Weather Briefing for Thursday, July 8, 2021

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Almanac
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National News Roundup
On This Day
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OUTLOOK

Tropical Cyclone Elsa will pass quickly north through Georgia and the Carolinas through Thursday resulting in gusty winds and heavy showers for parts of the piedmont. Following this, an active mid- summertime pattern will develop by the weekend with a chance for showers and pulse thunderstorms each day into the early part of next week.


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Local News

Franklin Town Council - July 2021



Supporting documents posted online at [MaconMedia.com]

2021 Fireworks Display in Franklin, NC [LINK]

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Local Weather

National Weather Map for Today

General forecast through Saturday Night


Franklin area

Today

Scattered showers, with thunderstorms also possible after 1pm. Patchy fog before 9am. Otherwise, mostly cloudy, with highs in the low-to-mid 80. Calm winds in the morning increasing to come out of the northwest 5 to 10 mph in the afternoon. Chance of rain is 50%. New rainfall amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.

Tonight

Scattered showers and thunderstorms before 11pm, then isolated showers between 11pm and 4am, then a slight chance of showers and thunderstorms after 4am. Patchy fog after 1am. Otherwise, mostly cloudy, with lows in the mid-60s. Calm winds. Chance of rain is 30%. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.

Friday

A chance of showers and thunderstorms, then showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm after 2pm. Partly sunny, with highs in the mid-80s. Calm winds in the morning increasing to come out of the west around 5 mph in the afternoon. Chance of rain is 60%. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.

Friday Night

A chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with lows in the mid-60s. Calm winds. Chance of rain is 40%.

Saturday

A chance of showers before noon, then a chance of showers and thunderstorms between noon and 4pm, then showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm after 4pm. Partly sunny, with highs in the mid-80s. Chance of rain is 60%.

Saturday Night

Showers likely, mainly before 8pm. Mostly cloudy, with lows in the mid-60s. Chance of rain is 60%.

Highlands Plateau

Today

Showers and thunderstorms likely before 11am, then scattered showers, then scattered showers and thunderstorms after noon. Patchy fog before 8am. Otherwise, mostly cloudy, with highs in the mid-70s. Winds out of the north 5 to 10 mph in the morning shifting to come out of the west in the afternoon. Chance of rain is 60%. New rainfall amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.

Tonight

Scattered showers and thunderstorms before 11pm, then isolated showers between 11pm and 5am, then a slight chance of showers and thunderstorms after 5am. Patchy fog after 1am. Otherwise, partly cloudy, with lows around 60. Winds out of the west 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain is 30%. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.

Friday

A chance of showers and thunderstorms, then showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm after 1pm. Partly sunny, with highs in the mid-70s. Winds out of the northwest 5 to 10 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph. Chance of rain is 60%. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.

Friday Night

Showers and thunderstorms likely before 11pm, then a chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with lows around 60. Calm winds increasing to come out of the northwest around 5 mph after midnight. Chance of rain is 60%.

Saturday

A chance of showers before 10am, then a chance of showers and thunderstorms between 10am and 3pm, then showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm after 3pm. Partly sunny, with highs in the mid-70s. Chance of rain is 60%.

Saturday Night

Showers likely, mainly before 8pm. Mostly cloudy, with lows around 60. Chance of rain is 60%.

Otto area

Today

Scattered showers, with thunderstorms also possible after noon. Patchy fog before 9am. Otherwise, mostly cloudy, with highs in the lower 80s. Calm winds early increasing to come out of the northwest 5 to 10 mph by midmorning. Chance of rain is 50%. New rainfall amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.

Tonight

Scattered showers and thunderstorms, mainly before 9pm. Patchy fog after 2am. Otherwise, mostly cloudy, with lows in the mid-60s. Light winds out of the west. Chance of rain is 30%. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.

Friday

A chance of showers and thunderstorms, then showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm after 2pm. Patchy fog before 7am. Otherwise, partly sunny, with highs in the low-to-mid 80s. Winds out of the northwest 3 to 5 mph. Chance of rain is 60%. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.

Friday Night

A chance of showers and thunderstorms before 1am, then a slight chance of showers between 1am and 5am. Mostly cloudy, with lows in the mid-60s. Light northwest wind. Chance of rain is 40%.

Saturday

A slight chance of showers before noon, then a chance of showers and thunderstorms between noon and 4pm, then showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm after 4pm. Partly sunny, with highs in the low-to-mid 80s. Chance of rain is 60%.

Saturday Night

Showers likely, mainly before 8pm. Partly cloudy, with lows in the mid-60s. Chance of rain is 60%.

Nantahala area

Today

Isolated showers, then scattered showers and thunderstorms after noon. Patchy fog before 9am. Otherwise, partly sunny, with highs in the mid-to-upper 70s. Calm winds in the morning increasing to come out of the northwest 5 to 10 mph in the afternoon. Chance of rain is 50%. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.

Tonight

Scattered showers and thunderstorms. Patchy fog after 2am. Otherwise, mostly cloudy, with lows in the mid-60s. Winds out of the southwest around 5 mph becoming calm by midnight. Chance of rain is 30%. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.

Friday

A chance of showers and thunderstorms, then showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm after 1pm. Patchy fog before 7am. Otherwise, partly sunny, with highs in the mid-to-upper 70s. Winds out of the west 3 to 5 mph. Chance of rain is 60%. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.

Friday Night

Showers and thunderstorms likely before 11pm, then a chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with lows in the mid-60s. Calm winds. Chance of rain is 60%.

Saturday

A chance of showers before 10am, then a chance of showers and thunderstorms between 10am and 3pm, then showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm after 3pm. Partly sunny, with highs in the mid-to-upper 70s. Chance of rain is 60%.

Saturday Night

Showers likely, mainly before 8pm. Mostly cloudy, with lows in the mid-60s. Chance of rain is 60%.

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Hazards and Tropical Weather

Hazardous Weather is not anticipated today. The impacts of the remnants of Tropical Storm ELSA will be mainly to our south and east.

TROPICAL WEATHER OUTLOOK

Tropical Weather Outlook
NWS National Hurricane Center Miami FL
200 AM EDT Thu Jul 8 2021

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

The National Hurricane Center is issuing advisories on Tropical Storm Elsa, located inland over eastern Georgia.

Tropical cyclone formation is not expected during the next 5 days.

Tropical Storm Elsa Discussion Number 32
NWS National Hurricane Center Miami FL AL052021
1100 PM EDT Wed Jul 07 2021

Doppler radar and surface observations indicate that Elsa is maintaining its intensity. However, these winds aren't close to the center but, rather, in a strong band of convection in the eastern semicircle of the storm. The current wind speed is set to 40 kt in accordance with an earlier sustained wind report of 38 kt, and radar velocities reduced to the surface that would support at least 40 kt.

Some weakening is expected overnight while a significant portion of Elsa's circulation remains over land. However by late Thursday, more of the storm will be moving over water, and a fair number of the models suggest re-intensification could take place. It is a little puzzling why the ECMWF and UKMET models, however, are showing a strengthening tropical storm close to the mid-Atlantic states, especially without a significant trough interaction or warm waters. I'm getting some deja vu in this case after working Claudette from a few weeks ago, with those same models also over-intensifying that storm. The GFS has been relatively consistent in showing only a small intensification of Elsa, and the NHC forecast will continue to be closer to that model's relatively weaker solution.

The storm has turned north-northeastward tonight and is moving a little faster, about 14 kt. Elsa should move northeastward at an increasing forward speed during the next few days as it becomes embedded within fast southwesterly flow ahead of a mid-latitude trough. No significant changes were made to the previous track forecast since guidance remains in good agreement. Elsa is likely to become absorbed north of Newfoundland by another extratropical low by day 4.

There is greater confidence tonight that some portion of North Carolina and the mid-Atlantic coast will receive tropical-storm force-winds, so the Tropical Storm Watch has been upgraded to a Tropical Storm Warning in those areas. Areas to the north remain less certain, and remain under a Tropical Storm Watch.

Key Messages:

1. As Elsa moves across southeastern Georgia into the Lowcountry of South Carolina tonight, heavy rainfall may result in considerable flash, urban, and minor river flooding. Heavy rainfall, from North Carolina across the mid-Atlantic and into New England Thursday and Friday, could lead to isolated flash and urban flooding.

2. Tropical storm conditions are expected along portions of the coasts of Georgia and South Carolina tonight. Tropical storm conditions are also expected along the coasts of North Carolina on Thursday and the mid-Atlantic by Thursday night. Tropical storm conditions are possible in the southern New England states and New York by Friday.

FORECAST POSITIONS AND MAX WINDS

INIT 08/0300Z 32.1N 82.3W 40 KT 45 MPH...INLAND
12H 08/1200Z 34.1N 80.7W 35 KT 40 MPH...INLAND
24H 09/0000Z 37.1N 77.3W 35 KT 40 MPH...INLAND
36H 09/1200Z 40.4N 72.9W 40 KT 45 MPH...OVER WATER
48H 10/0000Z 44.5N 67.0W 40 KT 45 MPH...POST-TROP/EXTRATROP
60H 10/1200Z 49.0N 60.0W 40 KT 45 MPH...POST-TROP/EXTRATROP
72H 11/0000Z 54.0N 50.0W 35 KT 40 MPH...POST-TROP/EXTRATROP

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Almanac

Air Quality

Air quality is in the lower range of yellow for most of the county, with the ridges and other higher elevations today being in the lower range of yellow.

Fire and Smoke Map
(There are no significant sources of smoke in the region as of 3am on 04-22-2021.)

Pollen

Pollen levels are expected to be in the low range (0.5 out of 12) today with Grasses, Plantain, and Dock being the main culprits. Tomorrow is expected to be in the low range (2.2 out of 12).


Weather Extremes for Macon County on July 6th


Highest Temperature 96°F in Franklin in 1977
Lowest Temperature 44°F in Highlands in 1913
Greatest Rainfall 4.50 inches in Highlands in 1916
Greatest Snowfall (No snowfall recorded on this date since records started being kept in 1872)

July Weather Extremes for Macon County

Highest Temperature 101°F in Franklin on 07-29-1952
Lowest Temperature 34°F in Highlands on 07-27-1911
Greatest Rainfall 21.15 inches in Highlands on 07-29-1879
Greatest Snowfall no measurable snowfall has been recorded since records started being kept in 1872

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Macon Calendar
(send your event to calendar@maconmedia.com)

The Macon County Art Association (a not for profit member organization) is offering classes in encaustic painting on Specified Fridays from 10AM-12PM at the Uptown Gallery 30 E Main St Franklin NC. Specific class dates are Friday July 9 and 23, August 3 and 27, September 3 and 17, October 29.

For more information contact the instructor, Karen Smith, at karen@programservices.org

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National News Roundup

Driving into Blinding Dust Storm - Texas or Jupiter?



President Biden Delivers Remarks on the Benefits of his "Build Back Better" Agenda (July 7, 2021)



Former President Trump announces lawsuit against Facebook, Twitter and Google (July 7 Press Conference)



NBC Nightly News Broadcast (Full) - July 7th, 2021



PBS NewsHour full episode, July 7, 2021

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On This Day

July 8th is the 189th day of the year (190th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar; 176 days remain until the end of the year.



Historical Events

(Please note that the Wikipedia articles often contain a bibliography and links to where you can learn more about a historical event)


939 - The Major Occultation, or Ghaybat el-Kubra of Muhammad al-Mahdi
• [Wikipedia: Major Occultation]
• [VIDEO Lecture: The Major Occultation]
• [LINKTEXT]

1099 – Some 15,000 starving Christian soldiers begin the siege of Jerusalem by marching in a religious procession around the city as its Muslim defenders watch.
• [Siege of Jerusalem (First Crusade)]
• [First Crusade]
• [Siege of Jerusalem, 1099: What REALLY Happened...]
• [The First Crusade: Siege of Jerusalem 1099 AD]

1283 – Roger of Lauria, commanding the Aragonese fleet, defeats an Angevin fleet sent to put down a rebellion on Malta. (War of the Sicilian Vespers: Battle of Malta)
• [Battle of Malta]
• [War of the Sicilian Vespers]
• [Wikipedia Bio: Roger of Lauria]

1497 – Vasco da Gama sets sail on the first direct European voyage to India.
• [Wikipedia Bio: Vasco da Gama]

1579 – Our Lady of Kazan, a holy icon of the Russian Orthodox Church, is discovered underground in the city of Kazan, Tatarstan.
• [Wikipedia: Our Lady of Kazan]

1663 – Charles II of England grants John Clarke a Royal charter to Rhode Island.

1709 – Peter I of Russia defeats Charles XII of Sweden at the Battle of Poltava, thus effectively ending Sweden's status as a major power in Europe.
• [Wikipedia: Battle of Poltava]
• [Poltava – The Great Northern War – Sabaton History 057 [Official]]
• [Wikipedia: Great Northern War]

1716 – The Battle of Dynekilen forces Sweden to abandon its invasion of Norway.
• [Wikipedia: Battle of Dynekilen]

1730 – An estimated magnitude 8.7 earthquake causes a tsunami that damages more than 1,000 km (620 mi) of Chile's coastline.

1758 – French forces hold Fort Carillon against the British at Ticonderoga, New York.

1760 – British forces defeat French forces in the last naval battle in New France.
• [Battle of Restigouche]
• [THE HISTORY BUFF Battle of Restigouche]

1775 – The Olive Branch Petition is signed by the Continental Congress of the Thirteen Colonies of North America.
• [Wikipedia: Second Continental Congress]
• [Wikipedia: Olive Branch Petition]
• [Loyalist vs Partiot Olive Branch Petition]
• [Dramatization from HBO's John Adams Mioniseries]
• [History Brief: The Second Continental Congress and the Olive Branch Petition]

1776 – Church bells (possibly including the Liberty Bell) are rung after John Nixon delivers the first public reading of the Declaration of Independence of the United States.
• [United States Declaration of Independence]
• [Re-enactment of the First Public Reading of the Declaration of Independence, July 8, 2012] (Independence National Historical Park)

1808 – Promulgation of the Bayonne Statute, a royal charter Joseph Bonaparte intended as the basis for his rule as king of Spain.
• [Bayonne Statute]
• [Wikipedia: Peninsular War]
• [Feature History - Peninsular War]

1822 – Chippewas turn over a huge tract of land in Ontario to the United Kingdom.

1853 – The Perry Expedition arrives in Edo Bay with a treaty requesting trade.
• [Perry Expedition]

1859 – King Charles XV & IV accedes to the throne of Sweden–Norway.

1864 – Ikedaya Incident: The Choshu Han shishi's planned Shinsengumi sabotage on Kyoto, Japan at Ikedaya.
• [Ikedaya incident]
• [Shinsengumi Ikedaya Incident - Sherlock Investigates Japan]

1874 – The Mounties begin their March West.
• [Wikipedia: March West]
• [North-West Mounted Police: The Great March - Documentary Feature]
• [Cypress Hills Massacre]

1876 – The Hamburg massacre prior to the 1876 United States presidential election results in the deaths of six African-Americans of the Republican Party, along with one white assailant.
• [Wikipedia: Hamburg massacre]
• [Today's Toast - July 8 - Hamburg Massacre Victims]

1879 – Sailing ship USS Jeannette departs San Francisco carrying an ill-fated expedition to the North Pole.
• [Wikipedia: USS Jeannette (1878)]
• [Wikipedia: Jeannette expedition]
• [Jeanette: The Mother of Modern Arctic Exploration]

1889 – The first issue of The Wall Street Journal is published.

1892 – St. John's, Newfoundland is devastated in the Great Fire of 1892.
• [The St. John's Fire of 1892]

1898 – The death of crime boss Soapy Smith, killed in the Shootout on Juneau Wharf, releases Skagway, Alaska from his iron grip.
• [Wikipedia: Shootout on Juneau Wharf]
• [Soapy Smith: A Very Bad Man]
• [Soapy Smith: Gold Rush Goodfella]
• [Skagway Stories: Who was Frank H. Reid?]

1912 – Henrique Mitchell de Paiva Couceiro leads an unsuccessful royalist attack against the First Portuguese Republic in Chaves.

1932 – The Dow Jones Industrial Average reaches its lowest level of the Great Depression, closing at 41.22.

1933 – The first rugby union test match between the Wallabies of Australia and the Springboks of South Africa is played at Newlands Stadium in Cape Town.

1937 – Turkey, Iran, Iraq, and Afghanistan sign the Treaty of Saadabad.
• [Treaty of Saadabad]

1947 – Reports are broadcast that a UFO crash-landed in Roswell, New Mexico in what became known as the Roswell UFO incident.
• [Wikipedia: Roswell incident]
• [Roswell Incident: Department of Defense Interviews - Robert Shirkey / Walter Haut]
• [Unlocking & Debunking The Roswell UFO Mystery | Studio 10]
• [Roswell - Alien Wonderland]
• [Ask an Expert: The Roswell Incident]
• [Roswell, JFK: Why some people want to believe in conspiracy theories]

1948 – The United States Air Force accepts its first female recruits into a program called Women in the Air Force (WAF).

1960 – Francis Gary Powers is charged with espionage resulting from his flight over the Soviet Union.
• [Wikipedia Bio: Francis Gary Powers]
• [1960 U-2 incident]
• [Gary Powers' U-2 is Shot Down Over the Soviet Union - Animated]

1962 – Ne Win besieges and blows up the Rangoon University Student Union building to crush the Student Movement.

1966 – King Mwambutsa IV Bangiriceng of Burundi is deposed by his son Prince Charles Ndizi.

1968 – The Chrysler wildcat strike begins in Detroit, Michigan.

1970 – Richard Nixon delivers a special congressional message enunciating Native American self-determination as official US Indian policy, leading to the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act of 1975.
• [Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act of 1975]
• [Nixon and the American Indian: The Movement to Self-Determination]

1972 – Israeli Mossad assassinate Palestinian writer Ghassan Kanafani.

1979 - Voyager 2 takes 1st ever photo of Jupiter's satellite Adrastea (J14)

1980 – The inaugural 1980 State of Origin game is won by Queensland who defeat New South Wales 20–10 at Lang Park.

1980 – Aeroflot Flight 4225 crashes near Almaty International Airport in the then Kazakh Soviet Socialist Republic (present day Kazakhstan) killing all 166 people on board.

1982 – A failed assassination attempt against Iraqi president Saddam Hussein results in the Dujail Massacre over the next several months.
• [Wikipedia: Dujail Massacre]
• [Dujail Revisited]
• [Trial resumes, Saddam complaints, witnesses, Dujail video] (AP Video)

1988 – The Island Express train travelling from Bangalore to Kanyakumari derails on the Peruman bridge and falls into Ashtamudi Lake, killing 105 passengers and injuring over 200 more.

1994 – Kim Jong-il begins to assume supreme leadership of North Korea upon the death of his father, Kim Il-sung.

2003 – Sudan Airways Flight 139 crashes near Port Sudan Airport during an emergency landing attempt, killing 116 of the 117 people on board.

2011 – Space Shuttle Atlantis is launched in the final mission of the U.S. Space Shuttle program.
• [Shuttle launch: Last launch of Atlantis on CNN]
• [PBS Livestream: Final Launch of Space Shuttle Atlantis]
• [Wikipedia: STS-135]

2012 - Tens of thousands protest over election corruption in Mexico City after Enrique Peña Nieto's win in the country's presidential election.
• [Wikipedia: Protests]
• [University Students Protest and Kick Out Mexican Presidential Candidate from Campus]

2014 – Israel launches an offensive on Gaza amid rising tensions following the kidnapping and murder of three Israeli teenagers.

2019 – US financier Jeffrey Epstein indicted on further charges of sex trafficking of minors
• [Wikipedia Bio: Jeffrey Epstein]
• [Secret indictment against Jeffrey Epstein unveiled]
• [Epstein indicted on sex trafficking, sex trafficking conspiracy]

2020 – IAustralian city of Melbourne goes back into lockdown for six weeks after second outbreak of 700 active cases

2020 – IAmericans and Polynesians made contact around 1200 A.D. according to new genomic study in "Nature", people from eastern Polynesia had DNA from indigenous Colombia
• [Native South Americans were early inhabitants of Polynesia]
• [New Genetic Evidence Of Polynesian and American Contact]
• [Native South Americans reached Polynesia early] (PDF)

2020 – US government issues directive that more than 1 million international students will be stripped of their visas if their courses entirely online

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Published at 4:00am on Wednesday, July 08, 2021

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