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About

Saturday, December 31, 2022

News and Weather Briefing for Saturday, December 31, 2022



Here is an index to assist you in moving from section to section within the article.

Back to Top
Weather
Hazards and Tropical Weather
Almanac
Macon Calendar
Local and StateNews
Russo-UKrainian War Updates
National News Roundup
COVID-19 News and Updates
Science and Technology
Russo-Ukrainian War Videos (mostly long form)
On This Day
Support Macon Media


GENERAL OUTLOOK

A weak cold front will bring mostly light rain to the region today, with high pressure and drier conditions returning New Year`s Day into Monday. A stronger cold front and associated moisture will approach from the west next Tuesday and slowly cross the region through Wednesday, bringing widespread rain and perhaps some thunderstorms. Cool and dry high pressure is expected to return by the end of next week.





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Local Weather

General Forecast Through Monday Night





Franklin Area

Today

Showers, mainly before 4pm. Patchy fog between 8am and 3pm. High near 59. Light and variable wind. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New precipitation amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.

New Year's Eve

A 30 percent chance of showers, mainly before 7pm. Patchy fog. Otherwise, partly cloudy, with a low around 40. Calm wind. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible.

New Year's Day

Patchy fog before 8am. Otherwise, mostly sunny, with a high near 65. Calm wind.

Sunday Night

Mostly clear, with a low around 41. Calm wind.

Monday

Mostly sunny, with a high near 70.

Monday Night

A 30 percent chance of showers after 3am. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 49.
Highlands Plateau

Today

Showers, mainly before 3pm. Widespread fog, mainly between 9am and 10am. High near 54. South wind 6 to 8 mph becoming west in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 90%. New precipitation amounts between a half and three quarters of an inch possible.

New Year's Eve

A 20 percent chance of showers before 10pm. Patchy fog. Otherwise, partly cloudy, with a low around 39. Northwest wind around 8 mph.

New Year's Day

Mostly sunny, with a high near 58. North northwest wind 5 to 7 mph becoming light and variable in the afternoon.

Sunday Night

Mostly clear, with a low around 39. Calm wind becoming northwest around 5 mph after midnight.

Monday

Mostly sunny, with a high near 61.

Monday Night

A 30 percent chance of showers after 3am. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 46.


Otto and South Central Macon County

Today

Showers, mainly before 3pm. Patchy fog before 3pm. High near 59. South southeast wind around 5 mph becoming calm in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 90%. New precipitation amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.

New Year's Eve

A 20 percent chance of showers before 10pm. Patchy fog. Otherwise, partly cloudy, with a low around 41. Calm wind.

New Year's Day

Patchy fog before 8am. Otherwise, mostly sunny, with a high near 65. Light and variable wind.

Sunday Night

Mostly clear, with a low around 42. Calm wind.

Monday

Mostly sunny, with a high near 69.

Monday Night

A 30 percent chance of showers after 3am. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 49.


Nantahala Area

Today

Showers and possibly a thunderstorm before 2pm, then showers likely. Patchy fog after 8am. High near 57. Calm wind becoming west southwest around 5 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New rainfall amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.

New Year's Eve

A 30 percent chance of showers, mainly before 8pm. Patchy fog. Otherwise, partly cloudy, with a low around 42. Light west southwest wind. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible.

New Year's Day

Patchy fog before 8am. Otherwise, mostly sunny, with a high near 60. Calm wind.

Sunday Night

Mostly clear, with a low around 42. Calm wind.

Monday

Mostly sunny, with a high near 65.

Monday Night

A 30 percent chance of showers after 2am. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 50.






Back to Top
Hazards and Tropical Weather

Hazardous weather is not expected today.



Latest US Drought Monitor Map for North Carolina.


Back to Top TROPICAL WEATHER OUTLOOK

• Damaging 2022 Atlantic hurricane season draws to a close [National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration]

• Atlantic hurricane season ends with 14 named storms [AP News]




Tropical Weather Outlook
NWS National Hurricane Center Miami FL
700 PM EST Wed Nov 30 2022

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

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

This is the last regularly scheduled Tropical Weather Outlook of the 2022 Atlantic Hurricane Season. Routine issuance of the Tropical Weather Outlook will resume on May 15, 2023. During the off-season, Special Tropical Weather Outlooks will be issued as conditions warrant.



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Almanac

24 Hour Smoke Forecast

No known appreciable smoke field will be crossing Macon County today or tonight.















PM2.5 AQI is 50 (GOOD) for most of the county, and the ridges and other higher elevations PM2.5 AQI is 50 (GOOD)


Fire and Smoke Map




Local Air Monitor



Pollen

Pollen levels are expected to be in the low range (0.3 out of 12) today with Juniper being the main culprit. Tomorrow is expected to be in the low range (2.1 out of 12).



Record Weather Events for December 31st

Record weather events for this date in Macon County
(1872-2016)

Highest Temperature 78°F in Franklin in 1951
Lowest Temperature 2°F at the Coweeta Experimental Station in 1983
Greatest One-Day Rainfall 4.34 inches in Highlands in 2012
Greatest One-Day Snowfall 3.0 inches in Franklin in 1963

Weather Extremes for Macon County for the month of December Data available from 1872

Highest Temperature 78°F in Franklin on 12-31-1951
Lowest Temperature -12°F in Highlands on 12-30-1917
Greatest Rainfall 6.25 inches in Highlands on 12-28-2018
Greatest Snowfall 12.0 inches in Franklin on 12-21-1876

Record Weather Events for December 31st in North Carolina

Highest Temperature 82°F in Wilmington, New Hanover County in 2015
Lowest Temperature -5°F in Banner Elk, Avery County in 1935
Greatest Rainfall 6.12 inches at the Grandfather Mountain, Avery County in 2015
Greatest Snowfall 15.0 inches in Mount Mitchell, Yancey County in 1997
Weather Extremes for North Carolina for the month of December Data available from 1872

Highest Temperature 87°F in Edenton, Chowan County on 12-03-1922
Lowest Temperature -21°F in Banner Elk, Avery County on 12-30-1917
Greatest Rainfall 7.80 inches in Lake Toxaway, Transylvania County on 12-29-2018
Greatest Snowfall 25.00 in Mount Mitchell, Yancey County on 12-09-2017




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





No events have been submitted for Macon Calendar.
Back to Top
Local and State News



• Waterline Break in Franklin Repaired, Boil Water Advisory Could End Today [Macon Media]

• Rep. G.K. Butterfield of NC resigns just days before term ends [Raleigh News and Observer] • No voter fraud charges for Mark Meadows [NC DOJ (PDF)] • AG: Meadows won't face voter fraud charges in North Carolina [WRAL-TV (Raleigh, NC)] • Asheville leaders fall short of water restoration goal as outage nears 1-week mark [WLOS-TV (Asheville, NC)] • Canton water service will be restored soon [Smoky Mountain NewsE]

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Special Section: The Russo-Ukrainian War
(sharing of a particular source is not an endorsement)



• Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, December 30 [Institute for the Study of War] [PDF for December 30th]

• Russia-Ukraine war: List of key events, day 310 [Al Jazeera]

• LIVEBLOG: Day 311 of Russian aggression against Ukraine [TVP World]

• Russo-Ukrainian War. Day 310: Russia launches tenth massive missile attack against Ukraine [Euromaiden Press]

M2 Bradleys to Ukraine? - China Intercepts American Plane | FUNKER530 - Veteran Community & Combat Footage



My Next Guest with David Letterman and Volodymyr Zelenskyy | Full Episode | Netflix



2022 in review: A year of conflict in Ukraine | Al Jazeera



Timothy Snyder: Making of Modern Ukraine (23 Lectures) | Yale Courses



• Class Syllabus ["The Making of Modern Ukraine," Fall 2022]


News from Russian or pro-Russian outlets or Video About the Russian Perspective

• Ukraine is ‘first multipolar’ conflict – Dugin [Russia Today]

• Putin is ringing the death knell for NATO [Pravda]

• Putin allows to collect gas supplies debts in unfriendly countries’ currency [TASS]


Back to Top
National and World News Roundup

• Barbara Walters, trailblazing TV icon, dies at 93 [ABC News (article and video)]

• Barbara Walters, Pioneering TV Journalist, Dies at Age 93 [Wall Street Journal]

Judy Woodruff's goodbye message to viewers as she departs NewsHour anchor desk | PBS NewsHour



And these are the co-anchors who will be succeeding Judy: WATCH: 7 questions with Amna Nawaz and Geoff Bennett | PBS NewsHour



• Market Outlook: What Investors Can Expect in 2023 [WSJ (audio podcast and transcript)]

• Iran Crisis Update, December 29 Understanding War] [PDF for December 29th]

• Biden announces year-end pardons [CBS News]

• Drugmakers to raise prices on at least 350 drugs in U.S. in January [Reuters]

• House committee releases Trump’s tax returns [Courthouse News Service]

• Trump Taxes Report [US House Joint Committee on Taxation (PDF)]

• US Supreme Court justice's wife disavows her texts [BBC News]

• Where George Santos' many scandals stand [Politico]

• North Korea fires 3 ballistic missiles just days after flying drones into South, Seoul says [CBS News]


Washington Today (12-30-22): Six years of Donald Trump's tax returns made public | C-SPAN Radio



“We are in a debt trap” - Nouriel Roubini on 10 ‘megathreats’ to our world and how to stop them | Channel 4 News



WATCH: PBS NewsHour's Judy Woodruff reflects on her career | PBS NewsHour



Global National: Dec. 30, 2022 | Hundreds of Canadians still stuck abroad amid Sunwing struggles



Nightly News Full Broadcast (December 30th)


PBS NewsHour full episode, December 30, 2022




Back to Top
COVID-19 News and Updates

Here is a section on COVID-19. It includes local, regional, state, national, and global items.



COVID-19 Numbers for Macon County:






• WHO Coronavirus (COVID-19) Dashboard [World Health Organization]

In United States of America, from 3 January 2020 to 4:54pm CET, 23 December 2022, there have been 99,027,628 confirmed cases of COVID-19 with 1,080,010 deaths, reported to WHO. As of 2 December 2022, a total of 647,345,101 vaccine doses have been administered.

Globally, as of 4:54pm CET, 23 December 2022, there have been 651,918,402 confirmed cases of COVID-19, including 6,656,601 deaths, reported to WHO. As of 13 December 2022, a total of 13,008,560,983 vaccine doses have been administered.

xxx | xxx



• TWiV 970: Clinical update with Dr. Daniel Griffin [Microbe TV]

• Highly immune evasive omicron XBB.1.5 variant is quickly becoming dominant in U.S. as it doubles weekly [CNBC]

• Australia to ring in 2023 with no COVID restrictions [Reuters]

• What If COVID Reinfections Wear Down Our Immunity? [The Tyee]

• Flu and RSV on the Decline But COVID Hospitalizations Rise [WNBC-TV (New York City, NY)]




Back to Top
Science and Technology News Roundup

• Google Home speakers allowed hackers to snoop on conversations (repeated due to following links) [Bleeping Computer]

• Recovering Smartphone Voice from the Accelerometer [Schneier on Security]

• EarSpy: Spying Caller Speech and Identity through Tiny Vibrations of Smartphone Ear Speakers [Arxiv (PDF)]

• Tesla told employees not to complain to managers about pay, labor director alleges [Morning Star]

• The U.S. Will Need Thousands of Wind Farms. Will Small Towns Go Along? [New York Times]

• China cracks advanced microchip technology in blow to Western sanctions [The Telegraph]

• Fidelity slashes the value of its Twitter stake by over half [TechCeunch]

• Report: Nearly 50% of phishing attacks in 2021 aimed at government employees were attempted credential theft [VentureBeat]


Semi-permanent links

WATCH: Judy Woodruff on journalism ethics in a time of crisis | UVA’s Jim Lehrer Lecture



• Fall of Civilizations #16. Bagan - City of Temples [Fall of Civilizations Podcast]

• 25 tips to help you prepare for the 2024 total solar eclipse [Astronomy Magazine]

• Neal Stephenson’s Lamina1 drops white paper on building the open metaverse [Venture Beat] [PDF of White paper]

• Yes, the Great Books Make Us Better People [New York Times]



Podcasts and Long Form Videos (History, Culture, Science, Space, Technology and Current Events)
Anything covering educational, entertainment, history, current events, and technology topics

Biggest Space Events of 2022 | Universe Today



Tech Predictions for 2023 – DTNS 4426 | Daily Tech News Show



8 Fascinating Discoveries of the James Webb Telescope | ColdFusion



TWiV 970: Clinical update with Dr. Daniel Griffin | Microbe TV



My Next Guest with David Letterman and Volodymyr Zelenskyy | Full Episode | Netflix



F-22 Cancellation is Worse than You Think | Task and Purpose |



Incredible Space Discoveries Of 2022 That Blew Our Minds | Anton Petrov



Transhumanism and Humanity’s Future | Science and Futurism with Isaac Arthur



Economic Warfare–How to Quietly Devastate a Country | Warographics



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Back to Top
Russo-Ukrainian War Videos (mostly long form)

--> My Next Guest with David Letterman and Volodymyr Zelenskyy | Full Episode | Netflix



Interview with Noam Chomsky; Ukraine, Nord Stream, NATO and the coming war with China. | SaltCubeAnalytics



M2 Bradleys to Ukraine? - China Intercepts American Plane | FUNKER530 - Veteran Community & Combat Footage



Ammunition shortages in Ukraine - production, supply, & are Russia or the West running dry? | Perun



Why Doesn't Russia Just Move Their Bombers? | Covert Cabal



The Battle for Bakhmut | VICE News



Why Putin spends hundreds of millions on knocking out Kyiv’s grid for eight hours | DW News







Back to Top
On This Day

December 31 is the 365th day of the year (366th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar; It is known by a collection of names including: Saint Sylvester's Day, New Year's Eve or Old Years Day/Night, as the following day is New Year's Day. It is the last day of the year; the following day is January 1, the first day of the following year. It is also the last day of the fourth and final quarter of the year.

Historical Events



Historical Events

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



406 – Vandals, Alans and Suebians cross the Rhine, beginning an invasion of Gaul.

535 – Byzantine general Belisarius completes the conquest of Sicily, defeating the Gothic garrison of Palermo (Panormos), and ending his consulship for the year.

870 РBattle of Englefield: The Vikings clash with ealdorman ̠thelwulf of Berkshire. The invaders are driven back to Reading (East Anglia); many Danes are killed.

• [Wikipedia: Battle of Englefield]



1105 – Holy Roman Emperor Henry IV is forced to abdicate in favor of his son, Henry V, in Ingelheim.

1225 – The Lý dynasty of Vietnam ends after 216 years by the enthronement of the boy emperor Trần Thái Tông, husband of the last Lý monarch, Lý Chiêu Hoàng, starting the Trần dynasty.

1229 – James I the Conqueror, King of Aragon, enters Medina Mayurqa (now known as Palma, Spain), thus consummating the Christian reconquest of the island of Majorca.

1501 – The First Battle of Cannanore commences, seeing the first use of the naval line of battle.

1600 – The British East India Company is chartered.

1660 – James II of England is named Duke of Normandy by Louis XIV of France.

1670 – The expedition of John Narborough leaves Corral Bay, having surveyed the coast and lost four hostages to the Spanish.

1687 – The first Huguenots set sail from France to the Cape of Good Hope.

1757 РEmpress Elizabeth I of Russia issues her ukase incorporating K̦nigsberg into Russia.

1759 – Arthur Guinness signs a 9,000 year lease at £45 per annum and starts brewing Guinness.

• [Wikipedia: Guinness]
• [Arthur Guinness signed a 9000-year lease for an abandoned brewery in Dublin: Guinness is still brewed at St. James Gate]



1775 – American Revolutionary War: Battle of Quebec: British forces repulse an attack by Continental Army General Richard Montgomery.

1790 – Efimeris, the oldest Greek newspaper of which issues have survived till today, is published for the first time.

1796 – The incorporation of Baltimore as a city.

1831 – Gramercy Park is deeded to New York City.

1853 – A dinner party is held inside a life-size model of an iguanodon created by Benjamin Waterhouse Hawkins and Sir Richard Owen in south London, England.

1857 – Queen Victoria chooses Ottawa, then a small logging town, as the capital of the Province of Canada.

1862 – American Civil War: Abraham Lincoln signs an act that admits West Virginia to the Union, thus dividing Virginia in two.

1862 – American Civil War: The Battle of Stones River begins near Murfreesboro, Tennessee.

1878 – Karl Benz, working in Mannheim, Germany, files for a patent on his first reliable two-stroke gas engine. He was granted the patent in 1879.

1879 – Thomas Edison demonstrates incandescent lighting to the public for the first time, in Menlo Park, New Jersey. 1901–present

1906 – Mozaffar ad-Din Shah Qajar signs the Persian Constitution of 1906.

1907 – The first New Year's Eve celebration is held in Times Square (then known as Longacre Square) in Manhattan.

1942 – USS Essex, first aircraft carrier of a 24-ship class, is commissioned.

1944 – World War II: Operation Nordwind, the last major Wehrmacht offensive on the Western Front, begins.

1946 – President Harry S. Truman officially proclaims the end of hostilities in World War II.

1951 – Cold War: The Marshall Plan expires after distributing more than US$13.3 billion in foreign aid to rebuild Western Europe.

1955 – General Motors becomes the first U.S. corporation to make over US$1 billion in a year.

1956 – The Romanian Television network begins its first broadcast in Bucharest.

1961 – RTÉ, Ireland's state broadcaster, launches its first national television service.

1963 – The Central African Federation officially collapses, subsequently becoming Zambia, Malawi and Rhodesia.

1965 РJean-B̩del Bokassa, leader of the Central African Republic army, and his military officers begin a coup d'̩tat against the government of President David Dacko.

1968 – The first flight of the Tupolev Tu-144, the first civilian supersonic transport in the world.

1968 – MacRobertson Miller Airlines Flight 1750 crashes near Port Hedland, Western Australia, killing all 26 people on board.

1981 РA coup d'̩tat in Ghana removes President Hilla Limann's PNP government and replaces it with the Provisional National Defence Council led by Flight lieutenant Jerry Rawlings.

1983 – The AT and T Bell System is broken up by the United States Government.

1983 – Benjamin Ward is appointed New York City Police Department's first ever African American police commissioner.

1983 РIn Nigeria, a coup d'̩tat led by Major General Muhammadu Buhari ends the Second Nigerian Republic.

1991 – All official Soviet Union institutions have ceased operations by this date, five days after the Soviet Union is officially dissolved.

1992 – Czechoslovakia is peacefully dissolved in what is dubbed by media as the Velvet Divorce, resulting in the creation of the Czech Republic and the Slovak Republic.

1994 – This date is skipped altogether in Kiribati as the Phoenix Islands and Line Islands change time zones from UTC−11:00 to UTC+13:00 and UTC−10:00 to UTC+14:00, respectively.

1994 – The First Chechen War: The Russian Ground Forces begin a New Year's storming of Grozny.

1998 – The European Exchange Rate Mechanism freezes the values of the legacy currencies in the Eurozone, and establishes the value of the euro currency.

1999 – The first President of Russia, Boris Yeltsin, resigns from office, leaving Prime Minister Vladimir Putin as the acting President and successor.

• [Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Presidency_of_Boris_Yeltsin]
• [Wikipedia Bio: Vladmir Putin]
• [Russia under Vladimir Putin]
• [From spy to president: The rise of Vladimir Putin]
• [Inside Putin's Russia -- Watch the full documentary]



1999 – The U.S. government hands control of the Panama Canal (as well all the adjacent land to the canal known as the Panama Canal Zone) to Panama. This act complied with the signing of the 1977 Torrijos–Carter Treaties.

1999 – Indian Airlines Flight 814 hijacking ends after seven days with the release of 190 survivors at Kandahar Airport, Afghanistan.

2000 – The last day of the 20th Century and 2nd Millennium.

2004 – The official opening of Taipei 101, the tallest skyscraper at that time in the world, standing at a height of 509 metres (1,670 ft).

2009 – Both a blue moon and a lunar eclipse occur.

2010 – Tornadoes touch down in midwestern and southern United States, including Washington County, Arkansas; Greater St. Louis, Sunset Hills, Missouri, Illinois, and Oklahoma, with a few tornadoes in the early hours. A total of 36 tornadoes touched down, resulting in the deaths of nine people and $113 million in damages.

2011 – Samoa and Tokelau skip the day of December 30, 2011 as they jump to the other side of the International Date Line, changing their time zones.

2011 – NASA succeeds in putting the first of two Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory satellites in orbit around the Moon.

2014 – A New Year's Eve celebration stampede in Shanghai kills at least 36 people and injures 49 others.

2015 – A fire breaks out at the Downtown Address Hotel in Downtown Dubai, United Arab Emirates, located near the Burj Khalifa, two hours before the fireworks display is due to commence. Sixteen injuries were reported; one had a heart attack, another suffered a major injury, and fourteen others with minor injuries.

2018 – Thirty-nine people are killed after a ten-story building collapses in the industrial city of Magnitogorsk, Russia.

2019 – The World Health Organization is informed of cases of pneumonia with an unknown cause, detected in Wuhan. This later turned out to be COVID-19, the cause of the COVID-19 pandemic.

• [Nature: A pneumonia outbreak associated with a new coronavirus of probable bat origin]
• [COVID-19 - China]



2020 – The World Health Organization's issues its first emergency use validation for a COVID-19 vaccine.

• [World Health Organization]




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Support Macon Media

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!



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Published at 65:00am on Saturday, December 31, 2022
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

Friday, December 30, 2022

News and Weather Briefing for Friday, December 30, 2022



Here is an index to assist you in moving from section to section within the article.

Back to Top
Weather
Hazards and Tropical Weather
Almanac
Macon Calendar
Local and StateNews
Russo-UKrainian War Updates
National News Roundup
COVID-19 News and Updates
Science and Technology
Russo-Ukrainian War Videos (mostly long form)
On This Day
Support Macon Media


GENERAL OUTLOOK

A low pressure system and weak cold front approaching from the west will increase rain chances, mainly late today into Saturday. High pressure and drier conditions return New Year`s Day into Monday. A stronger cold front and associated moisture will approach from the west next Tuesday and slowly cross the region through Wednesday, bringing widespread rain and perhaps some thunderstorms.

Rain showers will develop over the region early Saturday and continue off and on through the day. The showers may be heavy at times, especially over the southwestern North Carolina mountains, western Upstate South Carolina, and far northeast Georgia. A few spots in these areas may see rainfall totals of 1 to 2 inches by late Saturday. Isolated flooding is not out of the question.



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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, we̢۪ll help you with your next project.





DAY SPONSOR


Macon Media is being underwritten today by Franklin Office Supply. Visit their store at 161 Highlands Road in Franklin or check out their website.



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Local Weather

General Forecast Through Sunday Night





Franklin Area

Today

A 20 percent chance of showers after 9am. Mostly cloudy, with highs near 60. Calm winds in the morning increasing to come out of the south around 5 mph in the afternoon.

Tonight

Showers likely, with thunderstorms also possible after 5am. Patchy fog before 1am, then patchy fog after 3am. Otherwise, cloudy, with lows in the mid 40s. Light winds out of the southeast. Chance of rain is 70%. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.

Saturday

Showers and possibly a thunderstorm. Patchy fog before 8am. Highs in the upper 50s. Light and variable winds. Chance of rain is 90%. New rainfall amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.

Saturday Night

A 40 percent chance of showers, mainly before 10pm. Mostly cloudy, with lows around 40. Calm winds.

New Year's Day

Mostly sunny, with highs in the mid 60s.

Sunday Night

Mostly clear, with lows around 40.
Highlands Plateau

Today

A 30 percent chance of showers, mainly after 10am. Patchy fog between 8am and 2pm. Otherwise, cloudy, with highs near 50. Winds out of the southeast 3 to 7 mph. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible.

Tonight

Showers, with thunderstorms also possible after 4am. Patchy fog after 10pm. Lows in the mid 40s. Winds out of the southeast 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain is 80%. New rainfall amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.

Saturday

Showers and possibly a thunderstorm before 1pm, then showers likely. Patchy fog before 8am. Highs in the lower 50s. Winds out of the southeast 5 to 10 mph in the morning increasing to come out of the west in the afternoon. Chance of rain is 90%. New rainfall amounts between a half and three quarters of an inch possible.

Saturday Night

A chance of showers before 8pm, then a slight chance of rain between 8pm and 10pm. Mostly cloudy, with lows around 40. Winds out of the northwest 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain is 30%.

New Year's Day

Sunny, with highs in the upper 50s.

Sunday Night

Mostly clear, with lows around 40.


Otto and South Central Macon County

Patchy drizzle before 9am, then a chance of showers after 11am. 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. Chance of rain is 30%. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible.

Tonight

Showers likely, then showers and possibly a thunderstorm after 4am. Patchy fog after midnight. Lows in the mid-to-upper 40s. Winds out of the southeast 3 to 6 mph. Chance of rain is 80%. New rainfall amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.

Saturday

Showers and possibly a thunderstorm before noon, then showers likely. Patchy fog before 8am. Highs in the upper 50s. Winds out of the southeast around 5 mph becoming calm by midmorning. Chance of rain is 90%. New rainfall amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.

Saturday Night

A chance of showers before 8pm, then a slight chance of rain between 8pm and 10pm. Mostly cloudy, with lows in the lower 40s. Light winds out of the north. Chance of rain is 30%.

New Year's Day

Mostly sunny, with highs in the mid 70s.

Sunday Night

Mostly clear, with lows around 40.


Nantahala Area

Today

Patchy drizzle before noon, then patchy drizzle after 4pm. Mostly cloudy, with highs in the mid-to-upper 50s. Light winds out of the southeast.

Tonight

Showers likely, with thunderstorms also possible after 5am. Cloudy, with lows in the mid-to-upper 40s. Calm winds increasing to come out of the east around 5 mph after midnight. Chance of rain is 70%. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.

Saturday

Showers and possibly a thunderstorm before noon, then showers likely. Highs in the mid 50s. Calm winds. Chance of rain is 90%. New rainfall amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.

Saturday Night

A chance of showers before 9pm, then a slight chance of rain between 9pm and midnight. Mostly cloudy, with lows in the lower 40s. Calm winds. Chance of rain is 30%.

New Year's Day

Mostly sunny, with highs near 60.

Sunday Night

Mostly clear, with lows in the lower 40s.






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Hazards and Tropical Weather

Rain showers will develop over the region early Saturday and continue off and on through the day. The showers may be heavy at times, especially over the southwestern North Carolina mountains, western Upstate South Carolina, and far northeast Georgia. A few spots in these areas may see rainfall totals of 1 to 2 inches by late Saturday. Isolated flooding is not out of the question.



Latest US Drought Monitor Map for North Carolina.


Back to Top TROPICAL WEATHER OUTLOOK

• Damaging 2022 Atlantic hurricane season draws to a close [National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration]

• Atlantic hurricane season ends with 14 named storms [AP News]




Tropical Weather Outlook
NWS National Hurricane Center Miami FL
700 PM EST Wed Nov 30 2022

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

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

This is the last regularly scheduled Tropical Weather Outlook of the 2022 Atlantic Hurricane Season. Routine issuance of the Tropical Weather Outlook will resume on May 15, 2023. During the off-season, Special Tropical Weather Outlooks will be issued as conditions warrant.



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Almanac

24 Hour Smoke Forecast

No known appreciable smoke field will be crossing Macon County today or tonight.















PM2.5 AQI is 70 (MODERATE) for most of the county, and the ridges and other higher elevations PM2.5 AQI is 70 (MODERATE)


Fire and Smoke Map




Local Air Monitor



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 (0.3 out of 12).



Record Weather Events for December 30th

Record weather events for this date in Macon County
(1872-2016)

Highest Temperature 71°F at the Coweeta Experimental Station in 1984
Lowest Temperature -12°F in Highlands in 1917
Greatest One-Day Rainfall 7.70 inches in Highlands in 1912
Greatest One-Day Snowfall 3.0 inches in Highlands in 1997

Weather Extremes for Macon County for the month of December Data available from 1872

Highest Temperature 78°F in Franklin on 12-31-1951
Lowest Temperature -12°F in Highlands on 12-30-1917
Greatest Rainfall 6.25 inches in Highlands on 12-28-2018
Greatest Snowfall 12.0 inches in Franklin on 12-21-1876

Record Weather Events for December 30th in North Carolina

Highest Temperature 81°F in Dobbins Heights, Richmond County in 1984
Lowest Temperature -21°F in Banner Elk, Avery County in 1917
Greatest Rainfall 4.16 inches at the Asheboro, Randolph County in 2015
Greatest Snowfall 9.0 inches in Mount Mitchell, Yancey County in 1997
Weather Extremes for North Carolina for the month of December Data available from 1872

Highest Temperature 87°F in Edenton, Chowan County on 12-03-1922
Lowest Temperature -21°F in Banner Elk, Avery County on 12-30-1917
Greatest Rainfall 7.80 inches in Lake Toxaway, Transylvania County on 12-29-2018
Greatest Snowfall 25.00 in Mount Mitchell, Yancey County on 12-09-2017




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





No events have been submitted for Macon Calendar.
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Local and State News



• Waterline Break in Franklin Repaired, Boil Water Advisory Could End Today [Macon Media]

Bursting pipes in empty homes leaves water supply vulnerable during water outages | WLOS-TV (Asheville, NC)



The high cost of an aging power grid infrastructure | WRAL-TV (Raleigh, NC)



• Entire NC towns without water for days after power outages, freezing weather [WRAL-TV (Raleigh, NC)]

• Staying in for New Year’s Eve? How to watch ball and acorn drops on TV. [WRAL-TV (Raleigh, NC)]

• Map shows how widespread Asheville water outages are [WLOS-TV (Asheville, NC)]

• Duke Energy had problem with power source equipment pre-blackout, officials confirm [Raleigh News and Observer]

• 2022: A Look Back [Smoky Mountain News]


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Special Section: The Russo-Ukrainian War
(sharing of a particular source is not an endorsement)



• Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, December 29 [Institute for the Study of War] [PDF for December 29th]

• Russia-Ukraine war: List of key events, day 309 [Al Jazeera]

• LIVEBLOG: Day 310 of Russian aggression against Ukraine [TVP World]

• Russo-Ukrainian War. Day 309: Ukraine’s near-future goals – liberation, restoration, returning citizens home [Euromaiden Press]

An American Fighting Russia; Nucking_Futs_Yuri | FUNKER530 - Veteran Community and Combat Footage



• Latest drone attack on Kyiv sends residents to air raid shelters [Al Jazeera (video and article)]

• The Bravery and the Recklessness of Ukraine’s Improvised Army [Wall Street Journal]

• Belarus says Ukrainian missile fell in its territory [DW News]

• Kyiv residents told to go to air raid shelters as sirens wail across city [France 24]

The rise of Vladimir Putin | DW Documentary



2022 in review: A year of conflict in Ukraine | Al Jazeera



Timothy Snyder: Making of Modern Ukraine (23 Lectures) | Yale Courses



• Class Syllabus ["The Making of Modern Ukraine," Fall 2022]


News from Russian or pro-Russian outlets or Video About the Russian Perspective

• Lavrov suggests ‘hundreds’ of US troops are in Ukraine [Russia Today]

• Military conflict in Ukraine reaches stalemate situation [Pravda]

• Russian aircraft firm masters mass production of Su-57 fighter jets — top executive [TASS]


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National and World News Roundup

• Market Outlook: What Investors Can Expect in 2023 [WSJ (audio podcast and transcript)]

• Iran Crisis Update, December 29 Understanding War] [PDF for December 29th]

• Jan. 6 Transcripts Detail Failures in Surveillance and National Guard Response [New York Times]

• Brazil declares three days of mourning for legendary footballer Pelé [France 24]

• The morning read for Thursday, Dec. 29 [SCOTUSblog]

• Louisiana store worker charged in water dousing attack during US cold snap [The Guardian]

• Homeland Security warns of potential domestic extremist-fueled violence related to Title 42 [CBS News]

• The Police Lawyer’s Trial: For 11 years, Karl Ashanti defended the NYPD in civil-rights cases. Then he was arrested for a crime he didn’t commit. [New York Intelligencer]


Washington Today (12/29/2022): Southwest: Normal flight ops to resume Fri & Farewell Addresses | C-SPAN Radio



Global National: Dec. 29, 2022 | A look back at the life of legendary Brazilian soccer star Pelé



Nightly News Full Broadcast (December 29th)


PBS NewsHour full episode, December 29, 2022




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COVID-19 News and Updates

Here is a section on COVID-19. It includes local, regional, state, national, and global items.



COVID-19 Numbers for Macon County:






• WHO Coronavirus (COVID-19) Dashboard [World Health Organization]

In United States of America, from 3 January 2020 to 4:54pm CET, 23 December 2022, there have been 99,027,628 confirmed cases of COVID-19 with 1,080,010 deaths, reported to WHO. As of 2 December 2022, a total of 647,345,101 vaccine doses have been administered.

Globally, as of 4:54pm CET, 23 December 2022, there have been 651,918,402 confirmed cases of COVID-19, including 6,656,601 deaths, reported to WHO. As of 13 December 2022, a total of 13,008,560,983 vaccine doses have been administered.

COVID-19 Update: China's BF.7 Surge | MedCram - Medical Lectures Explained CLEARLY



xxx | xxx



• xxx [WSJ (video and audio)] [WSJ (article archive)]

• How Bad Is China’s Covid Outbreak? It’s a Scientific Guessing Game. [New York Times]

• XBB COVID variant presents a unique threat: study [Fierce Healthcare]

• 2022 was the worst for many US hospitals. The aftershocks will last for years. [Vox]




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Science and Technology News Roundup

• Google Home speakers allowed hackers to snoop on conversations [Bleeping Computer]

• The LastPass disclosure of leaked password vaults is being torn apart by security experts [The Verge]

• Apple Supplier TSMC Starts Mass Production on 3nm Chips [MacRumors]

• The vibes are off at Tesla: Layoffs, lawsuits, delays, Twitter chaos, stock in free fall, factory shutdowns — What happened to America’s favorite electric car company? [The verge]

• Ransomware attacks on health care organizations on the rise [Medical Xpress]


Semi-permanent links

• Fall of Civilizations #16. Bagan - City of Temples [Fall of Civilizations Podcast]

• 25 tips to help you prepare for the 2024 total solar eclipse [Astronomy Magazine]

• Neal Stephenson’s Lamina1 drops white paper on building the open metaverse [Venture Beat] [PDF of White paper]

• Yes, the Great Books Make Us Better People [New York Times]



Podcasts and Long Form Videos (History, Culture, Science, Space, Technology and Current Events)
Anything covering educational, entertainment, history, current events, and technology topics

ISI EROS C-3 Mission | SpaceX



Optane Latency and Why I've Been Obsessed with Intel's Fire Sale | Level1Techs



b>Betül Kaçar: Origin of Life, Ancient DNA, Panspermia, and Aliens | Lex Fridman Podcast #350



Tech Predictions for 2022 Results! – DTNS 4425 | Daily Tech News Show



Overnight Mountain Train Trip (VIA Rail) | Steve Wallis



SpaceX Conducts Impressive Gimbal Test of Raptor Engine | NASASpaceflight



Can You Cook a Turkey by Dropping It From Space? | Scott Manley



The Biggest Space Discoveries and Breakthroughs of 2022! What a Stunning Year! | V101 Science



The Mystery Of The Jade Suit Tomb - Mysteries Of China | Timeline



<


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Russo-Ukrainian War Videos (mostly long form)

--> ‘Senseless barbarism’: Russian missiles target Ukraine’s cities | Al Jazeera



Almost half of Kyiv residents in the dark after new wave of Russian attacks | DW News



Moscow's holiday lights can't make Russians forget the war | FRANCE 24 English



Lt Gen Deptula on air campaign in Ukraine: Russian air force is inept - Rock Rachon | TVP World



120 Russian missiles target Ukrainian cities in fresh strikes | BBC News



An American Fighting Russia; Nucking_Futs_Yuri | FUNKER530 - Veteran Community and Combat Footage



The rise of Vladimir Putin | DW Documentary







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On This Day

December 30th is the 364th day of the year (365th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar; one day remains until the end of the year.

Historical Events



Historical Events

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



534 – The second and final edition of the Code of Justinian comes into effect in the Byzantine Empire.

999 – Battle of Glenmama: The combined forces of Munster and Meath under king Brian Boru inflict a crushing defeat on the allied armies of Leinster and Dublin near Lyons Hill in Ireland.

• [Wikiepdia article]
• [Wikipedia Bio: Brian Boru]
• [King Brian Boru documentary]



1066 – Granada massacre: A Muslim mob storms the royal palace in Granada, crucifies Jewish vizier Joseph ibn Naghrela and massacres most of the Jewish population of the city.

• [Wikipedia article]
• [On This Day Video]



1419 – Hundred Years' War: Battle of La Rochelle.

• [Wikipedia/a>]
• [
Kings and Generals: rench Resurgence - Hundred Years' War DOCUMENTARY]
• [Impregnable Fortress: The Siege of La Rochelle 1627 | Anglo-French Wars 1627-1629]



1460 – Wars of the Roses: Lancastrians kill the 3rd Duke of York and win the Battle of Wakefield.

• [Wikipedia: Battle of Wakefield]
• [VIDEO: The Battle of Wakefield, 30th December 1460]
• [Wikipedia: Wars of the Roses]
• [Wars of Roses 1455-1487 - English Civil Wars DOCUMENTARY]



1702 – Queen Anne's War: James Moore, Governor of the Province of Carolina, abandons the Siege of St. Augustine.

1813 – War of 1812: British soldiers burn Buffalo, New York.

• [Wikipedia: Battle of Buffalo]
• [History: The War of 1812 Documentary]



1816 – The Treaty of St. Louis between the United States and the united Ottawa, Ojibwa, and Potawatomi Indian tribes is proclaimed.

• [Wikipedia: Treaty of St. Louis (1816)]



1825 – The Treaty of St. Louis between the United States and the Shawnee Nation is proclaimed.

• [Wikipedia: Treaty of St. Louis (1825)]



1853 – Gadsden Purchase: The United States buys land from Mexico to facilitate railroad building in the Southwest.

• [Wikipedia: Gadsden Purchase]
• [The History Guy Video]
• [History Snapshot: The Gadsden Purchase, 1853]



1890 – Following the Wounded Knee Massacre, the United States Army and Lakota warriors face off in the Drexel Mission Fight.

• [Wikipedia: Drexel Mission Fight]
• [US Army at Wounded Knee: Drexel Mission]



1896 РFilipino patriot and reform advocate Jos̩ Rizal is executed by a Spanish firing squad in Manila.

1896 – Canadian ice hockey player Ernie McLea scores the first hat-trick in Stanley Cup play, and the Cup-winning goal as the Montreal Victorias defeat the Winnipeg Victorias 6–5.

1897 – The British Colony of Natal annexes Zululand.

1903 – A fire at the Iroquois Theater in Chicago, Illinois kills at least 605.

• [Wikipedia]
• [The Iroquois Theater Disaster | A Short Documentary | Fascinating Horror]
• [C-SPAN Book TV]



1905 – Former Idaho Governor Frank Steunenberg is assassinated at the front gate of his home in Caldwell.

1906 – The All-India Muslim League is founded in Dacca, East Bengal, British India (later Dhaka, Bangladesh).

1916 – Russian mystic and advisor to the Tsar Grigori Yefimovich Rasputin is murdered by a loyalist group led by Prince Felix Yusupov. His frozen, partially-trussed body was discovered in a Moscow river three days later.

• [Wikipedia Bio: Grigori Rasputin]
• [Grigori Rasputin: The Devil Incarnate]
• [VIDEO: The Real Rasputin (Imperial Russia Documentary) | Timeline]



1916 – The last coronation in Hungary is performed for King Charles IV and Queen Zita.

1922 – The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) is formed.

• [Wikipedia: Treaty on the Creation of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics]
• [HistoryPod Video]
• [VIDEO: How Did the Soviet Union Begin?]



1927 – The Ginza Line, the first subway line in Asia, opens in Tokyo, Japan.

1935 – The Italian Air Force bombs a Swedish Red Cross hospital during the Second Italo-Abyssinian War.

1936 – The Flint sit-down strike hits General Motors.

1943 – Subhas Chandra Bose raises the flag of Indian independence at Port Blair.

1944 – King George II of Greece declares a regency, leaving the throne vacant.

1947 – Cold War: King Michael I of Romania is forced to abdicate by the Soviet Union-backed Communist government of Romania.

1952 – An RAF Avro Lancaster bomber crashes in Luqa, Malta after an engine failure, killing three crew members and a civilian on the ground.

1958 – The Guatemalan Air Force sinks several Mexican fishing boats alleged to have breached maritime borders, killing three and sparking international tension.

1972 – Vietnam War: Operation Linebacker II ends.

• [LINKTEXT]
• [LINKTEXT]
• [LINKTEXT]



1993 – Israel establishes diplomatic relations with Vatican City and also upgrades to full diplomatic relations with Ireland.

1996 – Proposed budget cuts by Benjamin Netanyahu spark protests from 250,000 workers who shut down services across Israel.

1997 – In the worst incident in Algeria's insurgency, the Wilaya of Relizane massacres, 400 people from four villages are killed.

2000 – Rizal Day bombings: A series of bombs explode in various places in Metro Manila, Philippines within a period of a few hours, killing 22 and injuring about a hundred.

2004 РA fire in the Rep̼blica Cromagnon nightclub in Buenos Aires, Argentina, kills 194.

2005 – Tropical Storm Zeta forms in the open Atlantic Ocean, tying the record for the latest tropical cyclone ever to form in the North Atlantic basin.

2006 – Madrid–Barajas Airport is bombed.

2006 – The Indonesian passenger ferry MV Senopati Nusantara sinks in a storm, resulting in at least 400 deaths.

2006 – Former President of Iraq Saddam Hussein is executed.



2009 – A segment of the Lanzhou–Zhengzhou–Changsha pipeline ruptures in Shaanxi, China, and approximately 150,000 l (40,000 US gal) of diesel oil flows down the Wei River before finally reaching the Yellow River.

2009 – A suicide bomber kills nine people at Forward Operating Base Chapman, a key facility of the Central Intelligence Agency in Afghanistan.

2013 – More than 100 people are killed when anti-government forces attack key buildings in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo.




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Published at 4:30am on Friday, December 30, 2022
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