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Sunday, February 28, 2021

Weather Briefing for Sunday, February 28, 2021



OUTLOOK

A warm front will lift northward across the region today. A cold front will approach the southern Appalachians from the northwest tonight and then cross the area on Monday. Dry high pressure will build over from the north as the high center moves from the Great Lakes to the Mid-Atlantic coast Monday night into Tuesday. Unsettled weather returns from the west Tuesday night into Wednesday morning. Another low pressure system may affect the southeast Friday into Saturday.


---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---


News Highlights

• The Macon County Board of Commissioners held a special called meeting to to consider postponing the Macon Middle School Renovation Project to evaluate alternative plans related to Macon Middle School/Macon Middle School Campus. After a presentation by Commissioner Young and an hour-long discussion, commissioners voted 3-2 to continue with scehuled renovations instead. Higdon and Young voted against. [LINK] • The latest local COVID-19 numbers, charts, and tables have been posted [LINK]

• Macon County Board of Education - February 2021 Regular Meeting [LINK]

• Macon County Board of Commissioners - February 2021 Regular Meeting [LINK]

• Franklin Town Council - February 2021 Regular Meeting [LINK]

• President Orders Flags to be Flown at Half Staff to Remember the 500,000 Americans Lost to COVID-19 - National Cathedral Bell Tolling [LINK]

• NC Governor Orders Flags Lowered Until Sunset Feb 26th in Remembrance of More than 500,000 Americans Lost to COVID-19 [LINK]

• The latest local COVID-19 numbers, charts, and tables have been posted [LINK]

• Annual 4-H Plant Sales for 2021 Announced [LINK]



National Weather Map for Today



General forecast through Tuesday Night


Franklin area

Franklin area

Today

A slight chance of showers before 11am, then a slight chance of showers after 2pm. Mostly cloudy, with highs near 70. Winds out of the southwest 5 to 10 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%. Tonight Showers, mainly after 2am. Patchy fog after 5am. Lows in the lower 50s. Winds out of the south 5 to 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New precipitation amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible. Monday Showers, mainly before 1pm. Patchy fog before 8am. Highs near 60. Winds out of the northwest winds 5 to 10 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New precipitation amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch possible. Monday Night Mostly cloudy, with lows in the mid-30s. Winds out of the northwest 5 to 10 mph becoming calm after midnight. Tuesday A 30 percent chance of rain, mainly after 4pm. Partly sunny, with highs in the mid-50s. Tuesday Night Rain likely before midnight, then showers, mainly after midnight. Lows in the mid-30s. Chance of precipitation is 80%.

Highlands area

Today

A 40 percent chance of showers, mainly after 2pm. Patchy fog between 11am and 1pm. Otherwise, mostly cloudy, with highs near 60. Winds out of the southwest 5 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible. Tonight Showers, mainly after 2am. Patchy fog after 1am. Steady temperature in the mid-50s. Winds out of the southwest 10 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New precipitation amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible. Monday Showers, mainly before 1pm. Patchy fog before 8am. High in the mid-50s. Winds out of the northwest 10 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 30 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New precipitation amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible. Monday Night Mostly cloudy, with lows around 30. Winds out of he north 5 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph. Tuesday A 30 percent chance of rain, mainly after 4pm. Partly sunny, with highs in the low-to-mid 40s. Tuesday Night Rain showers, snow, freezing rain, and sleet likely before 2am, then rain showers. Lows around freezing. Chance of precipitation is 80%.

Otto area

Today

A 30 percent chance of showers, mainly after 3pm. Mostly cloudy, with highs near 70. Winds out of the southwest 5 to 10 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph. Tonight Showers, mainly after 2am. Patchy fog after 5am. Lows in the lower 50s. Winds out of the southwest 5 to 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New precipitation amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible. Monday Showers, mainly before 1pm. Patchy fog before 8am. Highs near 60. Winds out of the northwest 5 to 10 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New precipitation amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch possible. Monday Night Mostly cloudy, with lows in the mid-30s. Winds out of the northwest 5 to 10 mph. Tuesday A 30 percent chance of rain, mainly after 3pm. Partly sunny, with highs in the lower 50s. Tuesday Night Rain likely before midnight, then showers, mainly after midnight. Lows in the mid-30s. Chance of precipitation is 80%.

Nantahala area

Today

A slight chance of showers before 7am, then a slight chance of showers after 8am. Mostly cloudy, with highs in the upper 60s. Winds out of the southwest 5 to 10 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%. Tonight Showers, mainly after 1am. Patchy fog after 5am. Lows around 50. Winds out of the southwest 5 to 10 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90%. New precipitation amounts between a half and three quarters of an inch possible. Monday Showers, mainly before 1pm. Patchy fog before 8am. High in the mid-50s. Winds out of the northwest 5 to 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New precipitation amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible. Monday Night Mostly cloudy, with lows in the mid-30s. Winds out of the northwest 5 to 10 mph becoming calm after midnight. Tuesday A 30 percent chance of rain, mainly after 4pm. Partly sunny, with highs near 50. Tuesday Night Rain likely before midnight, then showers, mainly after midnight. Lows in the upper 30s. Chance of precipitation is 80%.



HAZARDS

Hazardous weather is not excpected today.

Heavy rain showers are expected to develop on tonight and linger into Monday morning as a cold front crosses the region. The rain could be sufficient for isolated flooding to develop in some locations, especially across the far southern mountains of western North Carolina.



Air Quality




Air quality is in the upper range of green for most of the county, including the ridges and other higher elevations today.

Pollen

Pollen levels are expected to be in the low-medium range (8.9 out of 12) today with Alder and Maple being the main culprits. Tomorrow is expected to be much higher, in the medium-high range (3.2 out of 12).


Weather Extremes for Macon County on February 27th


Highest Temperature 79°F at the Coweeta Experimental Station in 1996
Lowest Temperature 6°F in Highlands in 1963
Greatest One-Day Rain 4.00 inches in Highlands in 1913
Greatest One-Day Snowfall 6.0 inches in Nantahala in 1982


February Weather Extremes for Macon County

Highest Temperature 79°F at the Coweeta Experimental Station on Feb 28, 1996
Lowest Temperature -19°F in Highlands on Feb 13, 1899
Greatest One-Day Rain 6.37 inches at the Coweeta Experimental Station on Feb 13, 1966
Greatest One-Day Snowfall 15.0 inches in Highlands on Feb 14, 1912 


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 4:30am on Sunday, February 28, 2021



Saturday, February 27, 2021

Weather Briefing for Saturday, February 27, 2021



OUTLOOK

A relatively dry cold front crosses our region from the northwest late tonight and Thursday, then stall to our south setting up an active weather pattern through the weekend. Waves of low pressure will cross from west to east into the start of next week. Expect dry high pressure to build over our area later next week.


---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---


News Highlights

• The Macon County Board of Commissioners held a special called meeting to to consider postponing the Macon Middle School Renovation Project to evaluate alternative plans related to Macon Middle School/Macon Middle School Campus. After a presentation by Commissioner Young and an hour-long discussion, commissioners voted 3-2 to continue with scehuled renovations instead. Higdon and Young voted against. [LINK] • The latest local COVID-19 numbers, charts, and tables have been posted [LINK]

• Macon County Board of Education - February 2021 Regular Meeting [LINK]

• Macon County Board of Commissioners - February 2021 Regular Meeting [LINK]

• Franklin Town Council - February 2021 Regular Meeting [LINK]

• President Orders Flags to be Flown at Half Staff to Remember the 500,000 Americans Lost to COVID-19 - National Cathedral Bell Tolling [LINK]

• NC Governor Orders Flags Lowered Until Sunset Feb 26th in Remembrance of More than 500,000 Americans Lost to COVID-19 [LINK]

• The latest local COVID-19 numbers, charts, and tables have been posted [LINK]

• Annual 4-H Plant Sales for 2021 Announced [LINK]



National Weather Map for Today



General forecast through Monday Night


Franklin area

Today

A 30 percent chance of showers, mainly before 8am. Patchy fog before 10am. Otherwise, mostly cloudy, with highs near 70. Winds out of the southwest 5 to 10 mph. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible.

Tonight

A 20 percent chance of showers after 1am. Patchy fog after 5am. Otherwise, mostly cloudy, with lows in the mid-50s. Light winds out of the southeast.

Sunday

A 40 percent chance of showers. Patchy fog before 8am. Otherwise, mostly cloudy, with highs near 70. Winds out of the southwest 5 to 10 mph. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible.

Sunday Night

Showers, mainly after 10pm. Low in the lower 50s. Winds out of the south around 5 mph shifting to come out of the northwest after midnight. Chance of precipitation is 90%.

Monday

Showers likely, mainly before noon. Cloudy, with highs near 60. Chance of precipitation is 70%.

Monday Night

Mostly cloudy, with lows in the mid-30s.

Highlands area

Today

A 30 percent chance of showers, mainly before 8am. Patchy fog between 7am and 10am. Otherwise, mostly cloudy, with highs near 60. Winds out of the southwest 5 to 10 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible.

Tonight

A 30 percent chance of showers, mainly after 2am. Patchy fog after 4am. Otherwise, mostly cloudy, with lows around 50. Winds out of the southwest 5 to 10 mph. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible.

Sunday

A 40 percent chance of showers. Patchy fog before 8am. Otherwise, cloudy, with highs near 60. Winds out of the southwest 10 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible.

Sunday Night

Showers, mainly after midnight. Lows in the upper 40s. Winds out of the southwest 5 to 10 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90%.

Monday

Showers, mainly before noon. Highs in the mid-50s. Chance of precipitation is 80%.

Monday Night

Mostly cloudy, with lows around freezing.

Otto area

Today

A 30 percent chance of showers, mainly before 8am. Patchy fog before 10am. Otherwise, mostly cloudy, with highs in the upper 60s. Winds out of the southwest around 5 mph. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible.

Tonight

A 30 percent chance of showers, mainly after 4am. Patchy fog after 5am. Otherwise, mostly cloudy, with lows in the mid-50s. Calm winds increasing to come out of the south around 5 mph after midnight.

Sunday

A 40 percent chance of showers. Patchy fog before 8am. Otherwise, mostly cloudy, with highs near 70. Winds out of the south 5 to 10 mph. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible.

Sunday Night

Showers, mainly after 11pm. Lows in the lower 50s. Winds out of the south 5 to 10 mph shifting to come out of the northwest after midnight. Chance of precipitation is 90%.

Monday

Showers likely, mainly before noon. Cloudy, with highs near 60. Chance of precipitation is 70%.

Monday Night

Mostly cloudy, with lows in the mid-30s.

Nantahala area

Today

A 40 percent chance of showers. Patchy fog before 10am. Otherwise, mostly cloudy, with highs in the mid-60s. Winds out of the southwest 5 to 10 mph. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible.

Tonight

A 30 percent chance of showers, mainly after 3am. Patchy fog after 1am. Otherwise, mostly cloudy, with lows in the mid-50s. Calm winds increasing to come out of the south around 5 mph after midnight.

Sunday

A 40 percent chance of showers. Patchy fog before 8am. Otherwise, mostly cloudy, with highs in the mid-to-upper 60s. Winds out of the Southwest 5 to 10 mph. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible.

Sunday Night

Showers, mainly after 8pm. Lows around 50. Winds out of the southwest 5 to 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90%.

Monday

Showers, mainly before noon. Highs in the mid-50s. Chance of precipitation is 80%.

Monday Night

Mostly cloudy, with lows in the mid-30s.



HAZARDS

Hazardous weather is not excpected today.

Heavy rain showers are expected to develop on Sunday night and linger into Monday morning as a cold front crosses the region. The rain could be sufficient for isolated flooding to develop in some locations, especially across the far southern mountains of western North Carolina.



Air Quality




Air quality is in the upper range of green for most of the county, including the ridges and other higher elevations today.

Pollen

Pollen levels are expected to be in the low-medium range (4.1 out of 12) today with Alder and Maple being the main culprits. Tomorrow is expected to be much higher, in the medium-high range (8.1 out of 12).


Weather Extremes for Macon County on February 27th


Highest Temperature 76°F at the Coweeta Experimental Station in 1996
Lowest Temperature 0°F in Franklin in 1963
Greatest One-Day Rain 2.80 inches in Highlands in 1913
Greatest One-Day Snowfall 11.0 inches at the Coweeta Experimental Station in 1982


February Weather Extremes for Macon County

Highest Temperature 79°F at the Coweeta Experimental Station on Feb 28, 1996
Lowest Temperature -19°F in Highlands on Feb 13, 1899
Greatest One-Day Rain 6.37 inches at the Coweeta Experimental Station on Feb 13, 1966
Greatest One-Day Snowfall 15.0 inches in Highlands on Feb 14, 1912 


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 4:20am on Saturday, February 27, 2021



Friday, February 26, 2021

COVID-19 Briefing for 02-26-2021



National and State Briefing

• Governor Cooper to Ease Pandemic Restrictions After Period of Improving Metrics [LINK]


Local Briefing

Macon County Public Health has been notified by NCDHHS that the county will be receiving 500 first doses per week for the next three weeks and has been approved for a "Special Event Allotment" of 1,170 doses which the health department will deliver between Feb 22nd and Feb 26th. To register to receive the vaccine and to be contacted when appointments for your group are available, please call 828-524-1500. The vaccine call center is open from 8:00am – 5:00pm Monday through Monday, until further notice. 

 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)

CATEGORY MON TUE WED THU FRI WEEK 
Vaccines Given Today 4 368 439 448 456 1715
Inventory 800 446 780 690 300 300
Vaccines Given (total) 4378 4748 5185 5633 6089 6089

(note--these numbers are on the day reported, not necessarily given since some shots may be given after the daily report is published, Also, there are often more shots in the vials than reported on the manifest, so total shots will not match reported inventory) 

POSITIVE CASES IN THE SCHOOLS THIS WEEK


SCHOOL MON TUE WED THU FRI WEEK 
Cartoogechaye 0 0 0 0 0 0
East Franklin 0 0 0 0 0 0
Franklin High 4 1 1 0 0 6
Highlands 1 0 0 0 1 2
Iotla Valley 0 0 0 0 0 0
Macon Early 0 0 0 0 0 0
Macon Middle 1 0 0 0 1 2
Mountain View 0 0 0 0 0 0
Nantahala 0 0 0 0 0 0
South Macon 1 0 0 0 0 1
Union Academy 1 0 0 0 1 2
TOTALS FOR DAY81 1 0 3 13



Cases in Macon County


2974 Detected
(+5 from Thursday and +53 from last Friday and +306 from four weeks ago)

59 Active
(-9 from Thursday and +11 last Friday and -463from four weeks ago)

2885 Recovered
(+14 from Thursday and +40 last Friday and +757 from four weeks ago)

30 Deaths
(unchanged from Thursday and +2 from last Friday and +12 from four weeks ago)


Testing in Macon County

9217 by MCPH
(+11 from Thursday and +89 from last Friday and +476 from four weeks ago)

8368 by Others
(+36 from Thursday and +192 from last Friday and +1370 from four weeks ago)

17585 total
(+47 from Thursday and +281 from last Friday and +1846 from four weeks ago)

64 tests pending results
(-14 from Thursday and +1 from last Friday and -31 from four weeks ago)








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 6:33pm on Friday, February 26, 2021

Macon County Board of Commissioners
Special Called Meeting of February 26, 2021



The Macon County Board of Commissioners will be having a Special Called Meeting today at 2pm to consider postponing the Macon Middle School Renovation Project to evaluate alternative plans related to Macon Middle School/Macon Middle School Campus. Live video will be streamed via our Facebook Page and here. The live version will be replaced later with an edited version.

video


Roll Call
(a record of elected critters and media outlets with representatives present at the meeting)

Sheriff Robert Holland
School Board Chairman Jim Breedlove

Macon Media (Bobby)
The Franklin Press (Jake)

There are no supporting documents for the meeting.

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 12:30pm on Friday, February 26, 2021

Weather Briefing for Friday, February 26, 2021



OUTLOOK

A relatively dry cold front crosses our region from the northwest late tonight and Thursday, then stall to our south setting up an active weather pattern through the weekend. Waves of low pressure will cross from west to east into the start of next week. Expect dry high pressure to build over our area later next week.


---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---


News Highlights

• The latest local COVID-19 numbers, charts, and tables have been posted [LINK]

• Macon County Board of Education - February 2021 Regular Meeting [LINK]

• Macon County Board of Commissioners - February 2021 Regular Meeting [LINK]

• Franklin Town Council - February 2021 Regular Meeting [LINK]

• President Orders Flags to be Flown at Half Staff to Remember the 500,000 Americans Lost to COVID-19 - National Cathedral Bell Tolling [LINK]

• NC Governor Orders Flags Lowered Until Sunset Feb 26th in Remembrance of More than 500,000 Americans Lost to COVID-19 [LINK]

• The latest local COVID-19 numbers, charts, and tables have been posted [LINK]

• Annual 4-H Plant Sales for 2021 Announced [LINK]



National Weather Map for Today



General forecast through Sunday Night


Franklin area

Today

Rain, mainly after 7am. Patchy fog between 7am and noon. Highs in the mid-40s. Calm winds in the morning increasing to come out of the southeast around 5 mph in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 90%. New precipitation amounts between three-quarters and one inch possible. Tonight Rain likely, mainly before 2am. Patchy fog in the morning. Otherwise, mostly cloudy, with lows in the low-to-mid 40s. Light winds out of the southeast. Chance of precipitation is 70%. New precipitation amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch possible. Saturday A 30 percent chance of rain, mainly before 1pm. Mostly cloudy, with highs in the mid-60s. Calm winds in the morning out of the increasing to come out of the southwest 5 to 10 mph in the afternoon. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible. Saturday Night A 30 percent chance of rain, mainly after 1am. Mostly cloudy, with lows in the mid-50s. Calm winds. Sunday Rain likely, mainly after 1pm. Mostly cloudy, with highs near 70. Chance of precipitation is 60%. Sunday Night Showers. Lows in the lower 50s. Chance of precipitation is 80%.

Highlands area

Today

Rain, mainly after 7am. Patchy fog between 8am and 11am. Highs in the lower 40s. Light and variable winds early increasing to come out of the southeast 5 to 10 mph iby midmorning. Chance of precipitation is 100%. New precipitation amounts between 1 and 2 inches possible. Tonight Rain likely. Patchy fog after 8pm. Otherwise, cloudy, with lows in the mid-to-upper 30s. Winds out of the southeast around 5 mph shifting to come out of the southwest after midnight. Winds could gust as high as 25 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70%. New precipitation amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible. Saturday A 20 percent chance of rain. Patchy fog before 7am. Otherwise, mostly cloudy, with highs in the low-to-mid 50s. Winds out of the southwest 5 to 10 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph. Saturday Night A 30 percent chance of rain, mainly after 1am. Mostly cloudy, with lows around 50. Winds out of the southwest 5 to 10 mph. Sunday A 50 percent chance of rain. Mostly cloudy, with highs in the upper 50s. Sunday Night Showers. Lows in the upper 40s. Chance of precipitation is 80%.

Otto area

Today

Rain, mainly after 7am. Patchy fog between 7am and noon. Highs in the mid-40s. Calm winds in the morning increasing to come out of the southeast around 5 mph in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 90%. New precipitation amounts between three-quarters and one inch possible. Tonight Rain likely, mainly before 2am. Patchy fog. Otherwise, mostly cloudy, with lows in the lower 40s. Winds out of the southeast around 5 mph becoming calm by midnight. Chance of precipitation is 70%. New precipitation amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible. Saturday A 20 percent chance of rain. Mostly cloudy, with highs in the lower 60s. Winds out of the southwest 5 to 10 mph. Saturday Night A 30 percent chance of rain, mainly after 1am. Mostly cloudy, with lows in the mid-50s. Light winds out of the south. Sunday A 50 percent chance of rain. Mostly cloudy, with highs in the upper 60s. Sunday Night Showers. Lows in the low-to-mid 50s. Chance of precipitation is 80%.

Nantahala area

Today

Rain, mainly after 7am. Patchy fog between 11am and 1pm. Highs in the mid-40s. Calm winds early increasing to come out of the southeast around 5 mph in the morning. Chance of precipitation is 90%. New precipitation amounts between three-quarters and one inch possible. Tonight Rain likely. Patchy fog before 7pm, then patchy fog after 9pm. Otherwise, mostly cloudy, with lows in the low-to-mid 40s. Winds out of the southeast around 5 mph becoming calm in the evening. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New precipitation amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible. Saturday A 30 percent chance of rain, mainly before 1pm. Mostly cloudy, with highs near 60. Winds out of the southwest 3 to 5 mph. Winds could gust as high as 20 mph. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible. Saturday Night A 30 percent chance of rain, mainly after 1am. Mostly cloudy, with lows in the mid-50s. Light winds out of the south. Sunday Rain likely, mainly after 1pm. Mostly cloudy, with highs in the mid-60s. Chance of precipitation is 70%. Sunday Night Showers. Lows around 50. Chance of precipitation is 90%.



HAZARDS

Hazardous weather is not excpected today.





Air Quality




Air quality is in the upper range of green for most of the county, including the ridges and other higher elevations today.

Pollen

Pollen levels are expected to be in the low range (1.8 out of 12) today with Alder and Maple being the main culprits. Tomorrow is expected to be higher, in the low-medium range (3.8 out of 12).


Weather Extremes for Macon County on February 26th


Highest Temperature 77°F in Franklin in 1977
Lowest Temperature 3°F at the Coweeta Experimental Station in 1967
Greatest One-Day Rain 4.25 inches in Highlands in 1899
Greatest One-Day Snowfall 6.5 inches in Franklin in 2015


February Weather Extremes for Macon County

Highest Temperature 79°F at the Coweeta Experimental Station on Feb 28, 1996
Lowest Temperature -19°F in Highlands on Feb 13, 1899
Greatest One-Day Rain 6.37 inches at the Coweeta Experimental Station on Feb 13, 1966
Greatest One-Day Snowfall 15.0 inches in Highlands on Feb 14, 1912 


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 3:35am on Friday, February 26, 2021



COVID-19 Briefing for 02-25-2021



National and State Briefing

• Governor Cooper to Ease Pandemic Restrictions After Period of Improving Metrics [LINK]

White House Press Briefing (2/25/21)


NC Kids Digital Library sees 1 million digital book checkouts, a 60% increase, during pandemic [LINK

NIH launches new initiative to study "Long COVID"  [LINK

The Johnson and Johnson Vaccine at the FDA  [LINK





DAY SPONSOR

Macon Media is being underwritten today by Franklin Health and Fitness, home of #ResultsForEveryone. Try FHF with a FREE 3-Day Guest Pass! To claim your pass, and to learn more about Franklin Health and Fitness, visit franklinhealthandfitness.com.





Local Briefing

Macon County Public Health has been notified by NCDHHS that the county will be receiving 500 first doses per week for the next three weeks and has been approved for a "Special Event Allotment" of 1,170 doses which the health department will deliver between Feb 22nd and Feb 26th.

To register to receive the vaccine and to be contacted when appointments for your group are available, please call 828-524-1500. The vaccine call center is open from 8:00am – 5:00pm Monday through Monday, until further notice. 

 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)

CATEGORY MON TUE WED THU FRI WEEK 
Vaccines Given Today 4 368 439 448 x 1259
Inventory 800 446 780 690 x 690
Vaccines Given (total) 4378 4748 5185 5633 x 5633

(note--these numbers are on the day reported, not necessarily given since some shots may be given after the daily report is published, Also, there are often more shots in the vials than reported on the manifest, so total shots will not match reported inventory) 

POSITIVE CASES IN THE SCHOOLS THIS WEEK


SCHOOL MON TUE WED THU FRI WEEK 
Cartoogechaye 0 0 0 0 x 0
East Franklin 0 0 0 0 x 0
Franklin High 4 1 1 0 x 6
Highlands 1 0 0 0 x 1
Iotla Valley 0 0 0 0 x 0
Macon Early 0 0 0 0 x 0
Macon Middle 1 0 0 0 x 1
Mountain View 0 0 0 0 x 0
Nantahala 0 0 0 0 x 0
South Macon 1 0 0 0 x 1
Union Academy 1 0 0 0 x 1
TOTALS FOR DAY81 1 0 x 10



Cases in Macon County


2969 Detected
(+19 from Tuesday and +52 from last Wednesday and +337 from four weeks ago)

68 Active
+13 from Tuesday and +4 last Wednesday and -445 from four weeks ago)

2871 Recovered
(+6 from Tuesday and +45 last Wednesday and +778 from four weeks ago)

30 Deaths
(unchanged from Tuesday and +3 from last Wednesday and +12 from four weeks ago)


Testing in Macon County

9206 by MCPH
+14 from Tuesday and +89 from last Wednesday and +522 from four weeks ago)

8332 by Others
(+18 from Tuesday and +498 from last Wednesday and +1365 from four weeks ago)

17538 total
(+32 from Tuesday and +587 from last Wednesday and +1887 from four weeks ago)

73 tests pending results
(-12 from Tuesday and -9 from last Wednesday and -167 from four weeks ago)








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Published at 12:30am on Friday, February 26, 2021

Thursday, February 25, 2021

Weather Briefing for Thursday, February 25, 2021



OUTLOOK

A relatively dry cold front crosses our region from the northwest late tonight and Thursday, then stall to our south setting up an active weather pattern through the weekend. Waves of low pressure will cross from west to east into the start of next week. Expect dry high pressure to build over our area later next week.


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Weather Sponsor



Adams Products, a Division of Oldcastle is underwriting the daily weather briefing & public safety updates for the month.

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News Highlights

• NCDOT Develops New Plan for Highlands Paving Plan saves weeks under ideal conditions [LINK]

• The latest local COVID-19 numbers, charts, and tables have been posted [LINK]

• Macon County Board of Education - February 2021 Regular Meeting [LINK]

• Macon County Board of Commissioners - February 2021 Regular Meeting [LINK]

• Franklin Town Council - February 2021 Regular Meeting [LINK]

• President Orders Flags to be Flown at Half Staff to Remember the 500,000 Americans Lost to COVID-19 - National Cathedral Bell Tolling [LINK]

• NC Governor Orders Flags Lowered Until Sunset Feb 26th in Remembrance of More than 500,000 Americans Lost to COVID-19 [LINK]

• The latest local COVID-19 numbers, charts, and tables have been posted [LINK]

• Annual 4-H Plant Sales for 2021 Announced [LINK]



National Weather Map for Today



General forecast through Saturday Night


Franklin area

Today

Partly sunny, then gradually becoming sunny, with highs in the mid-50s. Calm winds in the morning increasing to come out of the northwest around 5 mph in the afternoon.

Tonight

A 30 percent chance of rain, mainly after 4am. Increasing clouds, with lows around 40. Calm winds. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible.

Friday

A chance of rain before 7am, then showers, mainly after 7am. Highs in the mid-40s. Calm winds in the morning increasing to come out of the southeast 5 to 10 mph by midmorning. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New precipitation amounts between a half and three-quarters of an inch possible.

Friday Night

Showers likely, mainly before 11pm. Mostly cloudy, with lows around 40. Winds out of the southeast around 5 mph becoming calm before midnight. Chance of precipitation is 70%.

Saturday

A 30 percent chance of showers, mainly after 3pm. Mostly cloudy, with highs in the lower 50s.

Saturday Night

A 50 percent chance of showers. Cloudy, with lows around 50.

Highlands area

Today

Sunny, with highs in the upper 50s. Winds out of the northwest 5 to 10 mph in the morning becoming calm in the afternoon.

Tonight

A 30 percent chance of rain, mainly after 4am. Increasing clouds, with lows in the mid-to-upper 30s. Calm winds increasing to come out of the east around 5 mph after midnight. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible.

Friday

A chance of rain before 7am, then showers, mainly after 7am. Highs near 40. Winds out of the east 5 to 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New precipitation amounts between three-quarters and one inch possible.

Friday Night

Showers likely, mainly before midnight. Cloudy, with lows around 35. Winds out of the southeast 5 to 10 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70%.

Saturday

A 30 percent chance of showers, mainly before 8am. Mostly cloudy, with highs in the lower 50s.

Saturday Night

A 50 percent chance of showers. Cloudy, with lows in the mid-to-upper 40s.

Otto area

Today

Sunny, with highs in the mid-50s. Winds out of the north 3 to 5 mph.

Tonight

A 30 percent chance of rain, mainly after 4am. Increasing clouds, with lows around 40. Light and variable winds. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible.

Friday

A chance of rain before 7am, then showers, mainly after 7am. Highs in the mid-40s. Calm winds early increasing to come out of the southeast 5 to 10 mph by midmorning. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New precipitation amounts between a half and three-quarters of an inch possible.

Friday Night

Showers likely, mainly before 11pm. Mostly cloudy, with lows around 40. Winds out of the southeast 5 to 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70%.

Saturday

A 30 percent chance of showers, mainly after 3pm. Mostly cloudy, with highs near 50.

Saturday Night

A 50 percent chance of showers. Cloudy, with lows around 50.

Nantahala area

Today

Partly sunny, then gradually becoming sunny, with highs near 50. Calm winds increasing in the morning increasing to come out of the northwest around 5 mph in the afternoon.

Tonight

A 30 percent chance of rain, mainly after 4am. Increasing clouds, with lows around 40. Light and variable winds. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible.

Friday

A chance of rain before 7am, then showers, mainly after 7am. Highs in the mid-40s. Calm winds in the morning increasing to come out of the southeast around 5 mph in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New precipitation amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.

Friday Night

Showers likely, mainly before 11pm. Mostly cloudy, with lows around 40. Winds out of the sSoutheast 3 to 5 mph. Chance of precipitation is 50%.

Saturday

A 30 percent chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with highs near 60.

Saturday Night

Showers likely, mainly after 4am. Cloudy, with lows in the lower 50s. Chance of precipitation is 50%.



HAZARDS

Hazardous weather is not excpected today.





Air Quality




Air quality is in the upper range of green for most of the county, including the ridges and other higher elevations today.

Pollen

Pollen levels are expected to be in the medium-high range (8.8 out of 12) today with Elm, Juniper, and Alder being the main culprits. Tomorrow is expected to be a muchlower, in the low range (2.0 out of 12).


Weather Extremes for Macon County on February 25th


Highest Temperature 77°F in Highlands in 1930
Lowest Temperature -5°F in Highlands in 1967
Greatest One-Day Rain 6.20 inches in Franklin in 1875
Greatest One-Day Snowfall 8.0 inches in Highlands in 1894


February Weather Extremes for Macon County

Highest Temperature 79°F at the Coweeta Experimental Station on Feb 28, 1996
Lowest Temperature -19°F in Highlands on Feb 13, 1899
Greatest One-Day Rain 6.37 inches at the Coweeta Experimental Station on Feb 13, 1966
Greatest One-Day Snowfall 15.0 inches in Highlands on Feb 14, 1912 


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Published at 3:35am on Thursday, February 25, 2021



Wednesday, February 24, 2021

COVID-19 Briefing for 02-24-2021



National and State Briefing

• Governor Cooper to Ease Pandemic Restrictions After Period of Improving Metrics [LINK]

Nearly 600,000 people in a large Israeli health care organization were followed after vaccination for infection, hospitalization, and severe COVID19. Estimated vaccine effectiveness in preventing death was 72% after the first dose, and hospitalization was reduced by 92%. [LINK

NIH launches new initiative to study "Long COVID"  [LINK

The Johnson and Johnson Vaccine at the FDA  [LINK



DAY SPONSOR 

 Carrion Tree Service is underwriting Macon Media for today. they are a fully licensed and insured tree service, specializing in dangerous tree removal, view clearing, pruning, and crane services with a 24 Hour emergency response. 

 Their phone number is 371-4718. 

 They can handle all your tree removal needs in good or bad weather. 

Local Briefing

Macon County Public Health has been notified by NCDHHS that the county will be receiving 500 first doses per week for the next three weeks and has been approved for a "Special Event Allotment" of 1,170 doses which the health department will deliver between Feb 22nd and Feb 26th. To register to receive the vaccine and to be contacted when appointments for your group are available, please call 828-524-1500. The vaccine call center is open from 8:00am – 5:00pm Monday through Monday, until further notice. 

 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)

CATEGORY MON TUE WED THU FRI WEEK 
Vaccines Given Today 4 368 439 x x 811
Inventory 800 446 780 x x 780
Vaccines Given (total) 4378 4748 5185 x x 5185

(note--these numbers are on the day reported, not necessarily given since some shots may be given after the daily report is published, Also, there are often more shots in the vials than reported on the manifest, so total shots will not match reported inventory) 

POSITIVE CASES IN THE SCHOOLS THIS WEEK


SCHOOL MON TUE WED THU FRI WEEK 
Cartoogechaye 0 0 0 x x 0
East Franklin 0 0 0 x x 0
Franklin High 4 1 1 x x 6
Highlands 1 0 0 x x 1
Iotla Valley 0 0 0 x x 0
Macon Early 0 0 0 x x 0
Macon Middle 1 0 0 x x 1
Mountain View 0 0 0 x x 0
Nantahala 0 0 0 x x 0
South Macon 1 0 0 x x 1
Union Academy 1 0 0 x x 1
TOTALS FOR DAY81 1 x x 10



Cases in Macon County


2950 Detected
(+5 from Tuesday and +43 from last Wednesday and +337 from four weeks ago)

55 Active
unchanged from Tuesday and +64 last Wednesday and -472 from four weeks ago)

2865 Recovered
(+5 from Tuesday and +64 last Wednesday and +797 from four weeks ago)

30 Deaths
(unchanged from Tuesday and +3 from last Wednesday and +12 from four weeks ago)


Testing in Macon County

9192 by MCPH
+14 from Tuesday and +93 from last Wednesday and +599 from four weeks ago)

8314 by Others
(+23 from Tuesday and +532 from last Wednesday and +1371 from four weeks ago)

17506 total
(+37 from Tuesday and +625 from last Wednesday and +1970 from four weeks ago)

85 tests pending results
(-3 from Tuesday and +7 from last Wednesday and -153 from four weeks ago)








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.



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Published at 11:59pm on Wednesday, February 24, 2021