Daily Weather Briefing for Monday, May 1, 2017

LOCAL NEWS

Two rallies were held this weekend in Franklin. A People's Climate March of Western North Carolina was held on Saturday and a forum on the announcement of the closing of the Labor & Delivery Department at Angel Medical Center. Video and photos of those will be published later today.

The regular monthly meeting of the Franklin Town Board of Aldermen will be tonight in the lower level of town hall at 7 pm. Information about the meeting will also be published later today.


LOCAL OUTLOOK

A cold front will cross the county from the west today, bringing the potential for strong to severe thunderstorms to the region. Dry high pressure will settle over the southeast Tuesday into Wednesday. A low pressure system will move from the plains to the Ohio Valley Wednesday night through Thursday, with a band of deep moisture moving into our region ahead of the associated cold front. The cold front will move east of the area on Friday, with windy and cooler conditions and continued northwest flow moisture across the mountains into the weekend.

Weather Almanac for May 1st (1872-2016)

Record weather events for this date in Macon County

Highest Temperature 86°F at the Coweeta Experimental Station in 1962
Lowest Temperature 28°F in Highlands in 1996
Greatest Rainfall 1.63 inches in Highlands in 1976
Greatest Snowfall There has been no measurable snowfall on this date since 1872 when weather records began being kept.

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.

THREE DAY OUTLOOK



TODAY strong to severe storms, high winds

Storms and patchy fog early. Cloudy with highs near 70 and winds from the south 5 to 15 mph with gusts in the 25 to 30 mph range. Higher elevations could see gusts in the 45 to 55 mph range. 80% chance of showers and thunderstorms. Rainfall amounts between half and three quarters of an inch expected. Skies are expected to clear after the cold front passes, probably around noon or later.

TONIGHT

Mostly clear with lows in the mid to upper 40s and winds out of the southwest 5 to 10 mph shifting to come out of the northeast after midnight.



TUESDAY

Sunny with highs in the low to mid-70s and winds out of the northwest 5 to 15 mph with gusts in the 20 to 25 mph range.

TUESDAY NIGHT

Mostly clear with lows in the mid to upper 40s and winds 5 to 10 mph out of the west, calming before midnight.



WEDNESDAY

Sunny with highs in the mid 70s.

WEDNESDAY NIGHT

Mostly cloudy with lows in the mid 50s and a 30% chance of showers after 1 am.


HAZARDS

Strong storms are possible this morning as a cold front pushes through this morning. The rain is expected to be over by noon or so. High winds are also possible.

NWS SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT

Special Weather Statement
National Weather Service Greenville-Spartanburg SC
202 AM EDT Mon May 1 2017

...STRONG GUSTY WINDS ACROSS THE NORTH CAROLINA MOUNTAINS...

A strong cold front will cross the area this morning. Winds will increase ahead of the front as it crosses east by mid day. Gusty winds between 45-55 mph are expected across the higher terrain of the North Carolina mountains...generally above 4000 feet. These winds will likely blow down weak or dead trees and could create power outages.

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.


Saturday, May 6 at 11 AM
EMERGENCY SERVICES PERSONNEL RELAY FOR LIFE TRUCK PULL

The Emergency Services Personnel Relay for Life Team is hosting a Firetruck pull to earn money for Relay for Life. Teams of 6 for $150. Also having a pull for children under the age of 12 for $50 per team. There will be hot dogs and hamburgers, and games for the kids! Come out, have fun, and help us raise money for Relay for Life!

Learn more about this fundraiser on the event page at https://www.facebook.com/events/600783233464831/


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: 6:15 am
Sunrise: 6:42 am
Sunset 8:20 pm
Twilight Ends: 8:47 pm




Moon Phase: Waxing Crescent with 24% of the Moon's visible disk illuminated.
Moonset 1:01 a.m.
Moonrise 11:37 a.m.



Evening Events and Planets

Chart shows sky at 10:30 pm tonight




Morning Events and Planets

Chart shows sky at 4 am tomorrow morning




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 4:45 am on May 1, 2017

#WNCscan #MaconWx #MaconSafety

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, 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.