Weather Briefing for Monday, March 1, 2021

OUTLOOK

A cold front will cross the mountains early this morning and then cross the foothills and Piedmont through the late morning and early afternoon hours. Dry high pressure will build over from the north tonight into Tuesday. Unsettled weather returns from the west Tuesday night into Wednesday morning. Another low pressure system may affect the Gulf Coast region Friday into Saturday.


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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 Wednesday Night


Franklin area

Today

Showers, mainly before 11am. Patchy fog before 7am. Temperatures starting out in the lower 60s in the morning and falling to around 50 by 6pm. Winds out of the northwest 5 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New precipitation amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch possible. Monday Night Mostly cloudy, with lows around freezing. Winds out of the northwest 5 to 10 mph. Tuesday A 30 percent chance of rain, mainly after 3pm. Mostly cloudy, with highs in the mid-50s. Calm winds in the morning increasing to come out of the southeast around 5 mph in the afternoon. Tuesday Night Rain, mainly after 11pm. Lows in the mid-30s. Light and variable winds. Chance of precipitation is 80%. Wednesday Rain likely before 9am, then a chance of showers between 9am and 4pm. Partly sunny, with highs in the mid-to-upper 50s. Chance of precipitation is 60%. Wednesday Night Mostly clear, with lows in the mid-30s.

Highlands area

Today

Showers, mainly before 11am. Patchy fog before 7am. Temperatures falling from the upper 50s in the morning to the mid-40s by 6pm. Winds out of the northwest 15 to 20 mph, with gusts as high as 35 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 freezing. Winds out of the northwest 5 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 30mph. Tuesday A 30 percent chance of rain, mainly after 4pm. Mostly cloudy, with highs in the low-to-mid 40s. Calm winds early increasing to come out of the southeast around 5 mph in the morning. Tuesday Night Rain, mainly after 11pm. Lows around freezing. Winds out of the southeast around 5 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%. Wednesday Rain likely before 9am, then a chance of showers between 9am and 4pm. Partly sunny, with highs in the upper 40s. Chance of precipitation is 60%. Wednesday Night Mostly clear, with lows around freezing.

Otto area

Today

Showers, mainly before 11am. Patchy fog before 7am. Temperatures falling from the lower 60s in the morning to around 50 by 6pm. Winds out of the northwest 10 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 25 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 north 5 to 10 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph. Tuesday A 30 percent chance of rain, mainly after 2pm. Mostly cloudy, with highs in the lower 50s. Calm winds early increasing to come out of the southeast around 5 mph in the morning. Tuesday Night Rain, mainly after 10pm. Lows in the mid-30s. Winds out of the southeast 3 to 5 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%. Wednesday Rain likely before 9am, then a chance of showers between 9am and 4pm. Partly sunny, with highs in the mid-50s. Chance of precipitation is 60%. Wednesday Night Mostly clear, with lows in the mid-30s.

Nantahala area

Today

Showers, mainly before 11am. Patchy fog between 7am and 10am. Temperature falling from the mid-to-upper 50s to the mid-40s by 4pm. Winds out of the northwest 5 to 10 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90%. New precipitation amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible. Monday Night Mostly cloudy, with lows around freezing. Winds out of the northwest 3 to 8 mph. Tuesday A 30 percent chance of rain, mainly after 3pm. Partly sunny, with highs near 50. Light and variable winds. Tuesday Night Rain, mainly after 11pm. Lows in the upper 30s. Winds out of the southeast around 5 mph becoming calm after midnight. Chance of precipitation is 80%. Wednesday Rain likely before 9am, then a chance of showers between 9am and 4pm. Partly sunny, with highs in the lower 50s. Chance of precipitation is 60%. Wednesday Night Mostly clear, with a low around 35.



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 (2.0 out of 12) today with Alder and Maple being the main culprits. Tomorrow is expected to be much higher, in the medium-high range (9.0 out of 12).


Weather Extremes for Macon County on March 1st


Highest Temperature 75°F at the Coweeta Experimental Station in 1972
Lowest Temperature 6°F in Highlands in 1920
Greatest One-Day Rain 2.50 inches in Franklin in 1875
Greatest One-Day Snowfall 8.0 inches in Nantahala in 1968

February Weather Extremes for Macon County

Highest Temperature 86°F at the Coweeta Experimental Station on March 15, 1967
Lowest Temperature -7°F in Highlands on March 7, 1899
Greatest One-Day Rain 6.43 inches in Highlands on March 29, 1898
Greatest One-Day Snowfall 25.5 inches at the Coweeta Experimental Station on March 13, 1993 

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Published at 4:00am on Sunday, February 28, 2021