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Weather
Hazards and Tropical Weather
Almanac
Macon Calendar
Local and StateNews
Special Section: The Situation in Ukraine as of February 20, 2022
National News Roundup
COVID-19 News and Updates
Science and Technology
On This Day
Support Macon Media
OUTLOOK
Dry high pressure moves out over the Atlantic tonight through today as a cold front drops southward toward our region. Low pressure will move northeast from eastern Texas on Monday bringing rain to our area Monday night through Wednesday. The next big low pressure moves northeast along the front Thursday and Friday bringing more rain. The front is forecast to cross our area Friday with dry conditions prevailing at least into Saturday.
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Local Weather
General Forecast Through Wednesday Night
Franklin Area
Washington's Birthday
Mostly sunny, with highs in the lower 60s. Calm winds in the morning increasing to come out of the south 5 to 10 mph in the afternoon.
Monday Night
A chance of rain before 9pm, then showers likely after 9pm. Patchy fog after midnight. Otherwise, mostly cloudy, with lows in the mid 40s. Light winds out of the southeast wind. Chance of rain is 70%. New rainfall amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch possible.
Tuesday
A 50 percent chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with highs in the mid 60s. Winds out of the south 5 to 10 mph. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible.
Tuesday Night
Showers, with thunderstorms also possible after 4am. Lows in the low-to-mid 50s. Winds out of the south 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain is 80%.
Wednesday
Showers and thunderstorms, mainly before 3pm. Highs near 70. Chance of rain is 80%.
Wednesday Night
A 40 percent chance of showers after 1am. Mostly cloudy, with lows around 50.
Highlands Plateau
Washington's Birthday
A 30 percent chance of rain, mainly after 5pm. Partly sunny, with highs in the lower 50s. Winds out of the south 5 to 10 mph. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible.
Monday Night
A chance of rain before 9pm, then showers likely after 9pm. Patchy fog before 11pm, then patchy fog after midnight. Otherwise, cloudy, with lows in the mid 40s. 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.
Tuesday
A 50 percent chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with highs in the mid 50s. Winds out of the south 5 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible.
Tuesday Night
Showers likely, mainly after 11pm. Mostly cloudy, with lows in the lower 50s. Winds out of the southwest 5 to 10 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph. Chance of rain is 70%.
Wednesday
Showers before 1pm, then a chance of showers and thunderstorms between 1pm and 4pm, then a slight chance of showers after 4pm. Highs in the low-to-mid 60s. Chance of rain is 80%.
Wednesday Night
A 40 percent chance of showers after 2am. Mostly cloudy, with lows in the upper 40s.
Otto and South Central Macon County
Washington's Birthday
A 30 percent chance of rain, mainly after 5pm. Mostly sunny, with highs near 60. Calm winds in the morning increasing to come out of the south 5 to 10 mph in the afternoon. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible.
Monday Night
A chance of rain before 9pm, then showers likely after 9pm. Patchy fog after midnight. Otherwise, mostly cloudy, with lows in the mid 40s. Winds out of the south 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain is 70%. New rainfall amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch possible.
Tuesday
A 50 percent chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with highs in the mid 60s. Winds out of the south 5 to 10 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible.
Tuesday Night
Showers likely, then showers and possibly a thunderstorm after 4am. Lows in the mid 50s. Winds out of the south 5 to 10 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph. Chance of rain is 80%.
Wednesday
Showers and possibly a thunderstorm before 1pm, then a chance of showers and thunderstorms between 1pm and 4pm, then a slight chance of showers after 4pm. Highs near 70. Chance of rain is 80%.
Wednesday Night
A 40 percent chance of showers after 2am. Mostly cloudy, with lows around 50.
Nantahala Area
Washington's Birthday
Mostly sunny, with highs near 60. Calm winds in the morning increasing to come out of the south around 5 mph in the afternoon.
Monday Night
A chance of rain before 9pm, then showers likely after 9pm. Patchy fog after midnight. Otherwise, mostly cloudy, with lows in the upper 40s. Winds out of the southeast around 5 mph. Chance of rain is 70%. New rainfall amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch possible.
Tuesday
Showers likely, mainly before 8am. Mostly cloudy, with highs in the lower 60s. Winds out of the south 5 to 10 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph. Chance of rain is 60%. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible.
Tuesday Night
Showers, with thunderstorms also possible after 4am. Some of the storms could produce heavy rainfall. Lows in the mid 50s. Winds out of the south 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain is 90%.
Wednesday
Showers and possibly a thunderstorm before 3pm, then a slight chance of showers. Highs in the mid 60s. Chance of rain is 80%.
Wednesday Night
A 50 percent chance of showers after 1am. Mostly cloudy, with lows around 50.
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Hazards and Tropical Weather
Hazardous weather is not expected today.
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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-high range (7.8 out of 12) today with Juniper, Elm, and Alder being the main culprits. Tomorrow is expected to be in the low-medium range (4.6 out of 12).
Record Weather Events for February 21st
Record weather events for this date in Macon County
(1872-2016)
Highest Temperature 79°F at the Coweeta Experimental Station on Feb 28, 1996
Lowest Temperature -19°F in Highlands on Feb 13, 1899
Greatest One-Day Rain 6.37 inches at the Coweeta Experimental Station on Feb 13, 1966
Greatest One-Day Snowfall 15.0 inches in Highlands on Feb 14, 1912
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
• Winners and losers: Who benefits from GOP's redrawn congressional map [WRAL-TV (Raleigh, NC)]
• Disconnected: NC survey collects critical information on areas with poor internet access [WLOS-TV (Asheville, NC)]
• Proposed congressional map causes campaign changes. Where are NC candidates running? [Ealeigh News and Observer]
• No endings, only new beginnings [Smoky Mountain News]
Franklin Town Council - January 2022 Regular Meeting
Asheville Citizen-Times COVID-19 Tracker [Asheville Citizen-Times]
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Special Section: The Situation in Ukraine as of February 20, 2022
Additional Videos Added
This section starts with video essays on the Ukraine-Russia situation What’s Going on in Ukraine?
Why Germany won't help Ukraine
What Will Actually Happen if Russia Invades Ukraine
Why Russia wants to restore the Soviet borders (July 2021)
Inside Putin's Russia -- Watch the full documentary (July 2017)
Ukraine Update: Wooden Horses
House Oversight hearing on defending U.S. allies against Russia in Eastern Europe (Feb 16th)
Russia Expert: Putin’s Acts Are A Classic Play From A Dictator’s Playbook
Ukraine rebels declare mobilisation as Joe Biden warns of Russian invasion - BBC News
Ukraine President Zelenskyy delivers impassioned speech at MSC 2022 | DW News
Boris Johnson's speech at the Munich Security Conference: 19 February 2022
Munich Security Conference 2022 - Day 1 | DW News
Munich Security Conference 2022 - Day 2 | DW News
Fore more on the Munich Security Conference, visit their website [LINK]
Putin’s Poker: Everybody loses? | To the point
• Tensions Boil Over In East Ukraine As Attacks Turn Deadly [NBC News on Youtube]
• Latest Ukraine updates: Ukraine Europe’s ‘shield’ against Russia [Al Jazeera: Ukraine-Russia Cris Coverage]
• Why Ukraine Matters: What to Know About the Crisis With Russia [New York Times]
• Why Donbas is at the heart of the Ukraine crisis [CNN]
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National and World News Roundup
• EXCLUSIVE U.S. plans to cut ties with targeted Russian banks if Ukraine is invaded - sources [Reuters]
• U.S. has intel that Russian commanders have orders to proceed with Ukraine invasion [CBS News]
#Ukraine: "Scratching the head of a crocodile in the hope of making it purr." Professor H.J. Mackinder, International Relations. #FriendsofHistoryDebatingSociety
• US says Russia has list of Ukrainians to kill or detain after invasion [The Straits Times]
• Russia Extends Belarus Drills for Thousands of Troops as Ukraine Violence Escalates [Wall Street journal]
• Russia-Ukraine fears drive gasoline prices toward $4 [AXIOS]
• The U.S. is now energy independent [AXIOS]
• Kids are falling victim to disinformation and conspiracy theories. What’s the best way to fix that? [Nieman Lab]
• Rents reach ‘insane’ levels across US with no end in sight [AP News]
• Canadian police appear to end protesters’ siege of Ottawa [Courthouse News Service]
• India warns nations against accepting China’s aid [Hindustan Times]
• Now Trump Says His Accounting Firm Was 'Broken' By 'Radical Leftist' Racists [HuffPost via Yahoo! News]
• What Vanlife Is Really Like [Daily Beast via Yahoo! News]
• Conflicts to Watch in 2022 [Council on Foreign Relations]
Meet The Press Broadcast (Full) - February 20th, 2021
Global National: Feb. 20, 2022 | Ottawa’s convoy occupation mostly clear, but police remain
NBC Nightly News Full Broadcast - February 20th, 2021
PBS NewsHour Full Episode February 20th, 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 5:20pm CET, 18 February 2022, there have been 418,650,474 confirmed cases of COVID-19, including 5,856,224 deaths, reported to WHO. As of 15 February 2022, a total of 10,279,668,555 vaccine doses have been administered.
In United States of America, from 3 January 2020 to 5:20pm CET, 18 February 2022, there have been 77,521,589 confirmed cases of COVID-19 with 921,984 deaths, reported to WHO. As of 11 February 2022, a total of 531,617,327 vaccine doses have been administered.
• President Biden Notifies US House and US Senate it is Necessary to Continue the National Emergency Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic [Macon Media]
• Fox News Contributor Admits to Creating Fake Story About Canadian Woman Being ‘Trampled’ to Death [The Daily Beast]
• How Covid changed medicine for the future [The Guardian]
• The Queen tests positive for Covid [BBC News]
• Clinical severity of Omicron sub-lineage BA.2 compared to BA.1 in South Africa [MedRxiv (PDF)]
• How long can I keep using the same N95 respirator mask? Here’s what Bay Area experts say [San Fransisco Chronicle]
• Association of COVID-19 Incidence and Mortality Rates With School Reopening in Brazil During the COVID-19 Pandemic [JAMA Network]
• Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infections by intranasal or testicular inoculation induces testicular damage preventable by vaccination in golden Syrian hamsters [Oxford University Press for the Infectious Diseases Society of America.]
• Multistate Outbreak of SARS-CoV-2 B.1.1.529 (Omicron) Variant Infections Among Persons in a Social Network Attending a Convention — New York City, November 18–December 20, 2021 [Mobidity and Mortality Weekly Report]
• Erdogan's visits to Africa set stage to boost trade, investments [Yeni Şafak]
• The Incidence of SARS-CoV-2 Reinfection in Persons With Naturally Acquired Immunity With and Without Subsequent Receipt of a Single Dose of BNT162b2 [Annals of Internal Medicine]
• ‘Today we rejoined the world’: hugs, tears and Vegemite as Australia reopens international borders [The Guardian]
• Covid-19 NZ: Jacinda Ardern says mandates will wind down after Omicron peak [Stuff]
• 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]
• Variant: 21L (Omicron) also known as BA.2[CoVariants]
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Science and Technology News Roundup
• An anniversary for great justice: Remembering “All Your Base” 20 years later [Ars Technica]
Zero Day Exploits Explained | Nicole Perlroth and Lex Fridman
• YouTube Outlines its Evolving Efforts to Combat the Spread of Harmful Misinformation [Social Media Today]
• Intel Details Its Bitcoin-Mining 'Bonanza Mine' Chips and Systems [Tom's Hardware]
• This Week in Security: Chrome 0-Day,Cassandra, and a Cisco Poc [Hackaday]
• Facebook misled investors about battling climate and COVID lies: SEC filings [Alternet]
• Linux developers patch security holes faster than anyone else, says Google Project Zero [ZD Net]
• Epic Games is making hundreds of temp testers into full employees with benefits [The Verge]
• How Covid changed medicine for the future [The Guardian]
• $1.7 million in NFTs stolen in apparent phishing attack on OpenSea users [The Verge]
Podcasts and Long Form Videos
Anything from educational, entertainment, history, current events and technology
Starship Crewed Flights Announced, Ship 21 Stacks Strangely | Progress MS-19, Cygnus NG-17, Starlink
Nicole Perlroth: Cybersecurity and the Weapons of Cyberwar | Lex Fridman Podcast #266
4 Strangest Accounts from History of First Contact Between Cultures // From Vikings to Maori
Intel Details Its Bitcoin-Mining 'Bonanza Mine' Chips and Systems
Ship 22 Moved to the Rocket Garden | SpaceX Boca Chica
title
• title [SOURCE]
SpaceX Polaris Missions Announced, New Starship Fully Stacked and FAA delay
Mount St Helens Volcano Update; The Magma Chamber is Recharging, Earthquake Swarm
Devon Larratt: Arm Wrestling | Lex Fridman Podcast #265
4 things I learned from simulating a Russia-NATO war in Ukraine
USS Thresher: The US Navy's Cautionary Tale
Ancient Origins of the Kievan Rus: From Rurikids to Mongols DOCUMENTARY
Inside The War Factories Of Nazi Germany | War Factories: Germany | Timeline
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On This Day
February 21st is the 52nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar; 313 days remain until the end of the year (314 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)
452 or 453 – Severianus, Bishop of Scythopolis, is martyred in Palestine.
1245 – Thomas, the first known Bishop of Finland, is granted resignation after confessing to torture and forgery.
1440 – The Prussian Confederation is formed.
1613 – Mikhail I is unanimously elected Tsar by a national assembly, beginning the Romanov dynasty of Imperial Russia.
1797 – A force of 1,400 French soldiers invaded Britain at Fishguard in support of the Society of United Irishmen. They were defeated by 500 British reservists.
1804 – The first self-propelling steam locomotive makes its outing at the Pen-y-Darren Ironworks in Wales.
1808 – Without a previous declaration of war, Russian troops cross the border to Sweden at Abborfors in eastern Finland, thus beginning the Finnish War, in which Sweden will lose the eastern half of the country (e.g. Finland) to Russia.
1828 – Initial issue of the Cherokee Phoenix is the first periodical to use the Cherokee syllabary invented by Sequoyah.
1842 – John Greenough is granted the first U.S. patent for the sewing machine.
1848 – Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels publish The Communist Manifesto.
1862 – American Civil War: Battle of Valverde is fought near Fort Craig in New Mexico Territory.
1866 – Lucy Hobbs Taylor becomes the first American woman to graduate from dental school.
1874 – The Oakland Daily Tribune publishes its first edition.
1878 – The first telephone directory is issued in New Haven, Connecticut.
1885 – The newly completed Washington Monument is dedicated.
1896 – An Englishman raised in Australia, Bob Fitzsimmons, fought an Irishman, Peter Maher, in an American promoted event which technically took place in Mexico, winning the 1896 World Heavyweight Championship in boxing.
1913 – Ioannina is incorporated into the Greek state after the Balkan Wars.
1916 – World War I: In France, the Battle of Verdun begins.
1918 – The last Carolina parakeet dies in captivity at the Cincinnati Zoo.
1919 – German socialist Kurt Eisner is assassinated. His death results in the establishment of the Bavarian Soviet Republic and parliament and government fleeing Munich, Germany.
1921 – Constituent Assembly of the Democratic Republic of Georgia adopts the country's first constitution.
1921 – Rezā Shāh takes control of Tehran during a successful coup.
1925 – The New Yorker publishes its first issue.
1929 – In the first battle of the Warlord Rebellion in northeastern Shandong against the Nationalist government of China, a 24,000-strong rebel force led by Zhang Zongchang was defeated at Zhifu by 7,000 NRA troops.[2]
1934 – Augusto Sandino is executed.
1937 – The League of Nations bans foreign national "volunteers" in the Spanish Civil War.
1945 – World War II: During the Battle of Iwo Jima, Japanese kamikaze planes sink the escort carrier USS Bismarck Sea and damage the USS Saratoga.
1945 – World War II: the Brazilian Expeditionary Force defeat the German forces in the Battle of Monte Castello on the Italian front.
1947 – In New York City, Edwin Land demonstrates the first "instant camera", the Polaroid Land Camera, to a meeting of the Optical Society of America.
1948 – NASCAR is incorporated.
1952 – The British government, under Winston Churchill, abolishes identity cards in the UK to "set the people free".
1952 – The Bengali Language Movement protests occur at the University of Dhaka in East Pakistan (now Bangladesh).
1958 – The CND symbol, aka peace symbol, commissioned by the Direct Action Committee in protest against the Atomic Weapons Research Establishment, is designed and completed by Gerald Holtom.
1965 – Malcolm X is assassinated while giving a talk at the Audubon Ballroom in Harlem.
1971 – The Convention on Psychotropic Substances is signed at Vienna.
1972 – United States President Richard Nixon visits China to normalize Sino-American relations.
1972 – The Soviet unmanned spaceship Luna 20 lands on the Moon.
1973 – Over the Sinai Desert, Israeli fighter aircraft shoot down Libyan Arab Airlines Flight 114 jet killing 108 people.
1974 – The last Israeli soldiers leave the west bank of the Suez Canal pursuant to a truce with Egypt.
1975 – Watergate scandal: Former United States Attorney General John N. Mitchell and former White House aides H. R. Haldeman and John Ehrlichman are sentenced to prison.
1995 – Steve Fossett lands in Leader, Saskatchewan, Canada becoming the first person to make a solo flight across the Pacific Ocean in a balloon.
2013 – At least 17 people are killed and 119 injured following several bombings in the Indian city of Hyderabad.
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Published at 5:00am on Monday, February 21, 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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