Daily Weather Briefing for Tuesday, May 23, 2017

LOCAL OUTLOOK

A train of Gulf low-pressure systems will track through our area along a stalled front through tonight. As the front moves southeast, a broad area of showers and storms crosses our area Wednesday ahead of a closed upper low pressure. Expect temperatures to be below normal until the deep upper trough moves out before the start of the weekend. A drying trend will begin by the end of the work week and continue until the end of the weekend.


Weather Almanac for May 23rd (1872-2016)

Record weather events for this date in Macon County

Highest Temperature 89°F at the Coweeta Experimental Station in 1953
Lowest Temperature 33°F in Highlands in 2002
Greatest Rainfall 4.62 inches in Highlands in 1923
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, mostly before noon. Cloudy and rainy with highs near 70. Calm winds early, then from the southwest in the afternoon. Rainfall amounts between three-quarters and one inch are possible.

TONIGHT

Patchy fog overnight. Mostly cloudy with lows in the 50s and variable light winds. 60% chance of rain, with higher amounts possible in locations that see thunderstorm activity.



WEDNESDAY

Patchy fog, rainy and cloudy with highs near 70. Calm winds early, then 5 to 10 mph from the southwest by mid-morning. Rainfall amounts between three-quarters and one inch are possible, more in locations that see thunderstorms.

WEDNESDAY NIGHT

Mostly cloudy with lows near 50 and winds out of the northwest. 60% chance of rain.



THURSDAY

Mostly cloudy with highs in the 60s. 40% chance of showers and thunderstorms.

THURSDAY NIGHT

Mostly cloudy with lows near 50. 40% chance of showers, mainly before midnight.


HAZARDS

Thunderstorms are in the forecast today. Cloud-to-ground lightning and heavy rain will be the primary threats with these storms. Flooding could develop on small creeks and streams, in poorly drained areas, or in areas that see multiple rounds of heavy rainfall.

The National Weather Service is calling for periods of heavy rain today and tomorrow. Most of the flooding rains will occur to the south and east of Macon County.

Heavy rain with a potential for localized flooding is possible through tomorrow. Up to 2 to 4 inches is possible through Thursday afternoon. The National Weather Service has issued a Hazardous Weather Outlook for tomorrow and it is posted below for your convenience.

NWS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK

..WEDNESDAY...Severe weather with flash flooding possible. As a warm front lifts northward, unstable subtropical air will push into the area, leading to another round of thunderstorms. Strong winds in the upper atmosphere may allow a few of these storms to become severe, producing damaging winds and quarter-size hail. Intense rainfall may cause localized flash flooding, where soils remain saturated from rainfall earlier in the week.

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 23 at 4pm, Macon County Public Library

Facebook Privacy Settings

Level: Advanced Beginner.
Registration is required as space is limited. To register for this class, please visit the Reference Desk or call 524-3600.

Learn who can see your posts and how to control your privacy settings on Facebook. This class is for people who already have a Facebook account and want to have a better understanding of their privacy options. Participants will learn, 1. where to find their overall privacy settings and how to adjust them, 2. where to find the privacy settings for individual posts and how to adjust them. We will discuss what happens when you post things publicly, versus just for your friends, versus on other people's timelines. You will also learn how to deactivate your account (in case you ever want to take a break from Facebook), how to reactivate it, and how to close your account permanently. Participants will also learn where to find additional resources on Facebook privacy topics so that they can continue to be informed about their privacy choices in the ever-changing landscape of social media.

Tuesday, May 23 at 6 pm at Nantahala School - BOARD OF EDUCATION

The Macon County Board of Education will be meeting at Nantahala School at 213 Winding Stairs Rd in Topton, NC for this month's meeting instead of at the Central Offices in Franklin.


Wednesday, May 24th, 7:00 p.m. in the Macon County Public Library

Musical performance “Livin’ the Dream”

WCU Roadworks is an outreach program sponsored by the College of Fine and Performing Arts that presents free theatrical, music, film and visual arts events to organizations and communities throughout the region. The School of Music was chosen to present the program this year, utilizing the performing ensemble The Catamount Singers and Electric Soul. This group consists of four of the best singers from the School of Music.
Together, they have prepared a show entitled: “Livin’ the Dream.” The show consists of energetic modern pop tunes, Jazz standards, and classic rock and funk, all complete with impressive choreography. It will feature each of the singers, along with brief narrations about the School of Music and the arts at WCU.


Thursday, May 25– FRANKLIN BIRD CLUB - Jim and Ellen Shelton will lead a bird walk in the Stecoah area.

This will be one of our longer birding ventures. The drive to Stecoah is about an hour long. Birders may want to bring lunch or snacks–and of course, water. The planned return to Franklin is about 2:00 pm.

Meet at Bi-Lo parking area at 8:00 am to carpool. Sponsored by the Franklin Bird Club. Sign up at 828-524-5234.



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: 5:55 am
Sunrise: 6:24 am
Sunset 8:37 pm
Twilight Ends: 9:06 pm




Moon Phase: Waning Crescent with 7% of the Moon's visible disk illuminated.
Moonrise 5:00 a.m.
Moonset 6:13 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]

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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.

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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 4:28 am on May 23, 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.