Daily Weather Briefing for Thursday, May 18, 2017

LOCAL OUTLOOK

A Bermuda high pressure will persist over the region through Friday, keeping temperatures above normal and increasing chances for mainly afternoon and evening showers and thunderstorms today and Friday. On Saturday, a cold front may drop down from the north into the region before stalling Saturday night, then washing out Sunday. Another cold front approaches the region from the west Sunday night and then should move across the region on Monday.


LOCAL NEWS

The Macon County Board of Commissioners held their monthly meeting Monday Night. The meeting lasted over three hours. Video and the agenda packet are on the blog, including the budget message and recommended budget from the county manager. [LINK]

Also at the meeting, the county manager presented his recommended budget for Fiscal Year last night. A video of that message, with numbers, will be posted later today.

Weather Almanac for May 18th (1872-2016)

Record weather events for this date in Macon County

Highest Temperature 91°F in Franklin in 1996
Lowest Temperature 28°F at the Coweeta Experimental Station in 1973
Greatest Rainfall 2.65 inches at the Coweeta Experimental Station in 1980
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. Partly sunny with increasing clouds and highs in the 80s. Calm winds in the morning then winds 5 to 10 mph from the south in the afternoon. 30% chance of afternoon showers and thunderstorms with rainfall amounts expected to be less than a tenth of an inch.

TONIGHT

Patchy fog, mainly after 3 am. Mostly cloudy with lows near 60 and winds from the south calming before midnight.



FRIDAY

Areas of fog in the morning. Partly cloudy with highs in the 80s and light winds out of the southwest. 40% chance of showers and thunderstorms with rainfall amounts expected to be mostly between a tenth and a quarter of an inch.

FRIDAY NIGHT

Mostly cloudy with lows near 60 and calm winds. A chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly before 2 am.



SATURDAY

Partly sunny with highs in the low to mid-80s. Calm winds early, then from the south in the afternoon. 20% chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly after noon.

SATURDAY NIGHT

Partly cloudy with lows near 60. 30% chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly after midnight.


HAZARDS

Isolated convection is expected to develop today. A stray strong or possibly severe storm is possible late this afternoon. Small hail and damaging winds are the main threat.

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.





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: 5:59 am
Sunrise: 6:27 am
Sunset 8:33 pm
Twilight Ends: 9:02 pm




Moon Phase: Last Quarter at 8:33 pm.
Moonrise 1:54 a.m.
Moonset 12:55 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 4:38 am on May 18, 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.