Daily Weather Briefing for Thursday, May 11, 2017

LOCAL OUTLOOK

Upper-level ridging will persist across the region through today before a frontal system moves in on Friday yielding increased chances for showers and thunderstorms as well as lower temperatures. High pressure will return on Saturday, lasting into the start of next week, yielding dry weather a gradual moderation of temperatures. Chances for precipitation will increase yet again by midweek as moist southerly flow returns amidst weakening high pressure.


Weather Almanac for May 11th (1872-2016)

Record weather events for this date in Macon County

Highest Temperature 88°F at the Coweeta Experimental Station in 2011
Lowest Temperature 29°F at the Coweeta Experimental Station in 1954
Greatest Rainfall 2.02 inches in Highlands in 1943
Greatest Snowfall There has been no measurable snowfall recorded in Macon County on this date since 1872 when weather record-keeping started.



LOCAL NEWS

Confederate Memorial Day was observed last night in Rankin Square. Video and photos will be published in the next day or so.

THREE DAY OUTLOOK




TODAY

Patchy fog early. Mostly sunny with highs in the low to mid-80s. Calm winds in the morning, then from the northwest between 5 and 10 mph in the afternoon and increasing clouds.

TONIGHT

Mostly cloudy with lows near the upper-50s. Winds out of the west calming before midnight.



FRIDAY

Mostly cloudy with highs in the mid-70s. Calm winds in the morning, then 5 to 10 mph out of the southwest in the afternoon. 60% chance of showers and thunderstorms with rainfall amounts between a tenth and a quarter of an inch. Higher amounts are possible in thunderstorms.

FRIDAY NIGHT

Lows in the mid-50s and light winds out of the northwest. 80% chance of showers and thunderstorms.



SATURDAY

Partly sunny with highs near 70. 30% chance of rain, mainly before noon.

SATURDAY NIGHT

Mostly clear with lows in the mid to upper-40s.


HAZARDS

No hazardous weather is expected today.

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.


TODAY at 6 pm

Social Media Panel and Discussion at the Macon County Public Library

On Thursday, May 11th at 6 pm, Macon County Public Library will host a panel and discussion on the uses of social media. This program is an invitation to learn and share perspectives about online resources, whether you are new to social media, immersed in cyberculture, or skeptical about the whole thing. Four local community members--Bobby Coggins, Elise Delfield, Jennifer Dills, and Timothy Tweed, all experienced at choosing between social media platforms and navigating the streams of digital communication--will talk about why they use their social media accounts, the communities they follow, and what they gain from them.

Read more at http://thunderpigblog.blogspot.com/2017/05/social-media-panel-and-discussion-at.html



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 impacting 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: 6:05 am
Sunrise: 6:33 am
Sunset 8:28 pm
Twilight Ends: 8:56 pm




Moon Phase: Waning Gibbous with 99% of the Moon's visible disk illuminated.
Moonset 7:17 a.m.
Moonrise 9:13 p.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

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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 4:25 am on May 11, 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.