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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
Dry high pressure will be centered over the region today, then slide east off the East Coast by Wednesday. A low pressure system and associated cold front will bring abundant moisture back into the Thursday through Thursday night. Another high pressure system builds in for next weekend.
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Local Weather
General Forecast Through Friday Night
Franklin Area
Today
A 20 percent chance of rain after 10am. Mostly cloudy, with highs in the mid 50s. Winds out of the south 5 to 10 mph.
Tonight
A 30 percent chance of rain, mainly after 4am. Mostly cloudy, with lows in the lower 40s. Winds out of the southeast 5 to 10 mph.
Thursday
A chance of rain before 7am, then showers likely, mainly after 11am. Cloudy, with highs in the mid 60s. Winds out of the south 5 to 10 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph. Chance of rain is 70%. New rainfall amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.
Thursday Night
Showers and possibly a thunderstorm before 3am, then a slight chance of showers between 3am and 4am. Lows around 40. Winds out of the south 5 to 10 mph becoming west after midnight. Winds could gust as high as 25 mph. Chance of rain is 100%.
Friday
Mostly sunny, with highs near 52.
Friday Night
Clear, with lows around 23.
Highlands Plateau
Today
A 30 percent chance of rain, mainly between 8am and 2pm. Patchy fog between 9am and 1pm. Otherwise, cloudy, with highs in the upper 40s. Winds out of the southeast 5 to 10 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph. New rainfall amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch possible.
Tonight
A 30 percent chance of rain, mainly after 9pm. Patchy fog after 1am. Otherwise, cloudy, with lows in the lower 40s. Winds out of the southeast 10 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph. New precipitation amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch possible.
Thursday
Showers. Higs in the mid 50s. Winds out of teh south 5 to 10 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph. Chance of rain is 80%. New rainfall amounts between three quarters and one inch possible.
Thursday Night
Showers and possibly a thunderstorm before 3am, then a slight chance of showers between 3am and 4am. Lows around 40. Winds out of the south 10 to 20 mph shifting to come out of the west after midnight. Winds could gust as high as 30 mph. Chance of rain is 100%.
Friday
Mostly sunny, with highs in the upper 40s.
Friday Night
Mostly clear, with lows in the mid 20s.
Otto and South Central Macon County
Today
A slight chance of freezing rain between 8am and 9am, then a slight chance of rain after 9am. Mostly cloudy, with highs in the mid 50s. Winds out of the southeast 5 to 10 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph. Chance of rain is 20%.
Tonight
A 30 percent chance of rain, mainly after 1am. Mostly cloudy, with lows in the low-to-mid 40s. Winds out of the southeast 5 to 10 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible.
Thursday
Showers, mainly after 9am. Highs in the low-to-mid 60s. Winds out of the southeast 5 to 10 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph. Chance of rain is 80%. New rainfall amounts between a half and three quarters of an inch possible.
Thursday Night
Showers and possibly a thunderstorm before 3am, then a slight chance of showers between 3am and 4am. Lows around 40. Winds out of the south 5 to 10 mph shifting to come out of the west after midnight. Winds could gust as high as 25 mph. Chance of rain is 100%.
Friday
Mostly sunny, with highs in the lower 50s.
Friday Night
Clear, with lows in the mid 20s.
Nantahala Area
Today
Partly sunny, with highs in the mid 50s. Winds out of teh southeast 5 to 10 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph.
Tonight
A 20 percent chance of rain after 4am. Mostly cloudy, with lows in the mid 40s. WInds out of the southeast 5 to 10 mph.
Thursday
Showers likely, mainly after noon. Mostly cloudy, with highs near 60. Winds out of the south 5 to 10 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph. Chance of rain is 70%. New rainfall amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.
Thursday Night
Showers and possibly a thunderstorm before 2am, then a slight chance of showers between 2am and 3am. Lows in the mid-to-upper 30s. Winds out of the south 5 to 15 mph shifting to come out of the west after midnight. Winds could gust as high as 25 mph. Chance of rain is 100%.
Friday
Mostly sunny, with highs in the mid 40s.
Friday Night
Clear, with lows in the mid 20s.
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Hazards and Tropical Weather
Hazardous weather is not expected today.
Thursday
Widespread showers and embedded thunderstorms will cross the region Thursday evening through Thursday night. Isolated flooding will be possible, especially in locations near the border between North Carolina, South Carolina, and northeast Georgia, and also along the upper reaches of the French Broad River. The storms may also pose a threat of isolated damaging wind gusts.
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Almanac
Air quality is in the lower range of yellow for most of the county, with the ridges and other higher elevations today being in the lower upper range of yellow due to smoke from several fires in the southeast.
Fire and Smoke Map
Pollen
Pollen levels are expected to be in the medium range (5.7 out of 12) today with Juniper, Elm, and Alder being the main culprit. Tomorrow is expected to be in the low-medium range (6.2 out of 12).
Record Weather Events for February 16th
Record weather events for this date in Macon County
(1872-2016)
Highest Temperature 77°F at the Coweeta Experimental Station in 1989
Lowest Temperature -4°F in Highlands in in 1991
Greatest One-Day Rain 3.90 inches in Franklin in 1873
Greatest One-Day Snowfall 6.0 inches in Highlands in 1895
Record weather events for January in Macon County
Highest Temperature 79°F at the Coweeta Experimental Station on 02-28-1996
Lowest Temperature -19°F in Highlands on 02-13-1899
Greatest Rainfall 6.37 inches at the Coweeta Experimental Station on 02-13-1966
Greatest Snowfall 15.0 inches in Highlands on 02-14-1912
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)
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Local and State News
• NCDOT: More people died on NC roads in 2021 than in any year since the early 1970s [Raleigh News and Observer]
• Convicted Buncombe County Manager Wanda Greene to be released early [Asheville Citizen-Times]
• Wells Fargo North Carolina Regional Principals of the Year Named [Macon Media]
• No clear plan to spend $6.5 million from feds in Rutherford County [Carolina Public Pressd]
• Redrawn map released by lawmaker puts most of WNC in 11th District [WLOS-TV]
Franklin Town Council - January 2022 Regular Meeting
Asheville Citizen-Times COVID-19 Tracker [Asheville Citizen-Times]
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National and World News Roundup
• The pandemic-era small business boom [AXIOS]
• New York Times found not liable in Palin defamation case [The Hill]
• Nearly a quarter of Americans get news from podcasts [Pew research Center]
• How the 'Battle of Billings Bridge' attracted hundreds of volunteers, trapped convoy for hours [Ottawa Citizen]
President Biden: "Invading Ukraine will prove to be a self-inflicted wound."
• US accuses financial website of spreading Russian propaganda [AP News]
• Russia Withdraws Some Troops From Ukraine Border After Media Said Invasion Was Imminent [Zero Hedge]
• AP News Russia-Ukaine News Section[AP News]
• Belgium approves four-day week and gives employees the right to ignore their bosses after work [EuroNews]
• P.J. O’Rourke was America’s greatest satirist and coolest conservative [New York Post]
• Conflicts to Watch in 2022 [Council on Foreign Relations]
Morning Invest: 48 Hours Until War? Russia and Ukraine on the brink
Global National: Feb. 15, 2022 | Ottawa protesters defiant as Emergencies Act targets their funding
NBC Nightly News Full Broadcast - February 15th, 2021
PBS NewsHour Full Episode February 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 5:13pm CET, 10 February 2022, there have been 402,044,502 confirmed cases of COVID-19, including 5,770,023 deaths, reported to WHO. As of 7 February 2022, a total of 10,095,615,243 vaccine doses have been administered.
In United States of America, from 3 January 2020 to 5:13pm CET, 10 February 2022, there have been 76,448,067 confirmed cases of COVID-19 with 902,189 deaths, reported to WHO. As of 4 February 2022, a total of 527,784,089 vaccine doses have been administered.
• CDC expected to update mask guidance as early as next week [NBC News]
• COVID Revealed the Fragility of American Public Health [Scientific American]
Clearing up myocarditis misinformation
• Speed and surprises: Decline and recovery of global electricity use in COVID’s first seven months [Stanford News]
• Latest CDC Data: Unvaccinated Adults 97 Times More Likely to Die from COVID-19 Than Boosted Adults [Fact Check]
• Omicron-targeted vaccines do no better than original jabs in early tests [Nature]
• Monitoring COVID-19
• COVID-19 Vaccine FAQs Part I [Reddit]
• COVID-19 Vaccine FAQs Part II [Reddit]
[Centers for Disease Control and Prevention]
[Outbreak.info]
• CDC Releases Emergency Guidance for Healthcare Facilities to Prepare for Potential Omicron Surge [Centers for Disease Control and Prevention]
• COVID-19 case rates by county in 2021 [AXIOS]
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Science and Technology News Roundup
• Global semiconductor sales top half a trillion dollars for first time as chip production gets boost [CNBC]
• The Microprocessor at 50: How the 4004 Changed The World [PC Mag]
• Texas Sues Meta Over Facebook’s Dropped Facial-Recognition Tech [Bloomberg]
• Here’s the outlook for bitcoin as geopolitical tensions heat up and interest rates rise [CNBC Cryptoworld]
• Citizen Scientists Find 1,000+ Asteroids Photobombing Hubble Images [Sky and Telescope]
• The First Quadruple Asteroid: Astronomers Spot a Space Rock With 3 Moons [New York Times]
• Scientists have possibly cured HIV in a woman for the first time [NBC News]
• US approves new headlights that won’t blind oncoming drivers [AP News]
• Zuckerberg coldly explains to Facebook staff they are now to be known as "Metamates" [BoingBoing]
• Rocket on collision course with the moon ‘built by China not SpaceX’[The Guardian]
• Virgin Galactic stock jumps 32% as spaceflight ticket sales open with $150,000 deposit [CNBC]
Podcasts and Long Form Videos
Anything from educational, entertainment, history, current events and technology
Level1 News February 16 2022: NFaTigue
Cordkillers 396 - Cranky Strange (w/ Jennie Josephson)
Tim Urban: Elon Musk, Neuralink, AI, Aliens, and the Future of Humanity | Lex Fridman Podcast #264
Space Tourist Pays to Test New Space Suit - Deep Space Updates February 15th
What can a $195,000 Black Hornet drone do?
A conversation with Jared Isaacman about Polaris, Starship and his upcoming EVA!
Rocket on collision course with the moon ‘built by China not SpaceX’
Living Off the Land
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On This Day
February 16th is the 47th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar; 318 days remain until the end of the year (319 in leap years).
Historical Events
(Please note that the Wikipedia articles often contain a bibliography and links to where you can learn more about a historical event)
1249 – Andrew of Longjumeau is dispatched by Louis IX of France as his ambassador to meet with the Khagan of the Mongol Empire.
1270 – Grand Duchy of Lithuania defeats the Livonian Order in the Battle of Karuse.
1630 – Dutch forces led by Hendrick Lonck capture Olinda in what was to become part of Dutch Brazil.
1646 – Battle of Torrington, Devon: The last major battle of the first English Civil War.
1699 – First Leopoldine Diploma is issued by the Holy Roman Emperor, recognizing the Greek Catholic clergy enjoyed the same privileges as Roman Catholic priests in the Principality of Transylvania.
1742 – Spencer Compton, Earl of Wilmington, becomes British Prime Minister.
1796 – Colombo in Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) falls to the British, completing their invasion of Ceylon.
1804 – First Barbary War: Stephen Decatur leads a raid to burn the pirate-held frigate USS Philadelphia.
1862 – American Civil War: General Ulysses S. Grant captures Fort Donelson, Tennessee.
1866 – Spencer Compton Cavendish, Marquess of Hartington becomes British Secretary of State for War.
1881 – The Canadian Pacific Railway is incorporated by Act of Parliament at Ottawa (44th Vic., c.1).
1899 – Iceland's first football club, Knattspyrnufélag ReykjavÃkur, is founded.
1918 – The Council of Lithuania unanimously adopts the Act of Independence, declaring Lithuania an independent state.
1923 – Howard Carter unseals the burial chamber of Pharaoh Tutankhamun.
1930 – The Romanian Football Federation joins FIFA.
1934 – The Austrian Civil War ends with the defeat of the Social Democrats and the Republikanischer Schutzbund.
1936 – The Popular Front wins the 1936 Spanish general election.
1937 – Wallace H. Carothers receives a United States patent for nylon.
1940 – World War II: Altmark incident: The German tanker Altmark is boarded by sailors from the British destroyer HMS Cossack. 299 British prisoners are freed.
1942 – World War II: In Athens, the Greek People's Liberation Army is established
1943 – World War II: In the early phases of the Third Battle of Kharkov, Red Army troops re-enter the city.
1945 – World War II: American forces land on Corregidor Island in the Philippines.
1945 – The Alaska Equal Rights Act of 1945, the first anti-discrimination law in the United States, was signed into law.
1959 – Fidel Castro becomes Premier of Cuba after dictator Fulgencio Batista was overthrown on January 1.
1960 – The U.S. Navy submarine USS Triton begins Operation Sandblast, setting sail from New London, Connecticut, to begin the first submerged circumnavigation of the globe.
1961 – Explorer program: Explorer 9 (S-56a) is launched.
1962 – The Great Sheffield Gale impacts the United Kingdom, killing nine people; the city of Sheffield is devastated, with 150,000 homes damaged.
1962 – Flooding in the coastal areas of West Germany kills 315 and destroys the homes of about 60,000 people.
1968 – In Haleyville, Alabama, the first 9-1-1 emergency telephone system goes into service.
1968 – Civil Air Transport Flight 010 crashes near Shongshan Airport in Taiwan, killing 21 of the 63 people on board and one more on the ground.
1978 – The first computer bulletin board system is created (CBBS in Chicago).
1983 – The Ash Wednesday bushfires in Victoria and South Australia kill 75.
1985 – Hezbollah is founded.
1986 – The Soviet liner MS Mikhail Lermontov runs aground in the Marlborough Sounds, New Zealand.
1986 – China Airlines Flight 2265 crashes into the Pacific Ocean near Penghu Airport in Taiwan, killing all 13 aboard.
1991 РNicaraguan Contras leader Enrique Berm̼dez is assassinated in Managua.
1996 – A Chicago-bound Amtrak train, the Capitol Limited, collides with a MARC commuter train bound for Washington, D.C., killing 11 people.
1998 – China Airlines Flight 676 crashes into a road and residential area near Chiang Kai-shek International Airport in Taiwan, killing all 196 aboard and seven more on the ground.
2000 – Emery Worldwide Airlines Flight 17 crashes near Sacramento Mather Airport in Rancho Cordova, California, killing all three aboard.
2005 – The Kyoto Protocol comes into force, following its ratification by Russia.
2005 – The National Hockey League cancels the entire 2004–05 regular season and playoffs.
2006 – The last Mobile army surgical hospital (MASH) is decommissioned by the United States Army.
2013 – A bomb blast at a market in Hazara Town, Quetta, Pakistan kills more than 80 people and injures 190 others.
2021 – Five thousand people gathered in the town of Kherrata, Bejaia Province to mark the two year anniversary of the Hirak protest movement. Demonstrations had been suspended because of the COVID-19 pandemic in Algeria.
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Published at 5:00am on Wednesday, February 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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