ºF in Highlands in 1897
Greatest One-Day Rainfall 1.60 inches in Highlands in 1893
Greatest One-Day Snowfall 7.5 inches in Highlands in 1930


Astronomy


Twilight Begins: 7:08 am
Sunrise: 7:35 am
Sunset 5:59 pm
Twilight Ends: 6:26 pm
Day Length: 11 hours 18 minutes

Moon Phase: Waxing Crescent with 3% of the Moon's visible disk illuminated
Moonrise 8:34 am
Moonset 7:54 pm

Observing the Skies

Evening Events and Planets

Chart shows sky at 8:30 pm tonight



Venus and Mars are the bright evening planets.

VENUS
Rises 9:40 am
Sets 9:38 pm
Brightness -4.4 Magnitude
Distance 0.5557 AU
Constellation: Pisces

MARS
Rises 10:01 am
Sets 10:01 pm
Brightness 1.1 Magnitude
Distance: 1.834 AU
Constellation: Pisces



Morning Events and Planets

Chart shows sky at 4 am on Monday, January 30th at 4 am




MERCURY
Rises 6:20 am
Sets 4:05 pm
Brightness 0.0 Magnitude
Distance 1.174 AU
Constellation: Sagittarius

SATURN 

Rises 9:32 am
Sets 2:39 pm
Brightness 1.4 Magnitude
Distance: 10.715 AU
Constellation: Ophiuchus

JUPITER
Rises 11:43 pm
Sets 11:02 am
Brightness -2.0 Magnitude
Distance: 5.088 AU
Constellation: Virgo


Sky Guides for this week (Jan 27- Feb 4)

Sky and Telescope Magazine 
Astronomy Magazine

Did you know Iridium Flares will soon become a thing of the past? Read more about it in Sky and Telescope Magazine. [LINK]

Earth Sky has an article on the eclipses of 2017. [LINK]

Heavens Above has an Android App that will assist you in observing the sky and even has a satellite tracker that will let you know when the International Space Station and dozens of other satellites are overhead. [LINK]

Stellarium is also an app that will assist you in observing the sky. It is available in both Android [LINK] and iOS versions. [LINK]





CROWD FUNDING OR DAY SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES

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.

If you have a business or event you are interested in sponsorship opportunities or underwriting coverage, send an email to editor@MaconMedia.com for more information. Serious inquiries only.

Thank You to the people who have been sending in donations and those businesses who are underwriting coverage of news and events. You have kept Macon Media online.

You have made it possible for Macon Media to begin purchasing state of the art equipment and begin work on building a real website with features not employed by any

local news outlets.

You can find out more information on how to do that and some of what I plan to accomplish if I reach certain levels of funding at >> https://www.patreon.com/MaconMedia

Published at 4:42 am on Jan 29, 2017

#WNCscan #MaconWx #MaconSafety


Be kind to one another.


Data and information sources: Sources (except where otherwise credited): heavens-above.com, National Centers for Environmental Prediction, The National Weather Service, National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration, Penn State University Electronic Wall Map, The State Climate Office of North Carolina, Storm Prediction Center, U.S. Naval Observatory, and the Weather Prediction Center.

Read More

Daily Weather Briefing for Saturday, January 28, 2017

Weather Advisories and Warnings Across the USA
NATIONAL OUTLOOK

Strong northwest flow has taken hold across much of the central and eastern continental U.S. Friday, with generally dry and benign weather expected through the weekend. The caveat to this will be for areas downwind of the Great Lakes, where lake effect snow bands will likely develop. A reinforcing cold front will drop south across the Great Lakes region by Saturday morning, enhancing the surge of cold air over this region. The heaviest snow will occur east of Lake Erie and Lake Ontario, where lake effect snow warnings remain in effect. Some localized areas could see snow amounts in excess of a foot. Northwest flow may also create some upslope snow showers in parts of the central and northern Appalachian Mountains through this weekend as well. A winter weather advisory is already in effect for parts of the northern Appalachians through Friday night.

Across the Intermountain West, a large dome of high pressure and light winds will result in some of the coldest conditions across the continental U.S., especially during the overnight periods. Generally clear to partly cloudy skies and subsidence aloft should deter any snow across the region. Additionally, a strong inversion developing across this region could lead to deteriorating air quality for valley locations. This area of high pressure will continue to build across the far western U.S. In fact, portions of California and the Great Basin could reach or even break monthly high pressure records for January. A few locations in California are also very close to reaching their all time highest pressure records. This type of a pattern will cause any approaching northern Pacific weather systems to deflect northward before reaching the western coast.



LOCAL OVERVIEW

A broad upper level trough will persist over the eastern part of the country for the next few days keeping temperatures near normal if not slightly below. At the same time... pockets of upper level energy will help generate intermittent snow showers across the western North Carolina mountains through early next week. Conditions could be favorable for a winter weather event on Friday.



THREE DAY OUTLOOK




Saturday

Sunny with highs near the mid 40s and winds out of the northwest 5 to 10 mph switching to come out of the west in the early afternoon hours. Wind gusts expected to be in the 20 mph range in the valleys. Peak wind gusts are expected to occur around 10 am or so.


Saturday Night

Partly cloudy with lows near the mid to upper 20s and winds out of the southwest becoming light and variable before midnight.




Sunday

Partly sunny with highs near the low 40s and calm winds early rising to come out of the northwest 5 to 10 mph by mid morning. 20% chance of precipitation with rain and snow showers possible throughout the day. Less than an inch of accumulation is expected in the valleys.

Sunday Night

Mostly cloudy with lows near the mid 20s with winds out of the northwest 5 to 10 mph. 30% chance of rain/snow showers, with snow falling after 6 pm. Less than an inch of accumulation expected in the valleys.




Monday

Mostly sunny with highs near the mid 30s. 20% chance of snow showers, mainly before 10 am.


Monday Night

Mostly clear with lows near the low to mid 20s.




HAZARDS

No hazardous weather expected. (Snow flurries, heavy at time through the weekend and early Monday are in the forecast. Less than an inch accumulation in the valleys is expected.



MACON CALENDAR

If you have an event you wish to be added to this calendar, please send the information, along with a flyer of photo, to editor@maconmedia.com
There is no charge for civic, educational or non profit groups.



MARDI GRAS DINNER TO BENEFIT REACH OF MACON COUNTY

A Mardi Gras Dinner to benefit REACH of Macon County will be held at Root + Barrel Kitchen on Main Street on Tuesday, February 28th at 6:30 pm.
Reserved tickets are $75 and open seating is $60.
More information is on the flyer posted here.





Weather Extremes Almanac for January 28, 2017



North Carolina

High Temperature 85ºF in Willard, Pender County in 1918
Low Temperature -24ºF on Mount Mitchell, Yancey County in 1986
Greatest One-Day Rainfall 5.04 inches in Idlewild, Ashe County in 1998
Greatest One-Day Snowfall 28.0 inches on Mount Mitchell, Yancey County in 1998

Macon County

High Temperature 78ºF at the Coweeta Experimental Station in 1999
Low Temperature -10ºF in Highlands in 1897
Greatest One-Day Rainfall 2.60 inches in Highlands in 1918
Greatest One-Day Snowfall 9.5 inches in Highlands in 1904


Astronomy


Twilight Begins: 7:08 am
Sunrise: 7:35 am
Sunset 5:58 pm
Twilight Ends: 6:25 pm
Day Length: 11 hours 17 minutes

Moon Phase: Waxing Crescent with 1% of the Moon's visible disk illuminated
Moonrise 7:53 am
Moonset 6:53 pm

Observing the Skies

Evening Events and Planets

Chart shows sky at 8:30 pm tonight



Venus and Mars are the bright evening planets.

VENUS
Rises 9:42 am
Sets 9:38 pm
Brightness -4.4 Magnitude
Distance 0.565 AU
Constellation: Pisces

MARS
Rises 10:03 am
Sets 10:01 pm
Brightness 1.1 Magnitude
Distance: 1.827 AU
Constellation: Pisces



Morning Events and Planets

Chart shows sky at 4 am on Sunday, January 29th at 4 am




MERCURY
Rises 6:19 am
Sets 4:03 pm
Brightness 0.0 Magnitude
Distance 1.16 AU
Constellation: Sagittarius

SATURN 
Rises 9:36 am
Sets 2:29 pm
Brightness 1.4 Magnitude
Distance: 10.726 AU
Constellation: Ophiuchus

JUPITER
Rises 11:47 pm
Sets 11:06 am
Brightness -2.0 Magnitude
Distance: 5.103 AU
Constellation: Virgo


Sky Guides for this week (Jan 27- Feb 4)

Sky and Telescope Magazine 
Astronomy Magazine



Earth Sky has an article on the eclipses of 2017. [LINK]

Heavens Above has an Android App that will assist you in observing the sky and even has a satellite tracker that will let you know when the International Space

Station and dozens of other satellites are overhead. [LINK]

Stellarium is also an app that will assist you in observing the sky. It is available in both Android [LINK] and iOS versions. [LINK]





CROWD FUNDING OR DAY SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES

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.

If you have a business or event you are interested in sponsorship opportunities or underwriting coverage, send an email to editor@MaconMedia.com for more information. Serious inquiries only.

Thank You to the people who have been sending in donations and those businesses who are underwriting coverage of news and events. You have kept Macon Media online.

You have made it possible for Macon Media to begin purchasing state of the art equipment and begin work on building a real website with features not employed by any local news outlets.

You can find out more information on how to do that and some of what I plan to accomplish if I reach certain levels of funding at >> https://www.patreon.com/MaconMedia

Published at 3:48 am on Jan 28, 2017

#WNCscan #MaconWx #MaconSafety


Be kind to one another.


Data and information sources: Sources (except where otherwise credited): heavens-above.com, National Centers for Environmental Prediction, The National Weather Service, National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration, Penn State University Electronic Wall Map, The State Climate Office of North Carolina, Storm Prediction Center, U.S. Naval Observatory, and the Weather Prediction Center.

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Adult Planetarium Programs at the Library Shows at 2 pm and 6 pm on Thursday, February 9th

Thursday, February 9th 2:00 p.m. in the Macon County Public Library Living Room, Planetarium program “IMPACT!” with SCC science chair & physics instructor Matt Cass introducing and leading a discussion on the reason behind some of NASA's current missions.

Impact! is a portable planetarium show that teaches about meteors, meteorites, asteroids, and comets. It includes results from recent NASA missions and about the dangers they can pose to life on Earth.
It shows dramatically the effects of the Chicxulub and Tungusta events, plus the Pallasite impact that resulted in the Brenham meteorite fall, and describes ways that asteroid hunters seek new objects in the solar system, and how ground penetrating radar is used to find meteorites that have survived to the Earth's surface. Narrated by astronaut Tom Jones, it also discusses ways that humans might try to deflect an asteroid or comet that is on a collision course with Earth.

Millions of asteroids and comets lurk among the planets -- left over bits and pieces from the solar system's formation four and a half billion years ago. Because of them, we live in a dangerous cosmic shooting gallery and impacts still shape the surfaces of the planets and moons. For instance, without warning on Feb. 15, 2013, an asteroid fragment struck Siberia and exploded over a populated area close to the Russian city of Chelyabinsk. Dozens of building- and car-mounted video cameras captured the meteor's descent and the shadows it cast, making it the most documented meteor event in history. There were no deaths, but about 1,500 injuries occurred, mostly cuts from glass that broke due to the force of the shock wave produced when the meteor broke up in the atmosphere. Sound waves from this explosion circled the Earth several times.

Thursday, February 9th, 6:00 p.m. in the Macon County Public Library Living Room, Planetarium Program “Back To The Moon For Good” with SCC science chair & physics instructor Matt Cass introducing the film and leading a discussion on where the upcoming administration might want to redirect NASA's missions.

This is an exciting, educational show narrated by award-winning actor Tim Allen. The 25-minute digital film highlights the history of exploring the moon and provides an insider's look at the teams vying for the $30 million Google Lunar XPRIZE, the largest incentivized prize in history.
Back To The Moon For Good begins with a tour through the history of lunar exploration, tracing back to the 1960s and 1970s. We hear from some of the teams racing to land a robotic spacecraft on the moon and win the Google Lunar XPRIZE. The audience is taken on a successful launch, landing and tour of the lunar surface. The show ends with an enticing visualization of a future settlement on the moon.

The stunning visuals and compelling narrative of the show explain the importance of the Google Lunar XPRIZE in encouraging today's space entrepreneurs and innovators to collaborate toward building a new space economy while inspiring the next generation to "shoot for the moon."
The show was executive produced by Robert K. Weiss and Alexandra Hall, produced by NSC Creative, an award-winning computer animation studio, and written by Ryan Wyatt.

These planetarium programs are supported by grant funds from the Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the federal Library Services and Technology Act as administered by the State Library of North Carolina, a division of the Department of Natural and Cultural Resources.
This discussion series was funded by Pushing the Limits which is a reading, viewing and discussion program for adults in communities served by rural libraries, made possible by a grant from the National Science Foundation. The program is the work of a team of library professionals, scientists, and filmmakers from organizations including Dartmouth College, the Association for Rural and Small Libraries, the Califa Library Group, Public Library Association, Dawson Media Group, Institute for Learning Innovations, Goodman Research Group, and Oregon State University.

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Daily Weather Briefing for Friday, January 27, 2017

Weather Advisories and Warnings Across the USA
NATIONAL OUTLOOK

After an active and stormy weather pattern over the past couple of weeks, much more tranquil conditions will be the rule across the majority of the nation. The cold front has now cleared most of the East Coast, and the front should exit Florida by Friday morning. Behind the cold front, the only areas that are expected to see measurable precipitation are the western slopes of the Appalachian Mountains where upslope snow showers are expected, and areas downwind of the Great Lakes where lake effect snow bands are forecast to develop. The heaviest snow is likely east of Lake Erie and Lake Ontario, where lake effect snow warnings are in effect. Some localized areas could see snow amounts in excess of a foot. Some isolated showers are also possible across the Florida peninsula courtesy of onshore flow.

High pressure will be quite expansive across the central and western U.S. through Saturday, along with sunny to partly cloudy skies. The coldest conditions are likely for the higher elevation valleys of the Intermountain West, with a strong inversion developing and deteriorating air quality. Approaching northern Pacific weather systems should be deflected northward before reaching the West Coast given the strong high pressure ridge that will be in place.



LOCAL OVERVIEW

A broad upper level trough will persist over the eastern part of the country for the next several days keeping temperatures near normal if not slightly below.

Meanwhile...  pockets of upper level energy will help generate snow showers across the western North Carolina mountains early Friday and through the weekend.



THREE DAY OUTLOOK




Friday

Partly sunny with highs near 40 (wind chills dropping as low as freezing) and winds out of the northwest 5 to 10 mph, gusting to 20 mph.


Friday Night

Mostly cloudy with lows near the mid 20s (wind chills near 20 at times) with winds out of the northwest 5 to 10 mph.




Saturday

Sunny with highs near the mid 40s and winds out of the northwest 5 to 10 mph.


Saturday Night

Partly cloudy with lows near the mid to upper 20s and calm winds until midnight, when they are expected to increase out of the northwest to 5 to 10 mph. Wind chills will be near the lower 20s.




Sunday

Partly sunny with increasing clouds and highs near 40 with temperatures falling in the afternoon.Slight chance of rain before 3 pm and a chance of rain and snow after 3 pm. Little or no accumulation expected.


Sunday Night

Mostly cloudy with lows near the mid 20s. 30% chance of rain and snow, with rain and snow before 9 pm and snow after 9 pm.




HAZARDS

No hazardous weather expected.



MACON CALENDAR

If you have an event you wish to be added to this calendar, please send the information, along with a flyer of photo, to editor@maconmedia.com
There is no charge for civic, educational or non profit groups.



MARDI GRAS DINNER TO BENEFIT REACH OF MACON COUNTY

A Mardi Gras Dinner to benefit REACH of Macon COunty will be held at Root + Barrel Kitchen on Main Street on Tuesday, February 28th at 6:30 pm.
Reserved tickets are $75 and open seating is $60.
More information is on the flyer posted here.





Weather Extremes Almanac for January 27, 2017



North Carolina

High Temperature 82ºF in Clinton, Sampson County in 1950
Low Temperature -16ºF in Montreat, Yancey County in 1940
Greatest One-Day Rainfall 9.04 inches in Montreat, Yancey County in 1954
Greatest One-Day Snowfall 19.0 inches in Boone, Watauga County in 1998

Macon County

High Temperature 72ºF in Franklin in 1974
Low Temperature -11ºF in Highlands in 1986
Greatest One-Day Rainfall 2.29 inches at the Coweeta Experimental Station in 1967
Greatest One-Day Snowfall 4.5 inches in Highlands in 1897


Astronomy


Twilight Begins: 7:09 am
Sunrise: 7:36 am
Sunset 5:57 pm
Twilight Ends: 6:24 pm
Day Length: 11 hours 15 minutes

Moon Phase: New Moon at 7:07 pm
Moonrise 7:10 am
Moonset 5:54 pm

Observing the Skies

Evening Events and Planets

Chart shows sky at 8:30 pm tonight



Venus and Mars are the bright evening planets, but both are close to the western horizon, so don't dally too long before you get out to see them.

VENUS
Rises 9:45 am
Sets 9:37 pm
Brightness -4.4 Magnitude
Distance 0.572 AU
Constellation: Pisces

MARS
Rises 10:05 am
Sets 10:01 pm
Brightness 1.1 Magnitude
Distance: 1.820 AU
Constellation: Pisces



Morning Events and Planets

Chart shows sky at 4 am on Saturday, January 28th




MERCURY
Rises 6:17 am
Sets 4:02 pm
Brightness 0.0 Magnitude
Distance 1.146 AU
Constellation: Sagittarius

SATURN 
Rise: 4:46 am
Sets 2:32 pm
Brightness 1.4 Magnitude
Distance: 10.738 AU
Constellation: Ophiuchus

JUPITER
Rises 11:51 pm
Sets 11:10 am
Brightness -2.0 Magnitude
Distance: 5.119 AU
Constellation: Virgo

Earth Sky has an article on the eclipses of 2017. [LINK]

Heavens Above has an Android App that will assist you in observing the sky and even has a satellite tracker that will let you know when the International Space Station and dozens of other satellites are overhead. [LINK]

Stellarium is also an app that will assist you in observing the sky. It is available in both Android [LINK] and iOS versions. [LINK]





CROWD FUNDING OR DAY SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES

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.

If you have a business or event you are interested in sponsorship opportunities or underwriting coverage, send an email to editor@MaconMedia.com for more information. Serious inquiries only. ALl those who advertised before January 1, 2017 will

not see any future increase in rates as a thank you for supporting Macon Media during the early days.

Thank You to the people who have been sending in donations and those businesses who are underwriting coverage of news and events. You have kept Macon Media online.

You have made it possible for Macon Media to begin purchasing state of the art equipment and begin work on building a real website with features not employed by any local news outlets.

You can find out more information on how to do that and some of what I plan to accomplish if I reach certain levels of funding at >> https://www.patreon.com/MaconMedia

Published at 12:48 am on Jan 27, 2017

#WNCscan #MaconWx #MaconSafety


Be kind to one another.


Data and information sources: Sources (except where otherwise credited): heavens-above.com, National Centers for Environmental Prediction, The National Weather Service, National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration, Penn State University Electronic Wall Map, The State Climate Office of North Carolina, Storm Prediction Center, U.S. Naval Observatory, and the Weather Prediction Center.

Read More

Daily Weather Briefing for Thursday, January 26, 2017

Weather Advisories and Warnings Across the USA
NATIONAL OUTLOOK

A low pressure system currently lifting northeast across the Great Lakes region is bringing a wintry mix of precipitation from Iowa to northern Michigan, and showers across parts of the Ohio Valley. Winter storm warnings and winter weather advisories remain in effect for parts of this region. This low should then reach the northeast U.S. by Thursday, with wintry weather confined to northern New England and the western Great Lakes. A cold front associated with this low is forecast to reach the East Coast by Thursday afternoon, bringing a cooler and drier air mass across the eastern U.S. to close out the work week.

The low pressure system will quickly push through New England Thursday before exiting into Canada by Thursday night. In the wake of this storm system, cold northwest flow across the Great Lakes is expected to result in lake effect snow, with significant accumulations likely east of lakes Michigan, Erie, and Ontario.

Elsewhere across the nation, high pressure will continue to steadily build over the West tonight and through the rest of the week, expanding into the adjacent Plains by Friday. Approaching northern Pacific weather systems should be deflected northward before reaching the West Coast given the strong high pressure ridge in place. Only isolated rain or snow showers are possible across portions of California, Oregon and Washington through the day Thursday.



LOCAL OVERVIEW

Mild high pressure will remain over the region before a cold front crosses the forecast area early Thursday. At the same time, a broad upper level trough will develop over the eastern part of the country allowing seasonally colder temperatures to return on Friday and persist into early next week.



THREE DAY OUTLOOK




Thursday

Mostly sunny with highs near the upper 40s and winds out of the northwest 10 to 15 mph, gusting as high as 25 mph. 30% chance of rain, mainly before 9 am. Rainfall amounts less than a tenth of an inch expected.


Thursday Night

Mostly cloudy with lows near the upper 20s and winds out of the northwest 5 tio 10 mph.




Friday

Partly sunny with highs near 40 and winds out of the 5 to 10 mph, gusting aS high as 25 mph.


Friday Night

Mostly cloudy with lows near the mid 20sand winds out of the northwest 5 to 15 mph, gusting to 20 mph.




Saturday

Sunny with highs near the mid 40s.


Saturday Night

Partly cloudy with lows near the mid to upper 20s.






HAZARDS

No hazardous weather expected.



MACON CALENDAR

If you have an event you wish to be added to this calendar, please send the information, along with a flyer of photo, to editor@maconmedia.com
There is no charge for civic, educational or non profit groups.



MARDI GRAS DINNER TO BENEFIT REACH OF MACON COUNTY

A Mardi Gras Dinner to benefit REACH of Macon COunty will be held at Root + Barrel Kitchen on Main Street on Tuesday, February 28th at 6:30 pm.
Reserved tickets are $75 and open seating is $60.
More information is on the flyer posted here.





Weather Extremes Almanac for January 26, 2017



North Carolina

High Temperature 82ºF in Clinton, Sampson County in 1950
Low Temperature -18ºF in Cullowhee, Jackson County in 1940
Greatest One-Day Rainfall 4.10 inches in Franklin, Macon County in 1873
Greatest One-Day Snowfall 25.0 inches in Albemarle, Stanly County in 1920

Macon County

High Temperature 70ºF at the Coweeta Experimental Station in 1967
Low Temperature -5ºF in Highlands in 1986
Greatest One-Day Rainfall 4.10 inches in Franklin, Macon County in 1873
Greatest One-Day Snowfall 9.0 inches in Highlands in 1987


Astronomy


Twilight Begins: 7:10 am
Sunrise: 7:37 am
Sunset 5:56 pm
Twilight Ends: 6:23 pm
Day Length: 11 hours 13 minutes

Moon Phase: Waning Crescent with 2% of the Moon's visible disk illuminated
Moonrise 6:24 am
Moonset 4:57 pm

Observing the Skies

Evening Events and Planets

Chart shows sky at 8:30 pm tonight





VENUS
Rises 9:47 am
Sets 9:37 pm
Brightness -4.4 Magnitude
Distance 0.579 AU (one AU is about 93 million miles)
Constellation: Pisces

MARS
Rises 4:04 pm
Sets 10:02 pm
Brightness 1.1 Magnitude
Distance: 1.813 AU
Constellation: Pisces



Morning Events and Planets

Chart shows sky at 4 am on Friday, Jan 27th




MERCURY
Rises 6:15 am
Sets 4:00 pm
Brightness 0.0 Magnitude
Distance 1.131 AU
Constellation: Sagittarius

SATURN
Rises 4:50 am
Sets 2:36 pm
Brightness 1.4 Magnitude
Distance: 10.750 AU
Constellation: Ophiuchus

JUPITER
Rises 11:55 pm
Sets 11:14 am
Brightness -1.9 Magnitude
Distance: 5.134 AU
Constellation: Virgo

Earth Sky has an article on the eclipses of 2017. [LINK]

Heavens Above has an Android App that will assist you in observing the sky and even has a satellite tracker that will let you know when the International Space
Station and dozens of other satellites are overhead. [LINK]

Stellarium is also an app you can purchase that will assist you in observing the sky. It is available in both Android [LINK] and iOS versions. [LINK]





CROWD FUNDING OR DAY SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES

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.

If you have a business or event you are interested in sponsorship opportunities or underwriting coverage, send an email to editor@MaconMedia.com for more information. Serious inquiries only.

Thank You to the people who have been sending in donations and those businesses who are underwriting coverage of news and events. You have kept Macon Media online.

You have made it possible for Macon Media to begin purchasing state of the art equipment and begin work on building a real website with features not employed by any local news outlets.

You can find out more information on how to do that and some of what I plan to accomplish if I reach certain levels of funding at >> https://www.patreon.com/MaconMedia

Published at 3:55 am on Jan 26, 2017

#WNCscan #MaconWx #MaconSafety


Be kind to one another.


Data and information sources: Sources (except where otherwise credited): heavens-above.com, National Centers for Environmental Prediction, The National Weather Service, National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration, Penn State University Electronic Wall Map, The State Climate Office of North Carolina, Storm Prediction Center, U.S. Naval Observatory, and the Weather Prediction Center.

Read More