Weather Briefing for Saturday, January 23, 2021

OUTLOOK

This is an abbreviated news and weather briefing.

Dry high pressure will move east across the Appalachians today through tonight before slipping off the East Coast on Sunday. Moisture will return to the region late Sunday through Sunday night as low pressure moves east from the southern Plains. The trailing cold front will cross the southeast Monday night, with dry high pressure briefly redeveloping mid-week. Another storm system may affect the southeast by Wednesday night before dry high pressure returns again through Friday.

News Highlights



• Rumor Control: If someone tells you the CDC has changed the way they test or classify COVID-19 Cases, you can fack check them by referring to the What's New Section of the CDC website, where new updates are listed in chronological order. [LINK]

• Macon County Reports Additional Death Related to COVID-19 [LINK]

• HCA Healthcare Helps Bring Surgical and Procedure PPE Mask Manufacturing to Asheville LINK]



• Macon County is registering people for COVID-19 Vaccination. [LINK]

• The Macon County Public Health is now in partnership with Macon County EMS and will be conducting COVID-19 testing and vaccinations Monday-Friday, 8:30am- 4:00pm at the Macon County Department of Public Health [LINK]

• Video and supporting documents from the January 2021 meeting of the Macon County Board of Commissioners [LINK]




---BEGIN SPONSOR SEGMENT---



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---


General forecast through Monday Night


Franklin area

Today

Sunny, with highs in the low-to-mid 50s. Winds out of the northwest around 5 mph in the morning becoming calm in the afternoon. Saturday Night Mostly clear, with lows around 30. Calm winds. Sunday A 30 percent chance of rain, mainly after 4pm. Partly sunny, with highs near 50. Calm winds. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible. Sunday Night A chance of showers before 11pm, then rain likely between 11pm and 3am, then showers likely after 3am. Mostly cloudy, with lows around 40. Calm winds. Chance of precipitation is 70%. Monday Showers likely, mainly after 2pm. Cloudy, with highs in the upper 50s. Chance of precipitation is 70%. Monday Night Showers, mainly before 1am. Low in the mid-to-upper 40s. Chance of precipitation is 90%.

Highlands area

Today

Sunny, with highs in the mid-40s. Winds out of the northwest winds 5 to 10 mph in the morning becoming light and variable in the afternoon. Saturday Night Mostly clear, with lows in the mid-20s. Calm winds increasing to come out of the southeast around 5 mph before midnight. Sunday A 20 percent chance of rain after 3pm. Mostly sunny, with highs near 40. Winds out of the southwest 5 to 10 mph. Sunday Night A chance of rain and snow before 9pm, then rain. Lows in the mid-30s. Winds out of the southwest 5 to 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%. Monday Rain before noon, then showers, mainly after noon. Highs in the lower 50s. Chance of precipitation is 90%. Monday Night Showers, mainly before 3am. Lows in the mid-40s. Chance of precipitation is 80%.

Otto area

Today

Sunny, with highs in the mid-50s. Winds out of the northwest around 5 mph in the morning becoming calm in the afternoon. Saturday Night Mostly clear, with lows around 30. Calm winds. Sunday A 20 percent chance of rain after 2pm. Partly sunny, with highs near 50. Winds out of the south 5 to 10 mph. Sunday Night Rain, mainly after 2am. Lows around 40. Winds out of the south 5 to 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%. Monday Rain before noon, then showers likely after noon. Highs in the upper 50s. Chance of precipitation is 80%. Monday Night Showers, mainly before 3am. Lows near 50. Chance of precipitation is 80%.

Nantahala area

Today

Sunny, with highs in the upper 40s. Winds out of the north 3 to 5 mph. Saturday Night Mostly clear, with lows around 30. Calm winds increasing to come out the southeast around 5 mph after midnight. Sunday A 20 percent chance of rain after 1pm. Partly sunny, with highs in the upper 40s. WInds out of the south around 5 mph. Sunday Night Rain, mainly after 2am. Lows around 40. WInds out of the south around 5 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%. Monday Rain before noon, then showers likely between noon and 4pm, then showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm after 4pm. Highs in the mid-50s. Chance of precipitation is 90%. Monday Night Showers, mainly before 2am. Lows in the upper 40s. Chance of precipitation is 90%.



HAZARDS

Hazardous weather is not anticipated today.





COVID-19 BRIEFING

Macon County Public Schools announced the latest COVID-19 positive cases in the school system. They are as follows: Iotla Valley Elementary School-1, Macon Early College-1, South Macon Elementary School-1, Cartoogechaye Elementary School-1, Mountain View Intermediate School-1, Franklin High School-1 and Macon Middle School-1. These individuals are currently under quarantine. Contact tracing is underway through the Macon County Health Department. Any student or staff member identified through the contact tracing will be notified. Macon County Schools will continue to work closely with the Macon County Health Department as they monitor this situation. Here are the latest COVID-19 Numbers and Demographics Report from Macon Public Health, along with a couple of charts by Macon Media to show you the long-term trends since April 17th. The health department has started releasing information about vaccine delivery, so those numbers will be included here also, as well as charted.

VACCINE DELIVERY
(The health department received its first shipment on December 30th)

Vaccines Given Friday 110
Current Inventory Friday 150
Total Vaccines Given 1591
(note--these numbers are on the day reported, not necessarily given since some shots may be given after the daily report is published)
Cases
(four weeks ago Friday was Chistmas, so no four week changes are included in today's update)

2499 Detected
(+33 from yesterday and +251 last Friday)

534 Active
(-30 from yesterday and -38 last Friday)

1947 Recovered
(+62 from yesterday and +255 last Friday)

18 Deaths
(+1 from yesterday and +1 from last Friday)

Testing

8480 by MCPH
+118 from yesterday and +242 from last Friday)

6680 by Others
(+58 from yesterday and +383 from last Friday)

15160 total
(+176 from yesterday and +625 from last Friday)

280 tests pending results
(+111 from yesterday and +111 from last Friday)

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 4:00am on Saturday, January 23, 2021

/>