Daily Weather Briefing for Tuesday, May 16, 2017

LOCAL OUTLOOK

As a deep-layered ridge of high pressure settles in, temperatures will climb to 5 to 10 degrees above normal for the remainder of the week and chances for afternoon pop-up showers and thunderstorms will increase gradually for much of the area Thursday through Saturday. On Sunday, a cold front approaches the region from the west, which should help to increase precipitation chances through Monday as the front may be slow to move across the area.



LOCAL NEWS

Area law enforcement agencies gathered to mark the observance of Law Enforcement Memorial Day yesterday at noon. Video and photos, along with a list of the fallen, are on the blog. [LINK]


Weather Almanac for May 16th (1872-2016)

Record weather events for this date in Macon County

Highest Temperature 91°F in Franklin in 1962
Lowest Temperature 29°F in Highlands in 1904
Greatest Rainfall 3.11 inches in Highlands in 1955
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. Mostly cloudy, with gradually clearing. Mostly sunny after 11 am or so. Highs near the mid-80s. Calm winds in the morning then winds from the south in the afternoon.

TONIGHT

Mostly clear with lows in the mid to upper-50s and light winds out of the southeast.



WEDNESDAY

Sunny with highs in the 80s and winds 5 to 10 mph out of the south.

WEDNESDAY NIGHT

Partly cloudy with lows near 60 and winds out of the southeast.



THURSDAY

Partly sunny with highs in the low to mid-80s. 20% chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly after 3 pm.

THURSDAY NIGHT

Mostly cloudy with lows near 60.


HAZARDS

Hazardous weather not expected.

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, except for groups or events that receive funding from the TDA, TDC, and EDC, where full rates apply.



Tuesday, May 16

FRANKLIN BIRD CLUB

Jim and Ellen Shelton will lead a bird walk in the Walnut Gap area.
Meet at Bi-Lo parking area at 8:00 am to carpool. Sponsored by the Franklin Bird Club. Sign up at 828-524-5234.

Wednesday, May 17

FRANKLIN BIRD CLUB - 8 AM BIRDWALK ON GREENWAY

Bird walk along the Greenway. Meet at the Macon County Public Library parking area at 8:00 am.


iPHONE/iPAD USERS GROUP - 2 PM MACON COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY MEETING ROOM

This is a monthly peer-led meeting open to anyone who has an iPhone or iPad and wants to learn more about applications and resources. It's a great way to share questions, knowledge, and favorite apps. Participants are encouraged to set the agenda, help each other, and share ideas with the group. All levels are welcome, no registration required.

POETRY PROGRAM - 7 PM PUBLIC LIBRARY MEETING ROOM

Come join Forrest Rivers as we welcome him back to the library for an evening of peaceful reflections on the topics of nature and inner peace. We could all use a little more peace in these times of moral crises.


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: 6:00 am
Sunrise: 6:29 am
Sunset 8:32 pm
Twilight Ends: 9:00 pm




Moon Phase: Waning Gibbous with 73% of the Moon's visible disk illuminated.
Moonrise 12:31 a.m.
Moonset 11:03 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

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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 4:15 am on May 16, 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.