LOCAL NEWS
As of 4 am, here are the school listings:
Macon County Schools - Nantahala District are closed with an optional teacher workday
Macon County Schools - Highlands District are on a one hour delay with no buses on icy roads
I expect the decision for the Franklin district to be made sometime after 5 am.
**5:07 am** Macon County School - Franklin district are closed.
Jackson County Schools are closed with an optional teachers workday
Graham County Schools are closed with an optional teachers workday
Swain County Schools are closed with an optional teachers workday
The North Carolina Public Utilities Commission held a public hearing last night on a request for a rate increase by Duke Energy Carolinas, LLC. Video of the hearing has been added to the blog. [LINK]
LOCAL OUTLOOK
A cold front will cross the area tonight. This front will usher in a quick shot of cold air, with snow likely across the forecast area later tonight into early Wednesday. High pressure will slide off the East Coast by Friday, allowing a warming trend for the end of the week.
WEATHER SPONSOR
Adams Products, a Division of Oldcastle is underwriting the daily weather briefing & public safety updates for the month.
Open 7:30 AM to 4:00 PM, M-F, located at 895 Hickory Knoll Road, Franklin, NC. Visit our Facebook page at:
All your masonry needs are available. Phone number is 828.524.8545, public is welcome, we’ll help with your with your next project.
Weather Almanac for January 17th (1872-2016)
Record weather events for this date in Macon County
Highest Temperature 72°F at the Coweeta Experimental Station in 1943
Lowest Temperature -5°F in Franklin in 1982
Greatest Rainfall 3.00 inches in Highlands in 2006
Greatest One-Day Snowfall 4.0 inches in Franklin in 1985
Record weather events for January in Macon County
Highest Temperature 78°F at the Coweeta Experimental Station on Jan 28, 1999
Lowest Temperature -19°F in Highlands on Jan 21, 1985
Greatest Rainfall 4.30 inches in Nantahala on Jan 23, 1971
Greatest One-Day Snowfall 14.0 inches in Franklin on Jan 21, 1877
THREE DAY OUTLOOK
TODAY Cold Wave and Dangerous Wind Chills
Mostly cloudy with decreasing cloud cover, becoming mostly clear by the end of the day. Highs will range from the mid-to-upper teens at the higher elevations to the mid-20s in the lower elevations. Winds 5 to 15 mph out of the northwest, gusting into the 20 to 30 mph range. Wind speeds will be peaking between 2 pm and 6 pm. New snow accumulation less than an inch expected. Wind chill values will start out in the single digits in the morning and only reach the teens in the afternoon in the lower elevation.
TONIGHT Cold Wave
Clear skies with lows ranging from near zero at the higher elevations to around 10 in the lower elevations. Wind chills may be up to 5 degrees or so colder, Winds will be out 5 to 10 mph of the northwest.
THURSDAY
Sunny with highs ranging from the mid-30s at the higher elevations to the low to mid-40s in the lower elevations. Winds out of the northwest before noon, then becoming light and variable. Relative humidity values wil drop below 30% in the afternoon hours, so please be careful about outdoor burning.
THURSDAY NIGHT
Clear skies with lows ranging from the mid-teens at the higher elevations to near 20 in the lower elevations. Light winds out of the northwest.
FRIDAY
Sunny with highs ranging from the mid-40s at the higher elevations to near 50 in the lower elevations.
FRIDAY NIGHT
Mostly clear with lows ranging from the upper teens at the higher elevations to the mid-20s in the lower elevations.
GOES 16 GeoColor - Infrared Loop
12:52 am to 3:47 am
HAZARDS
Hazardous weather is expected today. A dusting of snow to a couple of inches has fallen across the county overnight, making areas roads slick. The NCDOT has been out treating the main roads and will begin to work the secondary and tertiary roads once those are clear. Temperatures are likely to remain below freezing for much of the county until around noon tomorrow.
The National Weather Service has issued a Hazardous Weather Outlook regarding today and tomorrow. It is posted below for your convenience:
NWS Hazardous Weather Outlook
..TODAY...Winter weather likely. See Winter Weather Advisory posted below for more information.
..THURSDAY...Black ice possible. With temperatures below freezing early Thursday morning, any residual water on roadways and elevated surfaces will likely refreeze, affecting travel conditions for Thursday`s morning commute.
***Winter Weather Advisory***
URGENT - WINTER WEATHER MESSAGE
National Weather Service Greenville-Spartanburg SC
948 PM EST Tue Jan 16 2018
...SNOW AND BLACK ICE EXPECTED ACROSS PARTS OF THE WESTERN CAROLINAS AND NORTHEAST GEORGIA TONIGHT AND WEDNESDAY MORNING...
.A strong cold front will cross the region through tonight. A band of mainly light precipitation and quickly falling temperatures will accompany the front as it passes. Although the precipitation begin as rain in many areas, it should quickly mix with and change to light snow. In addition to the snow accumulations, quickly falling temperatures may allow the snow to stick, and/or any water on untreated roads to quickly freeze, resulting in numerous travel problems early Wednesday, including during the morning rush. The snow should end from west to east by Wednesday afternoon, although cold temperatures continuing through the day are expected to result in only gradual improvement to road conditions.
...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY NOW IN EFFECT UNTIL 10 AM EST WEDNESDAY...
* WHAT...Snow occurring and black ice likely. Plan on slippery road conditions, including during the morning commute on Wednesday. Additional snow accumulations of 1 to 3 inches are expected.
* WHERE...The mountains of northeast Georgia and western North Carolina.
* WHEN...Until 10 AM EST Wednesday.
* ADDITIONAL DETAILS...While many locations in the lower valleys may see less than an inch of snow accumulation, very cold temperatures surging into the area will result in residual moisture rapidly freezing on roads and other surfaces. High temperatures will be well below freezing tomorrow, so any improvement in road conditions will be slow. Cold wind chills as low as 10 below zero will cause frostbite in as little as 30 minutes to exposed skin tonight through tomorrow.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
A Winter Weather Advisory for snow means periods of snow will cause primarily travel difficulties. Be prepared for snow covered roads and limited visibilities, and use caution while driving.
Please report snow and ice accumulations by calling the National Weather Service toll free at...1...800...2 6 7...8 1 0 1. Leave a message with your observation and the specific location where it occurred. You can also post your report to National Weather Service Greenville Spartanburg Facebook or tweet your report using hashtag nwsgsp.
Stay tuned to NOAA Weather Radio or your favorite source of weather information for the latest updates. Additional details can be found at www.weather.gov/gsp.
Macon Media maintains a Severe Weather Preparedness Page at http://thunderpigblog.blogspot.com/p/breaking-news-hub.html for those who are interested.
As always, you can check to see what advisories, watches, and warnings are in effect for Macon County by visiting http://is.gd/MACONWARN
GOES-16 ABI CONUS - 11.20 um (Rainfall)
Image Produced at 03:52 am
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. If you want text published, please include a paragraph with your photo, flyer or graphics. Please include date(s) and time(s).
There is no charge for civic, educational or nonprofit groups, except for groups or events that receive funding from the TDA, TDC, and EDC, where full rates apply.
National Alliance on Mental Illness
Appalachian South
Meets each Thursday at 7pm
The First Methodist Church Outreach Center
at the intersection of Harrison Ave. and West Main Street
(directly across from Lazy Hiker Brewery)
Come join our weekly support group for anyone suffering from mental illness and their family or friends. This includes Depression, Bipolar,8chizophrenia, PTSD, Substance Abuse, Etc.
Here you will find:
— others living with mental health challenges YOU ARE NOT ALONE
- learn coping skills and ?find hope in shared experience
- help learning how to break down stigma and guilt surrounding mental health
- how to live life with the expectation of a better a better future
Kay (706)970-9987 Denise (828)347-5000)
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.
Sun and Moon
Sun
Begin civil twilight 7:13 a.m.
Sunrise 7:41 a.m.
Sun transit 12:44 p.m.
Sunset 5:47 p.m.
End civil twilight 6:14 p.m.
Moon
Moonrise 7:58 a.m.
Moon transit 1:13 p.m.
Moonset 6:30 p.m.
Phase of the Moon on January 17, 2018: Waxing Crescent with 0% of the Moon's visible disk illuminated.
Closest Primary Moon Phase: New Moon on January 16, 2018 at 9:17 p.m. (local standard time)
Sky Guides for this week
Sky and Telescope Magazine
Astronomy Magazine
There will be three solar and two lunar eclipses in 2018. [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. Macon Media rewards early sponsors/underwriters with lifetime guaranteed low rates while newer sponsors/underwriters pay higher rates based on the date they first support Macon Media.
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
Posted at 4:13 am on January 17, 2018
#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.
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