Daily Weather Briefing for Monday, April 17, 2017

NATIONAL OVERVIEW

...Heavy snow possible for parts of the Sierras...

A front extending from the Northeast to the Southern High Plains is forecast to track offshore the Northeast/Mid-Atlantic Coast by this evening while the second part of the boundary extends westward from the Southern Mid-Atlantic to the Central Plains by Tuesday. Along this boundary showers and thunderstorms are expected to develop over the Southern Mid-Atlantic to parts of the Southern Plains/Lower Mississippi Valley through Tuesday. Light rain will also develop over parts of the Northeast and Lower Great Lakes on Monday into Tuesday. Some snow will develop over Northern Maine Monday evening into Tuesday, too.

Rain and mountain snow will spread from the West Coast to portions of the Intermountain West and Great Basin today as a Pacific front moves inland. Portions of the Sierras could have periods of heavy snowfall through Tuesday. The front is expected to cross the Rockies this afternoon and advance through the Northern/Central Plains and into the Upper Midwest by midweek-- spreading rain and snow with it. Another front will push southward from Canada over the next few days which will reinforce the cooler airmass across the northern-tier states.

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 OUTLOOK

A weak cold front will push into the area from the north beginning late this afternoon, enhancing the possibility of showers and thunderstorms. This front is expected to drop south of Macon County on Tuesday and then return north as a warm front on Wednesday. This will keep unsettled weather in the forecast through midweek. Another storm system will impact the region next weekend.

Weather Almanac for April 17th (1872-2016)

Record weather events for this date in Macon County

Highest Temperature 86°F at the Coweeta Experimental Station in 2006
Lowest Temperature 19°F in Highlands in 2014
Greatest Rainfall 4.31 inches in Franklin in 1956
Greatest Snowfall There has been no measurable snowfall recorded in Macon County on this date since records began being kept in 1872.



THREE DAY OUTLOOK




TODAY

Partly sunny with highs in the mid 70s and calm winds early, then 5 to 10 mph from the west in the afternoon. 40% chance of rain, in the form of scattered showers and thunderstorms. Rainfall amounts between a tenth and a quarter of an inch expected.


TONIGHT

Mostly cloudy with lows in the lower 50s and calm winds. 60% chance of rain and thunderstorms. Rainfall amounts between a tenth and a quarter of an inch expected.



TUESDAY

Cloudy with highs in the mid 60s. Calm winds in the morning, then from the south in the afternoon. 60% chance of rain with rainfall amounts between a tenth and a quarter of an inch expected.

TUESDAY NIGHT

Cloudy with lows in the lower 50s and light winds out of the southeast. 60% chance of rain.



WEDNESDAY

Mostly cloudy with highs in the lower 70s. 40% chance of rain, mainly in the form of scattered showers and thunderstorms.

WEDNESDAY NIGHT

Partly cloudy with lows near the mid 50s.


HAZARDS

No hazardous weather is expected. There is still an increased fire danger Due to Macon County still being in a Severe Drought. If you wish to burn outdoors, please consult with the county ranger before obtaining a burning permit. Contact information is listed at http://ncforestservice.gov/Contacts/macon.htm

The National Weather Service will be taking the regional weather radar offline for a few days around April 17th to install upgrades. The Public Information Statement follows:

Public Information Statement
National Weather Service Greenville-Spartanburg SC


...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC RADAR SCHEDULED FOR UPGRADE DURING THE WEEK OF APRIL 17, 2017...

The weather radar used by the National Weather Service Forecast Office in Greer, SC (KGSP) will be down for up to four days during the week of April 17, 2017. Technicians will install an important technological upgrade. The work on the WSR-88D radar has been scheduled to minimize any potential impacts to office operations and will be delayed if hazardous weather is forecast.

During the outage, radar coverage is available from adjacent radar sites including Columbia, SC (KCAE), Peachtree City, GA (KFFC), Morristown, TN (KMRX), Blacksburg, VA (KFCX), and Raleigh, NC (KRAX), as well as the terminal doppler radar at Charlotte, NC (TCLT).

A crew will install a new signal processor, which replaces obsolete technology, improves processing speed and data quality, provides added functionality, and supports IT security.

This is the first of four major upgrades, known as service life extension projects, planned in the next five years to replace and refurbish major components of the 20 year old WSR-88Ds and to keep the radars operational into the 2030s. The $150M investment is being made by the three organizations that use these radars: the NOAA National Weather Service, United States Air Force, and Federal Aviation Administration. The other service life extension projects include refurbishing the transmitter, pedestal, and equipment shelters.

The tri-agency Radar Operations Center, which supports the radars, estimates it will take about 10 months to upgrade the signal processor on all 159 operational WSR-88Ds.

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 in pdf format or a high quality photo, to editor@maconmedia.com
There is no charge for civic, educational or non profit groups.



APRIL 21 & 22

Franklin High School FFA Benefit Rodeo
Macon County Fairgrounds – 1436 Georgia Rd

Tickets available at the gate
$12 Adults
$6 Kids ages 5-10
Under 5 Free

Gates open at 6PM each night
Event starts at 8PM each night
Concessions available on site

Get there early for the best seating!

Saddle Bronc Riding
Bareback Riding
Calf Roping
Steer Wrestling
Ladies Breakaway Roping
Team Roping
Ladies Barrel Racing
Bull Riding

For more information, please visit the Facebook event page at https://www.facebook.com/events/1248793605202655/


SYRINGE EXCHANGE PROGRAM

On January 1, 2017, the Syringe Exchange Program of Franklin began operating a comprehensive harm reduction program to address the opioid epidemic that is effecting western NC. Opioid overdose reversal kits including naloxone are available free of charge. If you have any questions about our services or if you know someone interested in volunteering, please contact Stephanie Almeida at 828-475-1920.



Astronomy


Twilight Begins: 6:32 am
Sunrise: 6:58 am
Sunset 8:08 pm
Twilight Ends: 8:34 pm




Moon Phase: Waning Gibbous with 67% of the Moon's visible disk illuminated.
Moonrise 1:01 am
Moonset 11:27 am



Evening Events and Planets

Chart shows sky at 10:30 pm tonight




Morning Events and Planets

Chart shows sky at 4 am tomorrow morning



PLANET POSITION SUMMARY



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 4:20 am on April 17, 2017

#WNCscan #MaconWx #MaconSafety

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.