Daily Weather Briefing for Thursday, May 12, 2017

LOCAL OUTLOOK

A frontal system will bring increased chances of rain to Macon County today and Saturday. Drier high pressure will spread back over the region on Sunday and then drift offshore by the middle of next week.


Weather Almanac for May 12th (1872-2016)

Record weather events for this date in Macon County

Highest Temperature 87°F at the Coweeta Experimental Station in 2011
Lowest Temperature 30°F at the Coweeta Experimental Station in 1954
Greatest Rainfall 2.43 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.


THREE DAY OUTLOOK




TODAY

Patchy fog early. Cloudy with highs in the mid-70s. Light winds from the southwest will increase to 5 to 10 mph after 11 am or so. 20% chance of rain early, rising to 80% chance in the afternoon. The greatest chance of thunderstorms will be after 5 pm. Rainfall amounts are expected to be between a tenth and a quarter of an inch, except in thunderstorms. Some of the storms today could be severe, with damaging winds, heavy downpours, hail and frequent lightning being possible.

TONIGHT

Patchy fog expected after midnight. Mostly cloudy with lows in the mid-50s and calm winds.80% chance of showers and thunderstorms. Rainfall amounts between a quarter and a half an inch expected. The greatest chance of thunderstorms will be between 5 pm and midnight.



SATURDAY

Patchy fog early. Mostly cloudy with decreasing clouds through 5 pm. Highs near 70. Light winds early increasing to 5 to 10 mph by 10 am. Rain chances should end before noon.

SATURDAY NIGHT

Mostly clear with lows in the mid to upper 40s. Winds 5 to 10 mph from the northwest calming around midnight.



SUNDAY

Sunny with highs near 80.

SUNDAY NIGHT

Clear with lows near 50.


HAZARDS

Severe weather possible. Damaging winds, large hail, and cloud to ground lightning would be the primary threats.

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.




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: 6:04 am
Sunrise: 6:32 am
Sunset 8:28 pm
Twilight Ends: 8:56 pm




Moon Phase: Waning Gibbous with 99% of the Moon's visible disk illuminated.
Moonset 7:55 a.m.
Moonrise 10:06 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]

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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 12, 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.