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Hazards and Tropical Weather
Almanac
Macon Calendar
Local and StateNews
National News Roundup
COVID-19 News and Updates
Science and Technology
On This Day
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OUTLOOK
A front will weaken and become stationary over the region from tonight through early Friday. The next big low pressure moves northeast along the front Thursday and Friday bringing more rain chances mainly for the mountains. The front is forecast to cross our area late Friday with dry and cooler conditions prevailing into Saturday. Another low could move up from the Gulf on Saturday and Sunday, with more precipitation, including possible mountain snow possible. Expect drier conditions next week.
Fire Departments Come Together to Raise Money for Injured Firefighter
Otto Fire Chief Terry Rholetter, in his duties as Captain of Macon County Fire Services Squad 4, was injured fighting a wildland fire on Cowee Mountain on February 13th [LINK]. He was flown to the Augusta burn center and has undergone several surgeries. Now, area fire departments are organizing to raise funds to assist him and his family in their time of need. A couple of posts from facebook are embedded below so those interested is contributing can keep up with the effort. A fundraiser has been scheduled for 4pm on Saturday, April 2nd at South Macon Elementary School. [FACEBOOK EVENT PAGE]
From the Clarks Chapel Fire Chief: As the planning of an upcoming benefit continues. I would like to up the stakes a bit, and add some fun competition to supporting a local hero who needs our help. As the Chief of Clarks Chapel I am officially calling out the departments listed below. Here's my proposal. The department that raises the most cash donations aside from other contributions for the benefit will be safe. The remaining departments chiefs or a designee will take a pie to the face at the benefit. Consider yourselves formally challenged. I also challenge the current nominees for Sheriff to the same challenge among themselves.
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Local Weather
General Forecast Through Friday Night
Franklin Area
Today
Showers, mainly before 10am. Patchy fog before 11am. Highs near 70. Light and variable winds. Chance of rain is 90%. New rainfall amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.
Tonight
A 30 percent chance of showers, mainly after 4am. Patchy fog after midnight. Otherwise, mostly cloudy, with lows around 50. Calm winds. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible.
Thursday
A chance of rain before noon, then a chance of showers, mainly between noon and 4pm. Partly sunny, with highs in the upper 60s. Calm winds in the morning increasing to come out of the southwest 5 to 10 mph in the afternoon. Chance of rain is 30%. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible.
Thursday Night
A 30 percent chance of showers, mainly after 4am. Mostly cloudy, with lows in the lower 50s. Winds out of the south 5 to 10 mph.
Friday
Showers likely, mainly before noon. Partly sunny, with highs in the mid 60s. Chance of rain is 60%.
Friday Night
Partly cloudy, with lows in the mid 30s.
Highlands Plateau
Today
Showers, mainly before 10am. Patchy fog before 11am. Highs in the mid 60s. Winds out of the west around 5 mph. Chance of rain is 80%. New rainfall amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.
Tonight
A 30 percent chance of showers, mainly after 5am. Patchy fog after 11pm. Otherwise, mostly cloudy, with lows around 50. Winds out of the west 3 to 6 mph. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible.
Thursday
A chance of rain before noon, then a chance of showers, mainly between noon and 4pm. Mostly cloudy, with highs near 60. Winds out of the southwest 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain is 30%. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible.
Thursday Night
A slight chance of showers before 7pm, then a chance of showers after 9pm. Mostly cloudy, with lows around 50. Winds out of the south 5 to 10 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph. Chance of rain is 30%.
Friday A 50 percent chance of showers, mainly before 3pm. Partly sunny, with highs near 60.
Friday Night
Partly cloudy, with lows in the mid 30s.
Otto and South Central Macon County
Today
Showers and possibly a thunderstorm. Patchy fog. Lowa in the mid 50s. Winds out of the south 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain is 80%. New rainfall amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.
Wednesday
Showers, mainly before 10am. Patchy fog before 11am. Highs near 70. Light and variable winds. Chance of rain is 90%. New rainfall amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.
Tonight
A 30 percent chance of showers, mainly after 4am. Patchy fog after 11pm. Otherwise, mostly cloudy, with lows around 50. Calm winds. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible.
Thursday
A chance of rain before noon, then a chance of showers, mainly between noon and 4pm. Partly sunny, with highs in the mid-to-upper 60s. Winds out of the south 3 to 7 mph. Chance of rain is 30%. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible.
Thursday Night
A 30 percent chance of showers, mainly after 4am. Mostly cloudy, with lows in the low-to-mid 50s. Winds out of the south 5 to 10 mph.
Friday
A 50 percent chance of showers, mainly before 3pm. Partly sunny, with highs in the mid 60s.
Friday Night
Partly cloudy, with lows in the upper 30s.
Nantahala Area
Today
Showers, mainly before 10am. Patchy fog before 11am. High in the mid 60s. Calm winds. Chance of rain is 90%. New rainfall amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.
Tonight
A 30 percent chance of showers, mainly after 1am. Patchy fog after 11pm. Otherwise, mostly cloudy, with lows around 50. Light and variable winds. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible.
Thursday
A chance of rain before noon, then a chance of showers, mainly between noon and 5pm. Partly sunny, with highs in the mid 60s. Winds out of the southwest 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain is 40%. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible.
Thursday Night
A slight chance of showers before 7pm, then a chance of showers after 10pm. Mostly cloudy, with lows in the low-to-mid 50s. Winds out of the south 5 to 10 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph. Chance of rain is 30%.
Friday
Showers likely, mainly before noon. Partly sunny, with highs near 60. Chance of rain is 70%.
Friday Night
Partly cloudy, with lows in the mid 30s.
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Hazards and Tropical Weather
Rain, heavy at times, early this morning and increased winds, especially on the ridgetops.
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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 low range (2.2 out of 12) today with Juniper, Elm, and Alder being the main culprits. Tomorrow is expected to be in the medium range (6.1 out of 12).
Record Weather Events for February 23rd
Record weather events for this date in Macon County
(1872-2016)
Highest Temperature 78°F at the Coweeta Experimental Stationn in 2018 Lowest Temperature 3°F in Highlands in 1939 Greatest One-Day Rain 2.89 inches in Highlands in 1994 Greatest One-Day Snowfall 3.5 inches in Highlands in 1989
Record weather events for February 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
• title [SOURCE]
• Growing forests in a growing state: NC's Forest Action Plan finalized [Asheville Citizen-Times]
• A new COVID omicron subvariant has been identified in NC. What you should know. [Raleigh News and Observer]
• NC halts business grant applications as lawmakers mull program expansion [WRAL-TV (Asheville, NC)]
• Masks optional in Buncombe County schools starting Feb. 28 [WLOS-TV (Asheville, NC)]
• WARNING: NO TRAILERS OVER 30 FEET: NCDOT, Highway Patrol offer no solution on reoccurring Cullasaja Gorge issue [The Highlander]
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
• Why This Economic Boom Can’t Lift America’s Spirits [Wall Street Journal]
New Images Of Violence In Separatist Regions Of Ukraine
President Biden Provides an Update on Russia and Ukraine
• Trump praises Putin's 'genius' incursion into Ukraine [Yahoo! News] [Transcript on WOR-AM (New York, NY)]
• Putin gets no support from UN Security Council over Ukraine [ABC News]
• Arbery killers found guilty of hate crimes [Courthouse News Service]
• Minneapolis officers ignored training, lacked 'decency' in Floyd arrest, jury hears [Wall Street Journal]
• Supreme Court rejects Trump's bid to shield January 6 records, bringing end to legal battle [CNS News]
• Conflicts to Watch in 2022 [Council on Foreign Relations]
Global National: Feb. 22, 2021 | Canada's new hotel quarantine rules begin, lead to frustration
NBC Nightly News Full Broadcast - February 22nd, 2022
PBS NewsHour Full Episode February 22nd, 2022
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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 5:53pm CET, 22 February 2022, there have been 424,822,073 confirmed cases of COVID-19, including 5,890,312 deaths, reported to WHO. As of 21 February 2022, a total of 10,407,359,583 vaccine doses have been administered.
In United States of America, from 3 January 2020 to 5:53pm CET, 22 February 2022, there have been 77,729,481 confirmed cases of COVID-19 with 926,287 deaths, reported to WHO. As of 18 February 2022, a total of 534,803,540 vaccine doses have been administered.
At least 39 King County deputies fired over COVID-19 vaccine mandate
• Researchers find COVID-19 virus causing testicular damage and atrophy [Medical Xpress]
• Impact of mass vaccination on SARS-CoV-2 infections among multiple sclerosis patients taking immunomodulatory disease-modifying therapies in England [Multiple Sclerosis and Related Disorders Journal]
• Fox's Neil Cavuto said a second case of Covid-19 nearly killed him [CNNa>]
• Happier during lockdown: a descriptive analysis of self-reported wellbeing in 17,000 UK school students during Covid-19 lockdown [Springer Link]
• Occurrence and significance of Omicron BA.1 infection followed by BA.2 reinfection [MedRxiv (PDF)]
• Duration of effectiveness of vaccines against SARS-CoV-2 infection and COVID-19 disease: results of a systematic review and meta-regression [The Lancet]
Monoclonal Antibodies for COVID 19 Update: EUA Revoked
• 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
• Internet guerrillas: Inside the DIY broadband revolution with NYC Mesh [Digital Trends]
• Report: Missouri Governor’s Office Responsible for Teacher Data Leak [Krebs on Security]
• Magpies have outwitted scientists by helping each other remove tracking devices[ABC News (Australia)]
• Following first demonstration, Edge unveils swarming drones based on AI technology [DefenseNews]
• Amazon’s Astro robot has been spotted in the wild... bringing people beer[The Verge]
• Elon Musk: Tesla is working to make Steam video games work in its vehicles [electrek]
Podcasts and Long Form Videos
Anything from educational, entertainment, history, current events and technology
Level1 News February 23 2021: Today’s Wordle: TRACK
All About Android: Galaxy S22 Ultra on Twosday! - Nothing smartphone, OnePlus 10 Pro destroyed, Privacy Sandbox
Daily Tech News Show: The DAO of Hacking - DTNS 4217
Ship 20 Performs Latest Cryo Proof Test | SpaceX Boca Chica
Security Now: Decrypting “The Hive”
title
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Steve Viscelli: Trucking and the Decline of the American Dream | Lex Fridman Podcast #237 (November 2021)
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On This Day
February 23rd is the 54th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar; 311 days remain until the end of the year (312 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)
303 – Roman emperor Diocletian orders the destruction of the Christian church in Nicomedia, beginning eight years of Diocletianic Persecution.
532 – Byzantine emperor Justinian I lays the foundation stone of a new Orthodox Christian basilica in Constantinople – the Hagia Sophia.
628 – Khosrow II, last Sasanian shah of Iran, is overthrown.
705 – Empress Wu Zetian abdicates the throne, restoring the Tang dynasty.
1455 – Traditionally the date of publication of the Gutenberg Bible, the first Western book printed with movable type.
1778 – American Revolutionary War: Baron von Steuben arrives at Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, to help to train the Continental Army.
1820 – Cato Street Conspiracy: A plot to murder all the British cabinet ministers is exposed and the conspirators arrested.[6]
1836 – Texas Revolution: The Siege of the Alamo (prelude to the Battle of the Alamo) begins in San Antonio, Texas.
1847 – Mexican–American War: Battle of Buena Vista: In Mexico, American troops under future president General Zachary Taylor defeat Mexican General Antonio López de Santa Anna.
1854 – The official independence of the Orange Free State is declared.
1861 – President-elect Abraham Lincoln arrives secretly in Washington, D.C., after the thwarting of an alleged assassination plot in Baltimore, Maryland.
1870 – Reconstruction Era: Post-U.S. Civil War military control of Mississippi ends and it is readmitted to the Union.
1883 – Alabama becomes the first U.S. state to enact an anti-trust law.
1885 – Sino-French War: French Army gains an important victory in the Battle of Đồng Đăng in the Tonkin region of Vietnam.
1886 – Charles Martin Hall produced the first samples of aluminium from the electrolysis of aluminium oxide, after several years of intensive work. He was assisted in this project by his older sister, Julia Brainerd Hall.
1887 – The French Riviera is hit by a large earthquake, killing around 2,000.
1898 – Émile Zola is imprisoned in France after writing J'Accuse…!, a letter accusing the French government of antisemitism and wrongfully imprisoning Captain Alfred Dreyfus.
1900 – Second Boer War: During the Battle of the Tugela Heights, the first British attempt to take Hart's Hill fails.
1903 – Cuba leases Guantánamo Bay to the United States "in perpetuity".
1905 – Chicago attorney Paul Harris and three other businessmen meet for lunch to form the Rotary Club, the world's first service club.
1909 – The AEA Silver Dart makes the first powered flight in Canada and the British Empire.
1917 – First demonstrations in Saint Petersburg, Russia. The beginning of the February Revolution (March 8 in the Gregorian calendar).
1927 – U.S. President Calvin Coolidge signs a bill by Congress establishing the Federal Radio Commission (later replaced by the Federal Communications Commission) which was to regulate the use of radio frequencies in the United States.
1927 – German theoretical physicist Werner Heisenberg writes a letter to fellow physicist Wolfgang Pauli, in which he describes his uncertainty principle for the first time.
1934 – Leopold III becomes King of Belgium.
1941 – Plutonium is first produced and isolated by Dr. Glenn T. Seaborg.
1942 – World War II: Japanese submarines fire artillery shells at the coastline near Santa Barbara, California.
1943 – The Cavan Orphanage fire kills thirty-five girls and an elderly cook.
1943 – Greek Resistance: The United Panhellenic Organization of Youth is founded in Greece.
1944 – The Soviet Union begins the forced deportation of the Chechen and Ingush people from the North Caucasus to Central Asia.
1945 – World War II: During the Battle of Iwo Jima, a group of United States Marines reach the top of Mount Suribachi on the island and are photographed raising the American flag.
1945 – World War II: The 11th Airborne Division, with Filipino guerrillas, free all 2,147 captives of the Los Baños internment camp, in what General Colin Powell later would refer to as "the textbook airborne operation for all ages and all armies."
1945 – World War II: The capital of the Philippines, Manila, is liberated by combined Filipino and American forces.
1945 – World War II: Capitulation of German garrison in Poznań. The city is liberated by Soviet and Polish forces.
1945 – World War II: The German town of Pforzheim is annihilated in a raid by 379 British bombers.
1947 – International Organization for Standardization is founded.
1954 – The first mass inoculation of children against polio with the Salk vaccine begins in Pittsburgh.
1958 – Five-time Argentine Formula One champion Juan Manuel Fangio is kidnapped by rebels involved in the Cuban Revolution, on the eve of the Cuban Grand Prix. He was released the following day after the race.[8]
1966 – In Syria, Ba'ath Party member Salah Jadid leads an intra-party military coup that replaces the previous government of General Amin al-Hafiz, also a Baathist.
1971 – Operation Lam Son 719: South Vietnamese General Do Cao Tri was killed in a helicopter crash en route to taking control of the faltering campaign.
1974 – The Symbionese Liberation Army demands $4 million more to release kidnap victim Patty Hearst.
1980 – Iran hostage crisis: Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini states that Iran's parliament will decide the fate of the American embassy hostages.
1981 – In Spain, Antonio Tejero attempts a coup d'état by capturing the Spanish Congress of Deputies.
1983 – The United States Environmental Protection Agency announces its intent to buy out and evacuate the dioxin-contaminated community of Times Beach, Missouri.
1987 – Supernova 1987a is seen in the Large Magellanic Cloud.
1988 – Saddam Hussein begins the Anfal genocide against Kurds and Assyrians in northern Iraq.
1991 – In Thailand, General Sunthorn Kongsompong leads a bloodless coup d'état, deposing Prime Minister Chatichai Choonhavan.
1998 – In the United States, tornadoes in central Florida destroy or damage 2,600 structures and kill 42 people.
1999 – Kurdish rebel leader Abdullah Öcalan is charged with treason in Ankara, Turkey.
2007 – A train derails on an evening express service near Grayrigg, Cumbria, England, killing one person and injuring 88. This results in hundreds of points being checked over the UK after a few similar accidents.
2008 – A United States Air Force B-2 Spirit bomber crashes on Guam, marking the first operational loss of a B-2.
2010 – Unknown criminals pour more than 2.5 million liters of diesel oil and other hydrocarbons into the river Lambro, in northern Italy, sparking an environmental disaster.
2012 – A series of attacks across Iraq leave at least 83 killed and more than 250 injured.
2017 – The Turkish-backed Free Syrian Army captures Al-Bab from ISIL.
2019 – Atlas Air Flight 3591, a Boeing 767 freighter, crashes into Trinity Bay near Anahuac, Texas, killing all three people on board.
2021 – Four simultaneous prison riots leave at least 62 people dead in Ecuador.
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Published at 5:00am on Wednesday, February 23, 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
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