Here is the news and weather briefing for Macon County.
GENERAL OUTLOOK
Daily chances of showers and thunderstorms will continue through Saturday, with the best coverage most likely in the afternoons and evenings. A small chance remains that a thunderstorm complex will across the mountains in the overnight hours one or more nights. Very hot and humid weather will continue through Friday, but a cold front arriving this weekend will bring back more typical temperatures by Sunday.
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Local Weather
General Forecast Through Thursday Night
Franklin Area
Today
A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Patchy fog before 9am. Otherwise, mostly sunny, with highs near 90. Calm winds. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.
Tonight
A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly before 9pm. Patchy fog after 1am. Otherwise, partly cloudy, with lows in the mid 60s. Calm winds. New rainfall amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.
Thursday
A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly after 3pm. Sunny, with highs in the lower 90s. Light winds out of the northwest.
Thursday Night
A chance of showers and thunderstorms before midnight, then a slight chance of showers and thunderstorms after 5am. Mostly clear, with lows around 70. Calm winds. The chance of rain is 30%.
Friday
A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly after 1pm. Sunny, with highs in the lower 90s.
Friday Night
A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly cloudy, with lows in the upper 60s.
Highlands Plateau
Today
A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly after 11am. Patchy fog before 9am. Otherwise, sunny during the morning, then mostly cloudy during the afternoon, with highs in the low-to-mid 80s. Winds out of the northwest around 5 mph becoming calm in the afternoon. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.
Tonight
A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly before 9pm. Patchy fog after 1am. Otherwise, partly cloudy, with lows in the mid 60s. Calm winds in the morning increasing to come out of the northwest around 5 mph after midnight. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.
Thursday
A slight chance of showers, then a chance of showers and thunderstorms after 11am. Patchy fog before 9am. Otherwise, mostly sunny, with highs in the mid 80s. Winds out of the northwest around 5 mph becoming calm by midmorning. The chance of rain is 30%.
Thursday Night
A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly before 10pm. Mostly clear, with lows in the mid 60s. Calm winds in the morning increasing to come out of the northwest around 5 mph after midnight.
Friday
A slight chance of showers, then a chance of showers and thunderstorms after 11am. Sunny, with highs in the mid 80s. The chance of rain is 40%.
Friday Night
A 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly clear, with lows in the mid 60s.
Otto and South Central Macon County
Today
A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly after 9am. Patchy fog before 9am. Otherwise, mostly sunny, with highs in the upper 80s. Light winds out of the north. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.
Tonight
A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly before 9pm. Patchy fog after 1am. Otherwise, partly cloudy, with lows in the mid-to-upper 60s. Calm winds. New rainfall amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.
Thursday
A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly after 2pm. Patchy fog before 9am. Otherwise, sunny, with highs in the lower 90s. Light winds out of the northwest.
Thursday Night
A chance of showers and thunderstorms before midnight, then a slight chance of showers and thunderstorms after 4am. Mostly clear, with lows around 70. Calm winds. The chance of rain is 30%.
Friday
A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly after 1pm. Sunny, with highs near 90.
Friday Night
A 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly clear, with lows around 70.
Nantahala Area
Today
A 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Patchy fog before 10am. Otherwise, mostly sunny, with highs in the low-to-mid 80s. Light winds out of the northwest. New rainfall amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.
Tonight
A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly before 10pm. Patchy fog after 1am. Otherwise, partly cloudy, with lows in the mid 60s. Calm winds. New rainfall amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.
Thursday
A slight chance of showers, then a chance of showers and thunderstorms after 11am. Patchy fog before 9am. Otherwise, mostly sunny, with highs in the mid 80s. Light winds out of the northwest. The chance of rain is 30%.
Thursday Night
A chance of showers and thunderstorms before 11pm, then a slight chance of thunderstorms after 5am. Mostly clear, with lows in the mid-to-upper 60s. Calm winds. The chance of rain is 30%.
Friday
A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly after noon. Sunny, with highs in the mid 80s.
Friday Night
A 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly cloudy, with lows in the mid 60s.
Hazards
A few strong to severe storms will also be possible again today, with damaging winds the main threat, along with the possibility of torrential downpours and localized flooding.
Tropical Weather Outlook
NWS National Hurricane Center Miami FL
200 AM EDT Wed Jul 31 2024
For the North Atlantic...Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico:
1. Near the Greater Antilles and the Bahamas:
A large tropical wave located a couple of hundred miles east of the Lesser Antilles is producing some shower and thunderstorm activity. Environmental conditions are forecast to gradually become more conducive for development while the system moves generally west-northwestward over the southwestern Atlantic Ocean, and a tropical depression could form late this week or over the weekend while the system is in the vicinity of the Greater Antilles, Bahamas, or near Florida. Interests in the Greater Antilles, the Bahamas, and the southeastern U.S. should monitor the progress of this system.
* Formation chance through 48 hours...low...near 0 percent.
* Formation chance through 7 days...medium...60 percent.
Pollen
Pollen levels are expected to be in the medium range (5.6 out of 12) today with Grasses and Nettle being the main culprits. Tomorrow is expected to be in the medium range (5.8 out of 12.0).
Record Weather Events for July 31st
Record weather events for this date in Macon County
(1872-2016)
Highest Temperature 96°F at the Coweeta Experimental Station in 1999
Lowest Temperature 47°F in Highlands in 2014
Greatest One-Day Rain 3.00 inches in Highlands in 1879
Greatest One-Day Snowfall (no snowfall has been recorded on this date since record-keeping began in 1871)
Weather Extremes for Macon County for the month of July Data available from 1872
Highest Temperature 101°F at the Coweeta Experimental Station on 06-30-2012
Lowest Temperature 32°F at the Coweeta Experimental Station on 06-02-1966
Greatest Rainfall 7.63 inches in Highlands on 06-16-1949
Greatest Snowfall (no snowfall has been recorded during June in Macon County)
Record Weather Events for July 31st in North Carolina
Highest Temperature 107°F in Belhaven, Beaufort County in 1931
Lowest Temperature 41°F in Banner Elk, Avery County in 1914
Greatest One-Day Rain 4.97 inches in New Bern, Craven County in 1963
Greatest One-Day Snowfall (no snowfall has been recorded on this date since 1872)
Weather Extremes for North Carolina for the month of July Data available from 1872
Highest Temperature 105°F in Carthage, Moore County on 06-23-1981
Lowest Temperature 41°F in Jefferson, Ashe County on 06-17-1917
Greatest Rainfall 7.33 inches in Belhaven, Beaufort County on 06-30-1962
Greatest Snowfall (no snowfall has been recorded during June in the state)
Macon Calendar
(send your event to calendar@maconmedia.com)
Music Lineup for Friends of the Greenway, Inc.
Frog Quarters Music Schedule (located at 573 East Main Street in Franklin)
August 2024 Schedule
8-3-24—Bloodroot—From the heart of the Cowee Valley and Bryson City comes Bloodroot, an acoustical band with all the harmonies you’d ever want in Americana Music. They’ve been a crowd-pleaser before at Frog Quarters; they will be again, we’re sure.
8-10-24—Dave Stewart---A leader in many area Singer/Songwriters and member of many local bands, we welcome as always, Dave Stewart. He’s a little oldies, a little jazz and a lot of talent. Come here the man and his guitar.
8-17-24—Jim Corbett—New to The Frog, an Acoustic Guitarist with sounds from the 60’s, 70’s and 80’s. Jim came to us with a resume of awards won, songs recorded, places he’s played and groups of which he’s been a part. Known in the Highlands area, we welcome the artistry of Jim Corbett to The Frog.
8-24-24—Barry Roma—King of the Area Crooners, come hear Barry lend his baritone voice to oldies by Sinatra, Orbison, Johnny Mathis and more. You’ll fall in love just like you did in the 50’s and 60’s by the light of that drive-in screen.
8-31-24---Jim Austin’s Classic Country Band—Country Classics that you don’t hear on the radio anymore. You’ll love the history of the artists and the big sound of the band with Jim Austin and his talented group.
For other Music and News follow us on Facebook at Friends of the Greenway, Inc. and Instagram at friends_of_the_greenway_inc. To find out more about the Greenway and our organization, our website is: littletennessee.org.
Frog Quarters is open 9a to 2p, Wednesdays thru Saturdays—beside the River Bridge. We are the Non-Profit supporting the Greenway with monies from sales from our Coffee & Gift Shop, Memberships and Donations. As always, thank you for your support!
Mountain Findings
432 Spruce Street (physical)
Highlands, North Carolina 28741
Web: MountainFindings.org
Mountain Findings (a thrift store) is open every Thursday, Friday, and Saturday from 10 am to 1 pm until October 2023.
News Briefing
Project 2025 on Maritime Policy? | What's Going on With Shipping?
Washington Today (7-30-24): Secret Service Acting Dir 'ashamed' after Trump assassination attempt | C-SPAN
Global National: July 30, 2024 | US urges restraint after Israel's revenge strike on Hezbollah
ABC World News Tonight with David Muir Full Broadcast - July 30, 2024
"CBS Evening News" Full Broadcast | July 30, 2024
NBC Nightly News Full Broadcast - July 30, 2024
PBS NewsHour live episode, (July 30, 2024)
---Science, Technology, Culture, and History News Roundup---
Gallium Anomaly Hints at New Physics After 35 Years of Experiments | Anton Petrov
• Is the "Blaze Star" About to Blow? You May Be the First to Know [Sky and Telescope Magazine]
• The Sky This Week from July 26 to August 2: Catch the Southern Delta Aquariids [Astronomy Magazine]
• This Week's Sky at a Glance, July 26 – August 3 [Sky and Telescope Magazine]
• Remembering David Crawford (1931–2024) [Sky and Telescope Magazine]
The Level1 Show July 31 2024: ✖️🚫🔫💦 | Level1 Techs
The Laws of AI Coming Soon - DTNS 4818 | Daily Tech News Show
On This Day
July 31st is the 212th day of the year (213th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar; 153 days remain until the end of the year.
Historical Events
(Please note that the Wikipedia articles often contain a bibliography and links to where you can learn more about a historical event)
30 BC – Battle of Alexandria: Mark Antony achieves a minor victory over Octavian's forces, but most of his army subsequently deserts, leading to his suicide.
• [Wikipedia: Battle of Alexandria (30 BC)]
• [Wikipedia Bio: Mark Antony]
• [Wikipedia Bio: Augustus]
781 – The oldest recorded eruption of Mount Fuji (Traditional Japanese date: Sixth day of the seventh month of the first year of the Ten'o (天応) era).
1009 – Pope Sergius IV becomes the 142nd pope, succeeding Pope John XVIII.
1201 – Attempted usurpation by John Komnenos the Fat for the throne of Alexios III Angelos.
1423 – Hundred Years' War: Battle of Cravant: The French army is defeated by the English at Cravant on the banks of the river Yonne.
• [Wikipedia: Battle of Cravant]
• [WIkipedia: Hundred Years' War]
1451 – Jacques Cœur is arrested by order of Charles VII of France.
1492 – The Jews are expelled from Spain when the Alhambra Decree takes effect.
1498 – On his third voyage to the Western Hemisphere, Christopher Columbus becomes the first European to discover the island of Trinidad.
1588 – The Spanish Armada is spotted off the coast of England.
1618 – Maurice, Prince of Orange disbands the waardgelders militia in Utrecht, a pivotal event in the Remonstrant/Counter-Remonstrant tensions.
1655 – Russo-Polish War (1654–67): The Russian army enters the capital of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, Vilnius, which it holds for six years.
• [Wikipedia: Battle of Vilnius (1655)]
• [Wikipedia: Russo-Polish War (1654–1667)]
1658 – Aurangzeb is proclaimed Mughal emperor of India.
• [Wikipedia Bio: Aurangzeb]
• [Mughal Empire]
• [The Hindu Lit for Life 2019: The Myth and Reality of Emperor Aurangzeb - An Illustrated lecture]
1703 – Daniel Defoe is placed in a pillory for the crime of seditious libel after publishing a politically satirical pamphlet, but is pelted with flowers.
• [Wikipedia Bio: Daniel Defoe]
• [HistoryPod Video]
• [Wiki[pedia article about the pamphlet]
• [The Shortest-Way with the Dissenters:] (PDF Copy)
• [Downloadable Copy on Internet Archive]
1712 – Action of 31 July 1712 (Great Northern War): Danish and Swedish ships clash in the Baltic Sea; the result is inconclusive.
• [Wikipedia: Action of 31 July 1712]
1715 – Seven days after a Spanish treasure fleet of 12 ships left Havana, Cuba for Spain, 11 of them sink in a storm off the coast of Florida. A few centuries later, treasure is salvaged from these wrecks.
• [Wikipedia: 1715 Treasure Fleet]
• [1715 Fleet Society]
• [The 1715 Spanish Treasure Fleet]
1741 – Charles Albert of Bavaria invades Upper Austria and Bohemia.
1763 – Odawa Chief Pontiac's forces defeat British troops at the Battle of Bloody Run during Pontiac's War.
1777 – The U.S. Second Continental Congress passes a resolution that the services of Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette "be accepted, and that, in consideration of his zeal, illustrious family and connexions, he have the rank and commission of major-general of the United States."
• [Wikipedia Bio: Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette]
1790 – The first U.S. patent is issued, to inventor Samuel Hopkins for a potash process.
1793 – Oulu Castle was destroyed in an explosion following the burning of a powder cellar.
1856 – Christchurch, New Zealand is chartered as a city.
1865 – The first narrow-gauge mainline railway in the world opens at Grandchester, Queensland, Australia.
1874 – Dr. Patrick Francis Healy became the first African-American inaugurated as president of a predominantly white university, Georgetown University.
1904 – Russo-Japanese War: Battle of Hsimucheng: Units of the Imperial Japanese Army defeat units of the Imperial Russian Army in a strategic confrontation and forever changed the way naval wars are fought.
• [Wikipedia: Battle of Hsimucheng]
• [The Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905 🇷🇺🇯🇵 Full Documentary] (The Pacific War Channel)
• [Russo-Japanese War 1904-1905 - Battle of Tsushima ] (Kings and Generals)
• [The Battle of Tsushima]
1913 – The Balkan States sign an armistice in Bucharest.
1917 – World War I: The Battle of Passchendaele (Third Battle of Ypres) begins near Ypres in West Flanders, Belgium.
• [Wikipedia: Battle of Passchendaele]
• [The Battle of Passchendaele - Mutiny in the German Navy I THE GREAT WAR Week 158]
• [The Battle of Passchendaele (1917)]
• [Why Passchendaele Was The Worst Battle Of WWI | The Battle Of Passchendaele | Timeline]
1932 – The NSDAP (Nazi Party) wins more than 38% of the vote in German elections.
• [Wikipedia: July 1932 German federal election]
1938 – Bulgaria signs a non-aggression pact with Greece and other states of Balkan Antanti (Turkey, Romania, Yugoslavia).
1938 – Archaeologists discover engraved gold and silver plates from King Darius the Great in Persepolis.
1941 – The Holocaust: Under instructions from Adolf Hitler, Nazi official Hermann Göring, orders SS General Reinhard Heydrich to "submit to me as soon as possible a general plan of the administrative material and financial measures necessary for carrying out the desired Final Solution of the Jewish question."
• [Preparations for the Final Solution begin] (History.com)
1941 – World War II: The Battle of Smolensk concludes with Germany capturing about 300,000 Soviet Red Army prisoners.
• [Wikipedia: Battle of Smolensk (1941)]
• [Wikipedia: Eastern Front (World War II)]
• [Barbarossa Visualized: The Battle of Smolensk [July 1941] [Episode 5]]
1945 – Pierre Laval, the fugitive former leader of Vichy France, surrenders to Allied soldiers in Austria.
1948 – At Idlewild Field in New York, New York International Airport (later renamed John F. Kennedy International Airport) is dedicated.
1948 – USS Nevada is sunk by an aerial torpedo after surviving hits from two atomic bombs (as part of post-war tests) and being used for target practice by three other ships.
1964 – Ranger program: Ranger 7 sends back the first close-up photographs of the moon, with images 1,000 times clearer than anything ever seen from earth-bound telescopes.
• [Ranger 7]
• [NASA: Ranger VII Photographs of the Moon]
• [JPL: Ranger 7 'Meets' the Moon]
1970 – Black Tot Day: The last day of the officially sanctioned rum ration in the Royal Navy.
• [Wikipedia: Black Tot Day]
• [31st July 1970: Black Tot Day ends the Royal Navy's daily rum ration]
• [Video Playlist Marking the 50th Anniversary of Black Tot Day]
1971 – Apollo program: Apollo 15 astronauts become the first to ride in a lunar rover.
1972 – The Troubles: In Operation Motorman, the British Army re-takes the urban no-go areas of Northern Ireland. It is the biggest British military operation since the Suez Crisis of 1956, and the biggest in Ireland since the Irish War of Independence. Later that day, nine civilians are killed by car bombs in the village of Claudy.
• [Wikipedia: Operation Motorman]
• [Newsreel]
• [INSIGHT: OPERATION MOTORMAN 1972]
1973 – A Delta Air Lines jetliner, flight DL 723 crashes while landing in fog at Logan International Airport, Boston, Massachusetts killing 89.
1975 – The Troubles: Three members of a popular cabaret band and two gunmen are killed during a botched paramilitary attack in Northern Ireland.
1987 – A tornado occurs in Edmonton, Canada.
1988 – Thirty-two people are killed and 1,674 injured when a bridge at the Sultan Abdul Halim ferry terminal collapses in Butterworth, Penang, Malaysia.
1991 – The United States and Soviet Union both sign the START I Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty, the first to reduce (with verification) both countries' stockpiles.
• [Wikipedia: START I]
• [Trip to Moscow and Kiev, Cuts of Signing Ceremony - 31 July 1991]
• [START I Nuclear Weapons Treaty Signing]
1992 – The nation of Georgia joins the United Nations.
1992 – Thai Airways International Flight 311 crashes into a mountain north of Kathmandu, Nepal killing all 113 people on board.
1999 – Discovery Program: Lunar Prospector: NASA intentionally crashes the spacecraft into the Moon, thus ending its mission to detect frozen water on the Moon's surface.
• [Lunar Prospector]
• [Spacecraft crash into lunar crater in search for ice]
• [Wikipedia: Discovery Program]
2006 – Fidel Castro hands over power to his brother, Raúl.
2007 – Operation Banner, the presence of the British Army in Northern Ireland, and the longest-running British Army operation ever, comes to an end.
2008 – East Coast Jets Flight 81 crashes near Owatonna Degner Regional Airport in Owatonna, Minnesota, killing all eight people on board.[5]
2012 – Michael Phelps breaks the record set in 1964 by Larisa Latynina for the most medals won at the Olympics.
• [Phelps' 19th Medal Breaks 48-Year-Old Record]
2014 – Gas explosions in the southern Taiwanese city of Kaohsiung kill at least 20 people and injure more than 270.
• [2014 Kaohsiung gas explosions]
• [Video Compilation]
2018 - Facebook discloses and removes Russian-linked network of sites attempting to interfere in American politics
2019 - American officials announce Osama bin Laden's son, Hamza bin Laden and potential successor has been killed in US air strikes in Pakistan
• [Wikipedia Bio]
• [The death of Hamza bin Laden and the weakness of al-Qaida]
• [BBC NewsT]
2020 - Eurozone economic activity falls 11.9% for April-June with Spain the worst at -18.5%, its deepest in modern times 2020 - Mexico overtakes the UK to have the world's third highest death toll from COVID-19 with 46,688 fatalities 2020 - Apple wildfire starts near Beaumont, California, forcing the evacuation of nearly 8,000 people over the next few days
• [Wikipedia: Apple Fire]
• [InciWeb: Apple Fire]
• [Massive Apple Fire burns out of control in Riverside County I ABC7 (video feed, no audio)]
• [Wildfire Today: Apple Fire Archive (newest articles first)]
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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.
Or, if you prefer Pay Pal, try PayPal.me/MaconMedia
Published at 5:00am on Wednesday, July 31, 2024
Author: Bobby Coggins
Resources used to compile the information in this article include, but are not limited to rthe 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.
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