Daily Weather Briefing for Saturday, March 14, 2020

Outlook

A disturbance passing through the region will support increasing shower chances later today into tonight. High pressure will wedge east of the mountains Sunday into Monday, supporting below normal temperatures and a gradual decrease in shower activity. A reinforcing wedge is expected for the middle part of next week with unsettled weather continuing at times.

March 2020 County Commissioner Meeting

The video of the entire meeting of the Macon County Board of Commissioners regular meeting for March 2020 has been published. [LINK]


Corona Virus Updates for March 14, 2020

Editor's Note: The goal of these updates is to provide accurate and complete information from official sources as possible. When the President, Governor, or other public officials make statements that can be accessed via video and/or transcripts, this information will be shared in these daily updates. Links to authoritative information and dashboards will also be shared. The original"Resources for Reliable Information about the Corona Virus (COVID-19)" article posted on March 10th is still a good resource to websites that are constantly updated. More will be added to that article as they are brought to my attention. [LINK]

The main thing to remember is not to panic. You should create a plan for you and your family on how you're going to get through this thing. A good place to start is the CDC webpage "Resources for Home: Plan, prepare, and respond to Coronavirus Disease 2019" [LINK]

--Bobby
4 am on March 14, 2020


Presidential Adress, March 12th [VIDEO/TRANSCRIPT]

President Declares National Emergency, March 13th [VIDEO/TRANSCRIPT]

Corona Virus (COVID-19) Guidance from NCDHHS

Number of Cases

County	Presumptive	Confirmed	Total
Mecklenburg	1	0	1
Cabarrus	1	0	1
Forsyth	2	0	2
Chatham	1	0	1
Durham	1	0	1
Wake	7	1	8
Johnston	1	0	1
NC TOTALS	14	1	15

NCDHHS
NC Dept of Health & Human Services
Raleigh
March 12, 2020
(minor grammatical changes added by Macon Media)

As the number of cases of COVID-19 rise in North Carolina and the United States, and with the designation of COVID-19 as a pandemic by the World Health Organization, the state is responding with a whole government response. COVID-19 is a new infection that is particularly severe in older persons and those with medical conditions, such as heart disease, lung disease, diabetes, and weakened immune systems.

At this time there are no approved treatments and no vaccine to prevent it. However, there are known methods to reduce and slow the spread of infection. Individuals can practice everyday prevention measures like frequent hand washing, staying home when sick, and covering coughs and sneezes. Community-based interventions can also help slow the spread of COVID-19. This includes measures collectively known as “social distancing.” Social distancing measures aim to reduce the frequency of contact and increase the physical distance between persons, thereby reducing the risks of person-to-person transmission. These measures are most effective when implemented early in an epidemic. We are at a critical inflection point where we may have the opportunity to slow the spread of this epidemic by taking proactive steps now.

NC DHHS is making the following recommendations to reduce the spread of infection while we are still in an early stage in order to protect lives and avoid strain on our health care system. NC DHHS is making these recommendations for the next 30 days and will re-assess at that point.

The following recommendations pertain to persons statewide.

1. SYMPTOMATIC PERSONS

If you need medical care and have been diagnosed with COVID-19 or suspect you might have COVID-19, call ahead and tell your health care provider you have or may have COVID-19. This will allow them to take steps to keep other people from getting exposed. NC DHHS recommends that persons experiencing fever and cough should stay at home and not go out until their symptoms have completely resolved.

2. HIGH-RISK PERSONS WITHOUT SYMPTOMS

NC DHHS recommends that people at high risk of severe illness from COVID-19 should stay at home to the extent possible to decrease the chance of infection.

People at high risk include people:

Over 65 years of age, or with underlying health conditions including heart disease, lung disease, or diabetes, or with weakened immune systems.

3. CONGREGATE LIVING FACILITIES

NC DHHS recommends that all facilities that serve as residential establishments for high-risk persons described above should restrict visitors. Exceptions should include end of life care or other emergent situations determined by the facility to necessitate a visit. If visitation is allowed, the visitor should be screened and restricted if they have a respiratory illness or potential exposure to COVID-19. Facilities are encouraged to implement social distancing measures and perform temperature and respiratory symptom screening of residents and staff. These establishments include settings such as nursing homes, independent and assisted living facilities, correction facilities, and facilities that care for medically vulnerable children.

4. SCHOOLS

We do not recommend pre-emptive school closure at this time but do recommend that schools and childcare centers cancel or reduce large events and gatherings (e.g., assemblies) and field trips, limit inter-school interactions, and consider distance or e-learning in some settings. Students at high risk should implement individual plans for distance or e-learning. School dismissals may be necessary when staff or student absenteeism impacts the ability to remain open. Short-term closures may also be necessary to facilitate public health investigation and/or cleaning if a case is diagnosed in a student or staff member.

5. WORKPLACE

NC DHHS recommends that employers and employees use teleworking technologies to the greatest extent possible, stagger work schedules, and consider canceling non-essential travel. Workplaces should hold larger meetings virtually, to the extent possible. Additionally, employers should arrange the workspace to optimize the distance between employees, ideally at least six feet apart. Employers should urge high-risk employees to stay home and urge employees to stay home when they are sick and maximize flexibility in sick leave benefits.

6. MASS GATHERINGS, COMMUNITY, AND SOCIAL EVENTS

NC DHHS recommends that organizers of events that draw more than 100 people should cancel, postpone, modify these events or offer online streaming services. These events include large gatherings where people are in close contact (less than 6 feet), for example, concerts, conferences, sporting events, faith-based events, and other large gatherings.

7. MASS TRANSIT

Mass transit operators should maximize opportunities for cleaning and disinfection of frequently touched surfaces. People should avoid using mass transit (e.g. buses, trains) while sick.

Macon County Public Health Update, March 10th



- Carmine Rocco, Interim Health Director
- Jennifer Garrett, Public Health Nursing Supervisor


Recent Meeting Videos Delayed

Thanks to an assist from the folks at Wired, the video editing computer is back up and videos should be forthcoming. Thanks to everyone who has been patient and thanks to the donor who has made it possible to have a new video editing computer built that will be in service soon.


Public Safety Log
(this section is temporarily deprecated until I get caught up with videos from past meetings.



THREE DAY GFS FORECAST
The maps have been switched from showing the eastern United States to the Western Atlantic Region in anticipation of warmer weather when our weather pattern is more susceptible to being impacted by what happens in the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico.

This animated image shows a forecast of precipitation, air pressure and thickness level (cold-air damming) for three days in six-hour increments.
Green, Yellow, and Red indicate rain. Orange and Purple Indicate Freezing Rain or other freezing precipitation. Blue indicates snow.



The next one shows the forecast for rain in 24hour totals over the next few days.



And this one shows the forecast for surface pressure (in mb) and winds at 10 metres (30 feet) over the same time period.

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WEATHER SPONSOR



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Weather Hazards

Hazardous Weather is not expected.

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WEATHER FORECAST MAPS

Forecast maps for 7 am, 1 pm, and 7 pm.
[click on any image in this article to enlarge]

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FRANKLIN AREA FORECAST

Today

A 50 percent chance of rain, mainly after 9am. Cloudy, with highs in the upper 50s. Calm windin the morning increasing to come out of the southeast around 5 mph in the afternoon. New precipitation amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch possible.

Tonight

Rain likely, mainly after 2am. Patchy fog between midnight and 2am. Otherwise, mostly cloudy, with lows around 50. Light winds out of the southeast. The chance of precipitation is 60%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible.

Sunday

Rain likely before 8am, then showers likely, mainly between 8am and 3pm. Cloudy, with highs near 60. Calm winds. The chance of precipitation is 60%. New precipitation amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch possible.

Sunday Night

A 40 percent chance of showers. Cloudy, with lows in the mid-40s. Calm winds.

Monday

A chance of showers before 2pm, then a slight chance of showers after 3pm. Mostly cloudy, with highs in the upper 50s. The chance of precipitation is 30%.

Monday Night

A 40 percent chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with lows in the mid-40s.

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OTTO AREA FORECAST


Today

A 50 percent chance of rain, mainly after 9am. Cloudy, with highs in the mid-to-upper 50s. Winds out of the southeast 5 to 10 mph. New precipitation amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch possible.

Tonight

Rain likely, mainly after 2am. Patchy fog between 1am and 2am. Otherwise, mostly cloudy, with lows around 50. Winds out of the south 3 to 5 mph. The chance of precipitation is 60%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible.

Sunday

Rain likely before 8am, then showers likely after 8am. Cloudy, with highs in the upper 50s. Calm winds. The chance of precipitation is 60%. New precipitation amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch possible.

Sunday Night

A 50 percent chance of showers. Cloudy, with lows in the mid-40s. Light winds out of the southeast.

Monday

A chance of showers before 2pm, then a slight chance of showers after 3pm. Mostly cloudy, with highs in the mid-50s. The chance of precipitation is 30%.

Monday Night

A 40 percent chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with lows in the mid-40s.

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HIGHLANDS PLATEAU FORECAST


Today

A 50 percent chance of rain, mainly after 9am. Cloudy, with highs near 50. Winds out of the southeast 5 to 10 mph. New precipitation amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch possible.

Tonight

Rain likely, mainly after 1am. Patchy fog between 4am and 5am. Otherwise, mostly cloudy, with lows in the mid-40s. Winds out of the southwest 5 to 10 mph. The chance of precipitation is 60%. New precipitation amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch possible.

Sunday

Showers likely. Cloudy, with highs in the lower 50s. Winds out of the southwest 3 to 6 mph. The chance of precipitation is 60%. New precipitation amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch possible.

Sunday Night

A 50 percent chance of showers. Cloudy, with lows around 40. Winds out of the southeast 3 to 6 mph.

Monday

A 30 percent chance of showers, mainly before noon. Mostly cloudy, with highs in the mid-40s.

Monday Night

A 50 percent chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with lows around 40.

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NANTAHALA AREA FORECAST


Today

Rain likely, mainly after 11am. Cloudy, with highs in the mid-50s. Winds out of the south 5 to 10 mph. The chance of precipitation is 60%. New precipitation amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch possible.

Tonight

Rain likely, mainly after 9pm. Patchy fog before 2am, then patchy fog after 4am. Otherwise, cloudy, with lows around 50. Winds out of the southwest 5 to 10 mph. The chance of precipitation is 70%. New precipitation amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch possible.

Sunday

Showers likely. Patchy fog before 8am. Otherwise, cloudy, with highs in the mid-to-upper 50s. Light winds out of the northwest. The chance of precipitation is 70%. New precipitation amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch possible.

Sunday Night

A 40 percent chance of showers. Cloudy, with lows in the mid-40s. Calm winds.

Monday

A slight chance of showers before 1pm, then a slight chance of showers after 3pm. Mostly cloudy, with highs in the mid-50s. The chance of precipitation is 20%.

Monday Night

A 40 percent chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with lows in the mid-40s.



Published at 5:00am on Saturday, March 14, 2020