NATIONAL OUTLOOK
...Locally heavy rain possible across portions of the Florida Peninsula through Thursday morning...
...Record warm temperatures possible for much of the central and eastern U.S. through Friday...
...Winter storm expected to bring heavy snow and gusty winds from portions of the central and northern Rockies to the Upper Midwest...
An anomalous upper-level low is moving east across the northern Gulf of Mexico this afternoon, with the associated surface low pressure system bringing widespread rain and thunderstorms to much of Florida. The system will continue to move eastward through tonight, with widespread showers and thunderstorms expected to persist across eastern portions of the Florida Peninsula into Thursday morning. Locally heavy rain will be possible. Rain and thunderstorms will gradually wind down Thursday afternoon as the system moves east into the Atlantic Ocean.
Otherwise, most of the central and eastern U.S. will see well above average temperatures persisting through Friday, as high pressure at the mid and upper-levels of the atmosphere dominates the weather pattern. Afternoon high temperatures on Thursday are forecast to be 15 to 30 degrees above average from the southern and central plains to the East Coast. These warm temperatures are expected to persist into Friday for areas from the lower and mid-Mississippi valley to the East Coast. Temperatures could soar well into the 70s for many areas, with the potential for numerous locations to reach or surpass record highs.
In stark contract to the record warmth, a winter storm is expected to take shape from portions of the Rockies to the northern plains and Upper Midwest. A vigorous upper-level disturbance and associated surface frontal system moving eastward across the Great Basin this afternoon will snow to much of the central and northern Rockies tonight. By early Thursday morning, a new area of surface low pressure is expected to begin developing just east of the Colorado Rockies. As this occurs, the potential for heavy snow will begin to occur from the central and northern Rockies east into the High Plains. This area of low pressure is expected to deepen during the day on Thursday as it moves into the central plains, and into the Midwest on Friday. The system is expected to bring potentially heavy snow and gusty winds to a large area from the central and northern Rockies to portions of the Upper Midwest and Upper Great Lakes.
South of the snow area, rain and thunderstorms are expected Thursday and Friday from portions of the mid and upper-Mississippi valley to the southern Great Lakes and Ohio valley. Some storms could be severe on Friday across portions of the Ohio valley and southern Great Lakes. Please refer to products issued by the Storm Prediction Center for further details on the severe weather threat.
LOCAL OVERVIEW
Brief drying develops today into early Friday before a significant cold front brings chances for rain and thunderstorms Friday night and Saturday. Overall, daytime temperatures will remain well above normal through Saturday, with a return to normal for Sunday. Above normal temperatures and chances for rain return for early next week.
THREE DAY OUTLOOK
Thursday
Patchy dense fog before 10 am. Partly sunny with highs near 70. Calm winds until the afternoon when the shift to come from the south.
Thursday Night
Partly cloudy with lows near the upper 40s and light winds out of the southeast.
Friday
Partly sunny with highs near the lower 70s and winds 5 to 10 mph out of the southeast. Chances of showers and thunderstorms increase after 4 pm.
Friday Night
Mostly cloudy with lows near the upper 40s and light winds out of the southeast, shifting to come out of the southwest after midnight. 50% chance of rain. Thunderstorms could move into the area, mainly after midnight.
Saturday
Rain before 9 am, decreasing clouds to become mostly sunny with highs near the lower 60s.
Saturday Night
Mostly clear with lows near 30.
HAZARDS
Dense fog is expected to form this morning. Please slow down, increase your following distance, and use your headlights on low beam so other drivers can see you.
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 or photo, to editor@maconmedia.com
There is no charge for civic, educational or non profit groups.
FULL CIRCLE RECOVERY CENTER TO HOLD HARM REDUCTION TEA PARTY ON FRIDAY
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.
Be the Voice for a Child! Don’t let another child’s voice go unheard. The Guardian Ad Litem program is currently seeking volunteers in your community to be the voice of a foster child in court. The North Carolina Guardian ad Litem Program thrives on volunteerism, and its vital work is only made possible by dedicated volunteers who are committed to the cause of keeping children safe from future harm. We will have a training class for volunteers in Sylva starting March 16, 2017. We would love to have you join us. It's not too late to apply!
If you have an interest in becoming the voice for a child, contact Joe Allen at the Macon County GAL office at 828-349-7222 or Shannon Cowan at the Jackson County GAL Office at 828-587-2087. You can also find out more about the program by visiting www.ncgal.org or www.facebook.com/ncGuardianAdLitem
Weather Extremes Almanac for February 23, 2017
North Carolina
High Temperature 85ºF in Tapoco, Graham County in 1996
Low Temperature -9ºF in Montreat, Yancey County in 1939
Greatest One-Day Rainfall 3.50 inches in Broadway, Chatham County in 1919
Greatest One-Day Snowfall 18.0 inches on Mount Mitchell, Yancey County in 1984
Macon County
High Temperature 75ºF in Franklin in 1980
Low Temperature 3ºF in Highlands in 1939
Greatest One-Day Rainfall 2.89 inches in Highlands in 1994
Greatest One-Day Snowfall 3.5 inches in Highlands in 1989
Astronomy
Twilight Begins: 6:45 am
Sunrise: 7:10 am
Sunset 6:24 pm
Twilight Ends: 6:50 pm
Day Length: 12 hours 05 minutes
Sunrise to Sunset: 11 hours 54 minutes
Moon Phase: Waning Crescent with 9% of the Moon's visible disk illuminated
Moonrise 5:03 am
Moonset 3:41 pm
Observing the Skies
Evening Events and Planets
Venus and Mars are the bright evening planets.
VENUS
Rises 8:25 am
Sets 9:18 pm
Brightness -4.4 Magnitude
Distance 0.386 AU
Constellation: Pisces
MARS
Rises 9:09 am
Sets 9:51 pm
Brightness 1.3 Magnitude
Distance: 2.001 AU
Constellation: Pisces
Morning Events and Planets
MERCURY
Rises 6:57 am
Sets 5:32 pm
Brightness -0.7 Magnitude
Distance 1.376 AU
Constellation: Capricornus
SATURN
Rises 3:10 am
Sets 12:55 pm
Brightness 1.3
Distance: 10.366 AU
Constellation: Sagittarius
JUPITER
Rises 10:03 pm
Sets 9:23 am
Brightness -2.1 Magnitude
Distance: 4.738 AU
Constellation: Virgo
Sky Guides for this week
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 3:31 am on Feb 23, 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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