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Local News
Weather
Hazards and Tropical Weather
Almanac
Macon Calendar
National News Roundup
COVID-19 News and Updates
On This Day
Support Macon Media
OUTLOOK
An upper ridge will become dominant over the region Thursday through the weekend, with periods of Atlantic moisture brought into our region. A cold front will approach from the north early next week. Above normal temperatures are expected through the first half of next week.
Pigeon River Flood of 2021 Coverage
• Smoky Mountain News [The Pigeon River Flood of 2021] • The Mountaineer [Flood Coverage]
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Local News
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Local Weather
National Weather Map for Today
General forecast through Saturday Night
Franklin area
Today
Showers and thunderstorms likely, mainly after 4pm. Areas of fog before 9am. Otherwise, partly sunny, with highs in the mid-80s. Light and variable winds. Chance of rain is 60%. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.
Tonight
A chance of showers and thunderstorms before 10pm, then a slight chance of showers between 10pm and 3am. Areas of fog after midnight. Otherwise, partly 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 20 percent chance of showers after 2pm. Mostly sunny, with highs in the mid-80s. Calm winds in the morning increasing to come out of the southeast around 5 mph in the afternoon.
Friday Night
A 20 percent chance of showers before 11pm. Partly cloudy, with lows in the mid-60s. Calm winds.
Saturday
A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms after 1pm. Mostly sunny, with highs in the mid-to-upper 80s.
Saturday Night
Partly cloudy, with lows in the mid-60s.
Highlands Plateau
Today
A chance of showers and thunderstorms before 3pm, then showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm, then showers and thunderstorms likely after 4pm. 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 southeast around 5 mph 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
A chance of showers and thunderstorms before 9pm, then a slight chance of showers between 9pm and 2am. Patchy fog after 1am. Otherwise, partly cloudy, with lows around 60. Light and variable winds. Chance of rain is 30%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.
Friday
A 20 percent chance of showers after 1pm. Mostly sunny, with highs in the mid-to-upper 70s. Calm winds in the morning increasing to come out of the southeast around 5 mph in the afternoon.
Friday Night
A 20 percent chance of showers before 2am. Partly cloudy, with a low around 60. Calm windd.
Saturday
A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms after 11am. Mostly sunny, with highs in the upper 70s.
Saturday Night
Partly cloudy, with lows around 60.
Otto area
Showers and thunderstorms likely, mainly after 4pm. Areas of fog before 9am. Otherwise, mostly sunny, with highs in the mid-80s. Calm winds in the morning increasing to come out of the 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.
Tonight
A chance of showers and thunderstorms before 10pm, then a slight chance of showers between 10pm and 2am. Areas of fog after midnight. Otherwise, partly cloudy, with lows in the mid-60s. WInds out of the south around 5 mph becoming calm before midnight. Chance of rain is 30%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.
Friday
A 20 percent chance of showers after 2pm. Mostly sunny, with highs in the mid-80s. Calm winds in the morning increasing to come out of the southeast around 5 mph in the afternoon.
Friday Night
A 20 percent chance of showers before 11pm. Partly cloudy, with lows in the mid-60s. Calm winds.
Saturday
A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms after noon. Mostly sunny, with highs in the mid-80s.
Saturday Night
Partly cloudy, with lows in the mid-60s.
Nantahala area
Today
Showers and thunderstorms likely, mainly after 3pm. Patchy fog before 9am. Otherwise, mostly sunny, with highs in the lower 80s. Light winds out of the southeast. Chance of rain is 60%. New rainfall amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.
Tonight
Showers and thunderstorms likely before 11pm, then a slight chance of showers. Patchy fog after midnight. Otherwise, mostly cloudy, with lows in the mid-60s. Calm winds. Chance of rain is 60%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.
Friday
A slight chance of showers in the late morning, then a slight chance of showers and thunderstorms after 1pm. Mostly sunny, with highs in the lower 80s. Light winds out of the southeast. Chance of rain is 20%.
Friday Night
A 20 percent chance of showers before 10pm. Partly cloudy, with lows in the mid-60s. Calm winds.
Saturday
A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms after 1pm. Sunny, with highs in the low-to-mid 80s.
Saturday Night
Mostly clear, with a low around 65.
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Hazards and Tropical Weather
Isolated to scattered showers and thunderstorms are expected this afternoon and evening. The main threats will be cloud-to-ground lightning and locally heavy rainfall. One or two storms may become strong to severe.
TROPICAL WEATHER OUTLOOK
TROPICAL TIDBITS
Tropical Tidbits is a website run by Macon Media's favorite no-nonsense tropical forecaster, Levi Cowan. He does not post material just to get clicks or to sensationalize the storms he covers to "make them more exciting." He is reliable and sober, unlike The Weather Channel crowd of Drama Queen Meteorologists.
Levi typically posts videos late in the afternoon or early before midnight on Youtube. [Youtube Channel]
[Wed / Aug 25] New Storm Likely to Form in Caribbean over the Weekend and move into Gulf of Mexico
Tropical Weather Outlook
NWS National Hurricane Center Miami FL
200 AM EDT Thu Aug 26 2021
For the North Atlantic...Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico:
1. Shower and thunderstorm activity is gradually becoming better organized in association with a trough of low pressure located a couple hundred miles south of Jamaica. While recent satellite wind data indicate that the system does not yet have a well-defined circulation, environmental conditions remain conducive for additional development, and a tropical depression is expected to form later today or tomorrow. The system is forecast to move northwestward over the northwestern Caribbean Sea later today, near Cuba and the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico on Friday, and into the Gulf of Mexico this weekend. Regardless of development, heavy rainfall and flooding will be possible through the weekend in portions of Central America, the Yucatan Peninsula, Jamaica, the Cayman Islands, and Cuba. In addition, this system could bring dangerous impacts from storm surge, wind, and heavy rainfall to portions of the coasts of Louisiana, Texas, and the Mexican state of Tamaulipas late this weekend and early next week. However, uncertainty remains large since the system has yet to form. Interests in these areas should closely monitor the progress of this system and ensure they have their hurricane plan in place. An Air Force Reserve reconnaissance aircraft is scheduled to investigate the system later today, if necessary.
* Formation chance through 48 hours...high...80 percent.
* Formation chance through 5 days...high...90 percent.
2. A broad trough of low pressure is producing disorganized showers and thunderstorms over the central tropical Atlantic about 650 miles east-southeast of Bermuda. Environmental conditions are forecast to be generally conducive for development, and a tropical depression is likely to form late this week or this weekend while the system moves slowly northeastward over the central Atlantic.
* Formation chance through 48 hours...medium...40 percent.
* Formation chance through 5 days...high...80 percent.
3. A tropical wave over the far eastern tropical Atlantic located several hundred miles west-southwest of the Cabo Verde Islands is producing disorganized showers and thunderstorms. Some development of this system is possible over the next several days while it moves west-northwestward at 10 to 15 mph over the eastern tropical Atlantic. Upper-level winds are forecast to become less conducive for development by early next week.
* Formation chance through 48 hours...low...20 percent.
* Formation chance through 5 days...low...30 percent.
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Almanac
Air Quality
Air quality is in the extreme upper range of green for most of the county, with the ridges and other higher elevations today being in the extreme upper range of green.
Fire and Smoke Map
(There is haze from the wildfires out on the west coast.)
Pollen levels are expected to be in the medium-high range (8.0 out of 12) today with Ragweed, Chenopods, and Grasses being the main culprits. Tomorrow is expected to be in the medium-high range (8.5 out of 12).
Weather Extremes for Macon County on August 25th
Highest Temperature 93°F in Franklin in 1954
Lowest Temperature 42°F in Highlands in 1917
Greatest Rainfall 2.89 inches in Franklin in 2008
Greatest Snowfall (No snowfall recorded on this date since records started being kept in 1872)
August Weather Extremes for Macon County
Highest Temperature 99°F in Franklin on 08-09-1980 Lowest Temperature 40°F at the Coweeta Experimental Station on 08-29-1968 Greatest Rainfall 9.68 inches in Highlands on 08-13-1940
Greatest Snowfall no measurable snowfall has been recorded since records started being kept in 1873
Weather Extremes for North Carolina for the month of August
Data available from 1870 to 2020
Highest Temperature 110°F Fayetteville, Cumberland County 08-21-1983
Lowest Temperature 31°F Banner Elk, Avery County 08-23-1930
Greatest One-Day Rainfall 13.08 in Idlewild, Ashe County 08-14-1930
Monthly Averages for North Carolina
Warmest Weather Station 79.7°F Wilmington, New Hanover County
Coldest Weather Station 59.6°F Mount Mitchell, Yancey County
Wettest Weather Station 7.74 in Lake Toxaway, Transylvania County
Driest Weather Station 3.12 in Lexington, Davidson County
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Macon Calendar
(send your event to calendar@maconmedia.com)
IMAGE A TASTE OF TUSCANY
A Taste of Tuscany
September 11, 2021
The Zonta Club is proud to announce its upcoming fundraising event to aid the Franklin Fire Department’s infant car seat program and the Special Liberty Project. Now headquartered in Macon County, the Special Liberty Project is a non-profit organization serving the entire veteran family, focusing on Gold Star families, spouses of suicide victims and healing veterans.
The nature-based, therapeutic programs offered include fun, educational activities for children with Veteran Mentors, retreats and support groups for Gold Star families and family members of suicide victims, as well as peer-supported outdoor pursuits to help veterans return to civilian life.
The Taste of Tuscany event will be held on September 11 at 5 p.m. at 757 Harrison Avenue in Franklin and will honor our first responders. It will feature an open air wine tasting of Slanted Window wines from SenAmore Vineyards in Tellico, accompanied by food and music. There will be a live auction, as well as a silent auction featuring artwork and designer goods. Slanted Window wines will be available for purchase. A limited number of tickets are still available at $100 per person, to include a wine tasting flight and commemorative wine glass. VIP tickets are available for $150 that feature an exclusive evening with the vintner and more. Tables of eight, including two VIP tickets, may be reserved.
For more information visit the Zonta Franklin NC Facebook page or their website, zontafranklinnc.org
Encastic Painting Classes
The Macon County Art Association (a not for profit member organization) is offering classes in encastic 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
Vice President Harris Delivers Remarks and Takes Questions From Press (Scheduled for 3:40am Eastern Time)
08/25/21: Press Briefing by Press Secretary Jen Psaki
Pentagon spokesman Kirby, Army Maj. Gen. Taylor hold briefing amid Afghanistan pullout
NBC Nightly News, August 25th, 2021
PBS NewsHour full episode, August 25th, 2021
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COVID-19 News and Updates
Since it looks like we may be in for a new wave of infections, here is a section on COVID-19. It will include local, regional, state, national, and global items.
COVID-19 Numbers for Macon County: [August 25, 2021]
Ballad Health runs out of ICU beds, plans for if hospitals need to pick who to treat first [WCYB-TV (Bristol, Virginia)]
Dr John Campbell: Questions for FDA
08/24/21: Press Briefing by White House COVID-19 Response Team and Public Health Officials
Active Covid-19 cases per Capita in USA. 1/21/2020 - 8/23/2021
Data Sources
- COVID-19 Cases and Deaths by County : https://github.com/nytimes/covid-19-data
- County to Zip Code : https://www.kaggle.com/danofer/zipcodes-county-fips-crosswalk/data#
- Population by Zip Code : https://www.kaggle.com/census/us-population-by-zip-code
Data Visualization Tools (Python):
- Matplotlib: https://matplotlib.org/
- OpenCV: https://opencv.org/
- Cartopy: https://github.com/SciTools/cartopy
Innate Immunity, Interferon, and COVID 19 in Children: Update 128
title [SOURCE]
Johnson & Johnson Announces Data to Support Boosting its Single-Shot COVID-19 Vaccine [Johnson and Johnson]
Tampa to be first city in bay area to require city worker vaccinations [Tampa Bay Times]
COVID Vaccines Show No Signs of Harming Fertility or Sexual Function [Scientific American]
COVID-19 Q and A with A and V Livestream 8/25/21
Delta Air Lines is raising health insurance premiums for unvaccinated employees by $200 a month to cover higher Covid costs [CNBC]
Johnson and Johnson says data supports boosting single-shot Covid-19 vaccine [CNBC]
Top epidemiologist on COVID-19 and what to expect this fall
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On This Day
August 26th is the 238th day of the year (239th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar; 127 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)
683 – Yazid I's army kills 11,000 people of Medina including notable Sahabas in Battle of al-Harrah.
• [Battle of al-Harra]
• [4 Khilafah of Yazīd : Incident of al-Harra]
• [LINKTEXT]
• [Early Muslim Expansion - Khalid, Yarmouk, al-Qadisiyyah DOCUMENTARY]
• [Second Fitna]
1071 – The Seljuq Turks defeat the Byzantine army at the Battle of Manzikert, and soon gain control of most of Anatolia.
1278 – Ladislaus IV of Hungary and Rudolf I of Germany defeat Ottokar II of Bohemia in the Battle on the Marchfeld near Dürnkrut in (then) Moravia.
1303 – Chittorgarh falls to the Delhi Sultanate, after which thirty thousand Hindu inhabitants are killed.
1346 – At the Battle of Crécy, an English army easily defeats a French one twice its size.
• [Battle of Crécy]
• [Battle of Crecy 1346 - Hundred Years' War ]
• [The Battle Of Crécy]
• [Crécy campaign]
1444 – Battle of St. Jakob an der Birs: A vastly outnumbered force of Swiss Confederates is defeated by the Dauphin Louis (future Louis XI of France) and his army of 'Armagnacs' near Basel.
1542 – Francisco de Orellana crosses South America from Guayaquil on the Pacific coast to the mouth of the Amazon River on the Atlantic coast.
1748 – The first Lutheran denomination in North America, the Pennsylvania Ministerium, is founded in Philadelphia.
1767 – Jesuits all over Chile are arrested as the Spanish Empire suppresses the Society of Jesus.
1768 – Captain James Cook sets sail from England on board HMS Endeavour.
• [First voyage of James Cook]
• [Wikipedia: HMS Endeavour]
• [Seafaring Tales Presents: Captain James Cook's First Voyage]
• [Captain Cook - Voyage of Exploration (1768-1771)]
• [James Cook (Documentary)]
1778 – The first recorded ascent of Triglav, the highest mountain in Slovenia.
1789 – The Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen is approved by the National Constituent Assembly of France.
• [Wikipedia: Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen]
• [Declaration of the Rights of Man and the Citizen (French Revolution: Part 4)]
• [HistoryPod Video]
• [Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen 1789 -- 17 Articles--Hear and Read the Full Text]
• [Avalon Project: Declaration of the Rights of Man - 1789]
• [The History of Basic Human Rights: The Declaration of the Rights of Man, 1789 - Jonathan Israel]
1791 – John Fitch is granted a United States patent for the steamboat.
1810 – The former viceroy Santiago de Liniers of the Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata is executed after the defeat of his counter-revolution.
1813 – War of the Sixth Coalition: An impromptu battle takes place when French and Prussian-Russian forces accidentally run into each other near Liegnitz, Prussia (now Legnica, Poland).
1814 – Chilean War of Independence: Infighting between the rebel forces of José Miguel Carrera and Bernardo O'Higgins erupts in the Battle of Las Tres Acequias.
1833 – The great 1833 Kathmandu–Bihar earthquake causes major damage in Nepal, northern India and Tibet, a total of 500 people perish.
1863 – The Swedish-language liberal newspaper Helsingfors Dagblad proposed the current blue-and-white cross flag as the flag of Finland.
1883 – The 1883 eruption of Krakatoa begins its final, paroxysmal, stage.
1914 – World War I: The German colony of Togoland surrenders to French and British forces after a 20-day campaign.
1914 – World War I: During the retreat from Mons, the British II Corps commanded by General Sir Horace Smith-Dorrien fights a vigorous and successful defensive action at Le Cateau.
1920 – The 19th amendment to United States Constitution takes effect, giving women the right to vote.
• [Wikipedia: Women's Equality Day]
• [On This Day August 26, 1920: The Significance of Ratification of the 19th Amendment]
• [(US CENSUS) Women’s Equality Day: August 26, 2021]
1922 – Greco-Turkish War (1919–22): Turkish army launched what has come to be known to the Turks as the Great Offensive (Büyük Taarruz). The major Greek defense positions were overrun.
1936 – Spanish Civil War: Santander falls to the nationalists and the republican interprovincial council is dissolved.
1940 – Chad becomes the first French colony to join the Allies under the administration of Félix Éboué, France's first black colonial governor.
1942 – The Holocaust in Ukraine: At Chortkiv, the Ukrainian police and German Schutzpolizei deport two thousand Jews to Bełżec extermination camp. Five hundred of the sick and children are murdered on the spot. This continued until the next day.
• [Museum of the Jewish Peoples]
1944 – World War II: Charles de Gaulle enters Paris.
1966 – The South African Border War starts with the battle at Omugulugwombashe.
1970 – The fiftieth anniversary of American women being able to vote is marked by a nationwide Women's Strike for Equality.
1977 – The Charter of the French Language is adopted by the National Assembly of Quebec
1978 – Papal conclave: Albino Luciani is elected as Pope John Paul I.
1980 – After John Birges plants a bomb at Harvey's Resort Hotel in Stateline, Nevada, in the United States, the FBI inadvertently detonates the bomb during its disarming.
1997 – Beni Ali massacre occurs in Algeria, leaving 60 to 100 people dead.
1998 – The first flight of the Air Force Delta III ends in disaster 75 seconds after liftoff resulting in the loss of the Galaxy X satellite.
1999 – Russia begins the Second Chechen War in response to the Invasion of Dagestan by the Islamic International Peacekeeping Brigade.
• [Wikipedia: War of Dagestan]
• [Second Chechen War]
• [Babitsky's War - Chechen War Documentary (2000, narrated by Alan Rickman, 60FPS)] (English subtitles)
2003 – A Beechcraft 1900 operating as Colgan Air Flight 9446 crashes after taking off from Barnstable Municipal Airport in Yarmouth, Massachusetts, killing both pilots on board.
2009 – Kidnapping victim Jaycee Dugard is discovered alive in California after being missing for over 18 years. Her captors, Phillip and Nancy Garrido are apprehended.
2011 – The Boeing 787 Dreamliner, Boeing's all-new composite airliner, receives certification from the EASA and the FAA.
2014 – The Jay Report into the Rotherham child sexual exploitation scandal is published.
2015 – Two U.S. journalists are shot and killed by a disgruntled former coworker while conducting a live report in Moneta, Virginia.
2018 – Three people are killed and eleven wounded during a mass shooting at a Madden NFL '19 video game tournament in Jacksonville, Florida.
• [Jacksonville Landing shooting]
• [3 dead, including suspect, in mass shooting at Jacksonville Landing]
• [Shooting at the Jacksonville Landing]
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Published at 3:30am on Thursday, August 26, 2021
Resources used to compile the information in this article include, but are not limited to the following websites or books: MaconMedia.com, youtube.com, weather.gov, airnow.gov, wikipedia.com, onthisday.com, ncdcr.gov, ncsu.edu, utah.edu, https://www.microbe.tv/twiv/, wolfram.com, biorxiv.org, aps.org, nejm.org, plos.org, cell.com, researchsquare.com, cureus.com, spc.noaa.gov, nhc.noaa.gov, ncdenr.org, medrxiv.org, archive.org, ncpedia.org, nasa.gov, https://ww2days.com, nih.gov, carolinapublicpress.org, microbe.tv, smokymountainnews.com, psypost.org, blogspot.com, pollen.com, franklinnc.com, maconnc.org, spaceweather.com, solarham.com, loc.gov, ncleg.net, senate.gov, house.gov, whitehouse.gov, drudgereport.com, politico.com, realclearpolitics.com, ushmm.org, This Day in North Carolina History, World War II Day By Day, The Holocaust Encyclopedia, The Timetables of History, The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, The World History and Book of Facts (multiple years), On This Day In History: Over 4,000 facts, The NASA Archives. 60 Years in Space, This Day in North Carolina History, The Smithsonian History of Space Exploration: From the Ancient World to the Extraterrestrial Future, Spaceflight, 2nd Edition: The Complete Story from Sputnik to Curiousity, The Story of Civilization (11 volumes), The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, American History, Volume 1: 1492-1877, American History, Volume 2: 1877 - Present, A Complete Chronolgy of the Second World War. Weather and Almanac data and information sources: Sources (except where otherwise credited): heavens-above.com, Ian Webster's Github, National Centers for Environmental Prediction, The National Weather Service, National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration, National Hurricane Center, Penn State University Electronic Wall Map, The State Climate Office of North Carolina, Storm Prediction Center, U.S. Naval Observatory, University of Utah Department of Atmospheric Sciences, and the Weather Prediction Center. Back to Top
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