Daily Weather Briefing for Wednesday, May 24, 2017

LOCAL NEWS

The Macon County Board of Education met last night at Nantahala School. Video of that meeting is on the blog. [LINK]

LOCAL OUTLOOK

An area of low pressure to our west will pull a warm front northward through the area today. Unstable conditions south of the front will lead to showers and thunderstorms producing heavy rain. A few more showers may occur Thursday before drier and warmer conditions return to end the work week.


Weather Almanac for May 24th (1872-2016)

Record weather events for this date in Macon County

Highest Temperature 90°F in Franklin in 1953
Lowest Temperature 31°F in Highlands in 1931
Greatest Rainfall 2.20 inches in Franklin in 1880
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 Severe thunderstorms are possible in the afternoon

Patchy fog before noon. Mostly cloudy with highs in the mid to upper-60s. Light winds from the southeast shifting to 5 to 10 mph out of the south in the afternoon. Near 100% chance of rain with rainfall amounts between a half and three-quarters of an inch expected. Severe thunderstorms are possible, mainly between noon and 6 pm.

TONIGHT

Mostly cloudy with lows near 50 and winds out of the west calming before midnight. 60% chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly before midnight. Rainfall amounts between a tenth and a quarter of an inch expected.



THURSDAY

Partly sunny with highs near the mid-60s. Light winds out of the northwest are expected to rise to 5 to 10 mph out of the west by mid-morning. Wind gusts could be in the 20 mph range. 40% chance of showers.

THURSDAY NIGHT

Partly cloudy with lows near 50. A slight chance of rain before midnight.



FRIDAY

Sunny with highs near 80.

FRIDAY NIGHT

Partly cloudy with lows in the mid to upper-50s.


HAZARDS

Thunderstorms are in the forecast today, some of them, mainly in the afternoon or early evening, could be severe. Please keep an eye on the skies. Cloud-to-ground lightning, damaging winds, and hail 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 that will accompany any thunderstorms.

Most of the flooding rains and severe weather will occur to the south and east of Macon County. There is a bit of uncertainty about where these storms will form, and we're within the area where computer models say storms will form.


NWS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK

..TODAY...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.



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 (not updated due to time constraints)

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]

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.

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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 4:58 am on May 24, 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.