News and Weather Briefing for Thursday, October 15, 2020

OUTLOOK

Developing southerly flow ahead of the next cold front will support scattered showers tonight into Friday. Much colder air will filter in behind the front early this weekend with frost possible across the mountains. The Bermuda High will nose into the region early next week, supporting a rebound in temperatures to slightly above normal.








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: https://www.facebook.com/Adams.Oldcastle.Franklin.NC/

All your masonry needs are available. Our phone number is 828.524.8545, the public is welcome, we’ll help you with your next project.


--- END SPONSOR SEGMENT---



News Brief


Today is the first day of early voting. The locations to do so are at the Robert C Carpenter Building located at 1288 Georgia Road and at the Highlands Civic Center located at 600 N 4th Street. Hours are from 8am to 7:30pm, Monday through Friday. The first two Saturdays from 8am to 8pm, and from 8am to 3pm on Saturday, October 31st, the last day of early voting.

The NC State Board of Election reminds us that voter intimidation is against the law [LINK] 

Possible COVID-19 exposures at weekend volleyball game [LINK]

The Macon County Board of Commissioners met last night for their regular October meeting. A livestreamed video is available on MaconMedia.com and on Facebook.

The Commissioners voted 5-0 to contract with Kim Carpenter, the County Attorney of Swain County, at a rate of $200 per hour to fill in as interim county attorney for Macon County for a period not more than 60 days beginning on November 1st. The current county attorney, Chester Jones, will be retiring on October 31st. [LINK]



Here are the latest COVID-19 Numbers and Demographics Report from Macon Public Health, along with a chart to show you the long-term trends since May 30, 2020, when the health department started releasing numbers to the public.


Cases

701 Detected
(+2 from Tuesday and +32 from last Wednesday and +118 in four weeks)

30 Active
(-2 from Tuesday and -2 from last Wednesday and +21 in four weeks)

664 Recovered
(+4from Tuesday and +34 from last Wednesday and +109 in four weeks)

7 Deaths
(unchanged from Tuesday and unchanged from last Wednesday and unchanged in four weeks)

Testing

6020 by MCPH
(+52 from Tuesday and +149 from last Wednesday and +713in four weeks)

2448 by others
(+2 from Tuesday and +121 from last Wednesday and +434 in four weeks)

8468 in total
(+54 from Tuesday and +276 from last Wednesday and +1147 in four weeks)

131 tests pending results
(+60 from Tuesday and +50 from last Wednesday and +80 in four weeks)

General forecast through Thursday night


Today

Partly sunny, with highs ranging from the mid-60s in the higher elevations to the mid-70s in the lower elevations. Calm winds in the morning increasing to come out of the southwest 5 to 10 mph in the afternoon.

Tonight

A 30 percent chance of showers, mainly after 5am. Partly cloudy, with lows ranging from the low-to-mid 40s in the higher elevations to the lower 50s in the lower elevations. Light and variable winds.

Friday

A 30 percent chance of showers, mainly between 10am and 5pm. Partly sunny, with highs ranging from the upper 50s in the higher elevations to the mid-60s in the lower elevations. Calm winds in the morning increasing to come out of the northwest around 5 mph in the afternoon. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible.

Friday Night

Mostly clear, with lows in the lower 30s in the higher elevations and near 40 in the lower elevations. Winds out of the northwest5 to 7 mph becoming calm before midnight.

Saturday

Sunny, with highs ranging from the mid-to-upper 50s in the higher elevations to the mid-60s in the lower elevations. Calm winds.

Saturday Night

Mostly clear, with lows mostly in the 30s with a few locations in the lower elevations managing to stay above the 30s overnight.



HAZARDS

Canadian high pressure building into the area this weekend may support frost and high elevation freeze conditions Friday night into early Saturday morning. Frost could develop again Saturday night in some of the area as well.



Air Quality

Air quality is in the middle range of green today for all elevations.

Pollen

Pollen levels are expected to be low-medium (3.6 out of 12) with ragweed, chenopods, and grasses being the main culprits. Tomorrow is expected to drop into the low range (2.1 out of 12).


Weather Extremes for Macon County for October 15th

Highest Temperature 84°F in Franklin in 1950
Lowest Temperature 23°F in Highlands in 1988
Greatest One-Day Rainfall 8.25 inches in Highlands in 1914 Greatest One-Day Snowfall (no snowfall has been recorded on this date since records began in 1872 

TROPICAL WEATHER
(The North Atlantic Hurricane Season runs from June 1st to Nov 30th)

Tropical Weather Outlook
NWS National Hurricane Center Miami FL
200 AM EDT Thu Oct 15 2020

For the North Atlantic...Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico:

1. A weak area of low pressure near the Lesser Antilles continues to produce a large area of disorganized showers and thunderstorms, well to the east of its center. Strong upper-level winds are expected to continue to inhibit development while the system moves west-northwestward over the next couple of days. Regardless of development, the system could produce locally heavy rainfall across portions of the Lesser Antilles, the Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico over the next few days.

* Formation chance through 48 hours...low...10 percent.
* Formation chance through 5 days...low...10 percent.


2. A broad non-tropical low pressure system is expected to form over the weekend several hundred miles east-southeast of Bermuda. Some slow development will be possible thereafter into early next week while the system moves southwestward and then westward, passing about midway between Bermuda and the northern Lesser Antilles.

* Formation chance through 48 hours...low...near 0 percent.
* Formation chance through 5 days...low...20 percent.


3. A broad area of low pressure could form by early next week over the southwestern Caribbean Sea. Some gradual development of the system will be possible thereafter while it moves slowly west-northwestward.

* Formation chance through 48 hours...low...near 0 percent.
* Formation chance through 5 days...low...20 percent.






CROWDFUNDING 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. Those who support Macon Media with at least a dollar a month receive early access to video of some events and meetings before they are made public on the website. Videos and news involving public safety are not subject to early access.



Become a Patron!


Or, if you prefer Pay Pal, try PayPal.me/MaconMedia



Published at 5:00am Thuresday, October 15, 2020