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Weather
Hazards and Tropical Weather
Almanac
Macon Calendar
Local and StateNews
National News Roundup
COVID-19 News and Updates
Science and Technology
On This Day
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OUTLOOK
A cold front will approach the area tonight before retreating and then briefly stalling over Tennessee on Friday. The front is expected to sweep across our area over the weekend bringing chances for rain. Expect the front to stall over Florida by Monday as low pressure forms along the front over the Gulf of Mexico. This low moves across Florida going into mid week possibly bringing another round of precipitation to our area.
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Local Weather
National Weather Map for Today
General forecast through Saturday Night
Franklin area
Today
Partly sunny, with highs in the mid 60s. Calm winds in the morning increasing to come out of the south around 5 mph in the afternoon.
Tonight
Patchy fog after midnight. Otherwise, mostly cloudy, with lows in the mid 40s. Calm winds.
Friday
Patchy fog before 8am. Otherwise, mostly cloudy, with highs near 70. Calm winds.
Friday Night
A 30 percent chance of showers, mainly after 1am. Mostly cloudy, with lows around 50. Calm winds.
Saturday
Showers, mainly after 11am. Highs in the mid 60s. Calm winds. Chance of rain is 80%.
Saturday Night
Showers, mainly before midnight. Lows in the mid-to-upper 30s. Chance of rain is 80%.
Highlands Plateau
Today
Patchy fog between 8am and 9am. Otherwise, mostly cloudy, with highs in the mid 50s. Winds out of the southwest 5 to 108 mph.
Tonight
Patchy fog before 7pm, then patchy fog after midnight. Otherwise, partly cloudy, with lows in the upper 40s. Winds out of the southwest 5 to 10 mph.
Friday
Patchy fog before 8am. Otherwise, partly sunny, with highs near 60. Winds out of the southwest 3 to 6 mph.
Friday Night
A 30 percent chance of showers, mainly after midnight. Mostly cloudy, with lows in the lower 50s. Winds out of the southwest 5 to 10 mph. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible.
Saturday
Showers, mainly after 11am. Highs near 60. Winds out of teh southwest 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain is 80%.
Saturday Night
Showers, mainly before 11pm. Lows around 40. Chance of rain is 80%.
Otto area
Today
Partly sunny, with highs in the lower 60s. Calm winds becoming south around 5 mph in the afternoon.
Tonight
Patchy fog after midnight. Otherwise, mostly cloudy, with lows in the mid-to-upper 40s. Light and variable winds.
Friday
Patchy fog before 8am. Otherwise, partly sunny, with highs in the upper 60s. Calm winds.
Friday Night
A 30 percent chance of showers, mainly after 1am. Mostly cloudy, with lows in the lower 50s. Calm winds.
Saturday
Showers, mainly after 11am. Highs in the mid 60s. Light and variable winds. Chance of rain is 80%.
Saturday Night
Showers, mainly before 11pm. Lows around 40. Chance of rain is 80%.
Nantahala area
Today
Partly sunny, with highs in the lower 60s. Winds out of the southwest around 5 mph.
Tonight
A slight chance of showers between 1am and 3am. Patchy fog after 3am. Otherwise, mostly cloudy, with lows around 50. Winds out of the southwest around 5 mph becoming calm before midnight. Chance of rain is 20%.
Friday
Patchy fog before 8am. Otherwise, mostly cloudy, with highs in the mid 60s. Calm winds.
Friday Night
A 30 percent chance of showers, mainly after 2am. Mostly cloudy, with lows in the mid 50s. Calm winds.
Saturday
Showers, mainly after 11am. High in the lower 60s. Calm winds in the morning increasing to come out of the southwest around 5 mph in the afternoon. Chance of rain is 80%.
Saturday Night
Showers, mainly before midnight. Lows in the upper 30s. Chance of rain is 80%.
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Hazards and Tropical Weather
Hazardous Weather is not expected today.
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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
Pollen
Pollen levels are expected to be in the low range (1.8 out of 12) today with Juniper being the main culprit. Tomorrow is expected to be in the low range (1.4 out of 12).
Record Weather Events for December 16th
Record weather events for this date in Macon County
(1872-2016)
Highest Temperature 70°F at the Coweeta Experimental Station in 1971
lowest Temperature 4°F in Franklin in 1963
Greatest One-Day Rainfall 2.48 inches in Highlands in 1982
Greatest One-Day Snowfall 1.5 inches in Highlands in 1932
Record weather events for December in Macon County
Highest Temperature 78°F in Franklin on Dec 31, 1951
Lowest Temperature -12°F in Highlands on Dec 30, 1917
Greatest Rainfall 6.00 inches in Highlands on Dec 14, 1901
Greatest One-Day Snowfall 12.0 inches in Franklin on Dec 21, 1876
All-time record weather events for Macon County
Highest Temperature 101°F in Franklin on Jul 29, 1952
Lowest Temperature -19°F in Highlands on Jan 21, 1985
Greatest Rainfall 21.15 inches in Highlands on Jul 29, 1879
Greatest One-Day Snowfall 25.5 inches at the Coweeta Experimental Station on Mar 13, 1993
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Macon Calendar
(send your event to calendar@maconmedia.com)
Experiencing Nature Through Expanded Senses
"Friends of the Greenway is hosting an indoor "Experiencing Nature Through Expanded Senses" with leader, Diane Wildermuth. Sessions will be held at FROG Quarters on December 15 at 10:30 AM or 12:30 PM. Contact Diane at 421-5539 or dswnatureguide@outlook.com for additional information or to register."
THE POLAR EXPRESS™ Train Ride
THE POLAR EXPRESS™ with the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad is back in 2021! The 1¼ hour round-trip passenger excursion comes to life as the train departs the Bryson City depot for a journey through the quiet wilderness for a special visit at the North Pole. Set to the sounds of the motion picture soundtrack, guests on board will enjoy warm cocoa and a treat while listening and reading along with the magical story. Children’s faces show the magic of the season when the train arrives at the North Pole to find Santa Claus waiting. Santa will board THE POLAR EXPRESS™, greeting each child and presenting them with a special gift as in the story, their own silver sleigh bell. Christmas carols will be sung as they return back to the Bryson City Depot. For tickets, see [GSMR.com]
Dillsboro Lights & Luminaries
Adapted from an old Scandinavian custom of lighting the way for the Christ child, more than 2,500 candles in small white bags line the streets and every storefront is aglow with Christmas lights and decorations. Shopkeepers and restaurants are open late. See Santa and Mrs. Claus as they ride through town in their pickup truck. Write a letter to Santa and drop it off at his special mailbox. Live music on Front Street. For more information, see [Visit Dillsboro]
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Local and State News
COVID-19 Numbers for Macon County: [November 15, 2021]
• Trooper shot, suspect dead after Yancey County chase [WLOS-TV]
• Say what?!? Asheville makes 'worst place to live' list, based on standard of living [Asheville Citizen-Times]
• 2021 Macon County Employee Service Awards [Macon Media]
Franklin Town Council - December 2021 Special Called Meeting
• Thank to Teachers: Mina Jenkins [WLOS-TV]
• Macon County Board of Education - December 2021 Regular Meeting [Macon Media]
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National and World News Roundup
Bushcraft Bear: La Palma Volcano Report for December 14th, 2021
• How brothers in arms plotted theft, sale of US Army weaponry [AP News]
• Five children dead and four injured after wind lifts bouncy castle into the air [CNN]
• Bruce Springsteen Sells His Masters and Music Publishing to Sony in $500M Deal [Billboard Magazine]
• Intense storm spawns tornadoes, including first ever observed in Minnesota during December [CNN]
• https://edition.cnn.com/2021/12/15/weather/us-weather-wednesday/index.html [KTVU-TV]
NBC Nightly News Full Broadcast - December 15th, 2021
PBS NewsHour Full Episode December 15th, 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: [November 18, 2021]
• WHO Coronavirus (COVID-19) Dashboard [World Health Organization]
Globally, as of 5:02pm CET, 14 December 2021, there have been 270,031,622 confirmed cases of COVID-19, including 5,310,502 deaths, reported to WHO. As of 13 December 2021, a total of 8,200,642,671 vaccine doses have been administered.
In United States of America, from 3 January 2020 to 5:02pm CET, 14 December 2021, there have been 49,625,855 confirmed cases of COVID-19 with 790,920 deaths, reported to WHO. As of 10 December 2021, a total of 465,812,616 vaccine doses have been administered.
• Omicron spreading rapidly in U.S. and could bring punishing wave as soon as January, CDC warns [MSN]
• How Kennedy built an anti-vaccine juggernaut amid COVID-19 [AP News]
• Covid’s deadly trade-offs, by the numbers: How each state has fared in the pandemic [Politico]
• Don’t Be Surprised When You Get Omicron [The Atlantic]
• HKUMed finds Omicron SARS-CoV-2 can infect faster and better than Delta in human bronchus but with less severe infection in lung [HKU Med]
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Science and Technology News Roundup
• How to Determine If a Source Is Scholarly [Illinois Undergraduate Library]
Level1 News December 15 2021: Writing Checks That Your Facts Can't Cash
The Epic First-Hand Story of Building the James Webb Space Telescope
Looking back in time with the James Webb Space Telescope
• James Webb Space Telescope launch delayed to Christmas Eve [SOURCE]
• Prehistoric Site Shows Modern Humans Weren’t First to Change the World [Wall Street Journal]
• NASA Begins Testing Robotics for Daring Space Mission To Bring First Samples Back From Mars [SciTechNews]
• Log4j could be the most serious security threat ever seen, CISA head warns [TechRadar]
• Reddit files to take the company public [The Verge]
• Scientists Just Found a 'Significant' Volume of Water Inside Mars' Grand Canyon [Interesting Engineering]
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On This Day
December 16th is the 350th day of the year (351st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar; 15 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)
714 – Pepin of Herstal, mayor of the Merovingian palace, dies at Jupille (modern Belgium). He is succeeded by his infant grandson Theudoald while his wife Plectrude holds actual power in the Frankish Kingdom.
755 – An Lushan revolts against Chancellor Yang Guozhong at Yanjing, initiating the An Lushan Rebellion during the Tang dynasty of China.
1431 – Hundred Years' War: Henry VI of England is crowned King of France at Notre Dame in Paris.
1497 – Vasco da Gama passes the Great Fish River, where Bartolomeu Dias had previously turned back to Portugal.
1575 – An earthquake with an estimated magnitude of 8.5Mw strikes Valdivia, Chile.
1598 – Seven-Year War: Battle of Noryang: The final battle of the Seven-Year War is fought between the China and the Korean allied forces and Japanese navies, resulting in a decisive allied forces victory.
1653 – English Interregnum: The Protectorate: Oliver Cromwell becomes Lord Protector of the Commonwealth of England, Scotland and Ireland.
1689 – Convention Parliament: The Declaration of Right is embodied in the Bill of Rights.
1761 – Seven Years' War: After a four-month siege, the Russians under Pyotr Rumyantsev take the Prussian fortress of Kołobrzeg.
1773 – American Revolution: Boston Tea Party: Members of the Sons of Liberty disguised as Mohawk Indians dump hundreds of crates of tea into Boston harbor as a protest against the Tea Act.
1777 – Virginia becomes the first state to ratify the Articles of Confederation.
1782 – British East India Company: Muharram Rebellion: Hada and Mada Miah lead the first anti-British uprising in the subcontinent against Robert Lindsay and his contingents in Sylhet Shahi Eidgah.
1811 – The first two in a series of four severe earthquakes occur in the vicinity of New Madrid, Missouri.
1826 – Benjamin W. Edwards rides into Mexican-controlled Nacogdoches, Texas, and declares himself ruler of the Republic of Fredonia.
1838 – Great Trek: Battle of Blood River: Voortrekkers led by Andries Pretorius and Sarel Cilliers defeat Zulu impis, led by Dambuza (Nzobo) and Ndlela kaSompisi in what is today KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.
1843 – The discovery of octonions by John T. Graves, who denoted them with a boldface O, was announced to his mathematician friend William Hamilton, discoverer of quaternions, in a letter on this date.
1850 – The Charlotte Jane and the Randolph bring the first of the Canterbury Pilgrims to Lyttelton, New Zealand.
1863 – American Civil War: Joseph E. Johnston replaces Braxton Bragg as commander of the Confederate Army of Tennessee.
1864 – American Civil War: Battle of Nashville: The Union's Army of the Cumberland routs and destroys the Confederacy's Army of Tennessee, ending its effectiveness as a combat unit.
1880 – Outbreak of the First Boer War between the Boer South African Republic and the British Empire.
1882 – Wales and England contest the first Home Nations (now Six Nations) rugby union match.
1883 – Tonkin Campaign: French forces capture the Sơn Tây citadel.
1903 – Taj Mahal Palace & Tower hotel in Bombay first opens its doors to guests.
1905 – In Rugby Union, The "Match of the Century" is played between Wales and New Zealand at Cardiff Arms Park.
1907 – The American Great White Fleet begins its circumnavigation of the world.
1912 – First Balkan War: The Royal Hellenic Navy defeats the Ottoman Navy at the Battle of Elli.
1914 – World War I: Admiral Franz von Hipper commands a raid on Scarborough, Hartlepool and Whitby.
1918 – Vincas Mickevičius-Kapsukas declares the formation of the Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic; it is dissolved in 1919.
1920 – The Haiyuan earthquake of 8.5Mw , rocks the Gansu province in China, killing an estimated 200,000.
1922 – President of Poland Gabriel Narutowicz is assassinated by Eligiusz Niewiadomski at the Zachęta Gallery in Warsaw.
1930 – Bank robber Herman Lamm and members of his crew are killed by a 200-strong posse, following a botched bank robbery, in Clinton, Indiana.
1937 – Theodore Cole and Ralph Roe attempt to escape from the American federal prison on Alcatraz Island in San Francisco Bay; neither is ever seen again.
1938 – Adolf Hitler institutes the Cross of Honour of the German Mother.
1942 – The Holocaust: Schutzstaffel chief Heinrich Himmler orders that Roma candidates for extermination be deported to Auschwitz.
1944 – World War II: The Battle of the Bulge begins with the surprise offensive of three German armies through the Ardennes forest.
1947 – William Shockley, John Bardeen and Walter Brattain build the first practical point-contact transistor.
1950 – Korean War: In response to China's Second Phase Offensive, U.S. President Harry S. Truman declares a limited state of emergency.
1960 – A United Airlines Douglas DC-8 and a TWA Lockheed Super Constellation collide over Staten Island, New York and crash, killing all 128 people aboard both aircraft and six more on the ground.
1965 – Vietnam War: General William Westmoreland sends U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara a request for 243,000 more men by the end of 1966.
1968 – Second Vatican Council: Official revocation of the Edict of Expulsion of Jews from Spain.
1971 – Bangladesh Liberation War and Indo-Pakistani War of 1971: The ceasefire of the Pakistan Army brings an end to both conflicts. This is commemorated annually as Victory Day in Bangladesh, and as Vijay Diwas in India.
1971 – The United Kingdom recognizes Bahrain's independence, which is commemorated annually as Bahrain's National Day.
1978 – Cleveland, Ohio becomes the first major American city to default on its financial obligations since the Great Depression.
1979 – Libya joins four other OPEC nations in raising crude oil prices, which has an immediate, dramatic effect on the United States.
1985 – Paul Castellano and Thomas Bilotti are shot dead on the orders of John Gotti, who assumes leadership of New York's Gambino crime family.
1989 – Romanian Revolution: Protests break out in Timișoara, Romania, in response to an attempt by the government to evict dissident Hungarian pastor László Tőkés.
1989 – U.S. Appeals Court Judge Robert Smith Vance is assassinated by a mail bomb sent by Walter Leroy Moody, Jr.
1991 – Kazakhstan declares independence from the Soviet Union.
2013 – A bus falls from an elevated highway in the Philippines capital Manila killing at least 18 people with 20 injured.
2014 – Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan militants attack an Army Public School in Peshawar, Pakistan, killing 150 people, 132 of them schoolchildren.
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Published at 5:10am on Thursday, December 16, 2021
Author: Bobby Coggins
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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