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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
Deep moisture will return along a front stalled over the area today into tonight. Dry and cold high pressure will build in from the northwest Friday into the weekend, with temperatures falling below average. Temperatures rebound late weekend into early next week.
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Local Weather
General Forecast Through Friday Night
Franklin Area
Today
Rain. Patchy fog. Highs in the upper 40s. Calm winds by in the morning increasing to come out of the northwest around 5 mph in the afternoon. Chance of rain is 90%. New rainfall amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.
Tonight
Rain, mainly before 11pm. Patchy fog before 4am. Lows around 30. Winds out of the northwest 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain is 80%. New rainfall amounts between a half and three quarters of an inch possible.
Friday
Mostly cloudy through mid morning, then gradual clearing, with highs in the low-to-mid 40s. Winds out of the northwest 10 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph.
Friday Night
Clear, with lows around 20. Winds out of the northwest 5 to 10 mph becoming light after midnight.
Saturday
Sunny, with highs in the mid-to-upper 40s.
Saturday Night
Mostly cloudy, with lows in the mid-to-upper 20s.
Highlands Plateau
Today
Rain. Areas of fog. Highs in the low-to-mid 40s. Winds out of the northwest 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain is 90%. New rainfall amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.
Tonight
Rain before 5am, then a slight chance of rain and sleet. Patchy fog before 3am. Lows around 30. Winds out of the northwest 10 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90%. Little or no sleet accumulation expected.
Friday
Mostly cloudy through mid morning, then gradual clearing, with highs in the upper 30s. Winds out of the northwest 15 to 20 mph, with gusts as high as 35 mph.
Friday Night
Clear, with lows around 20. Winds out of the northwest 5 to 15 mph in the morning shifting to come out of the southeast after midnight. Winds could gust as high as 25 mph.
Saturday
Sunny, with highs near 37.
Saturday Night
Mostly cloudy, with lows around 25.
Otto and South Central Macon County
Today
Rain. Areas of fog. Highs in the mid-to-upper 40s. Calm winds becoming north northwest around 5 mph in the afternoon. Chance of rain is 90%. New rainfall amounts between a half and three quarters of an inch possible.
Tonight
Rain, mainly before midnight. Patchy fog before 3am. Lows around freezing. Winds out of the north 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.
Friday
Mostly cloudy through mid morning, then gradual clearing, with highs in the low-to-mid 40s. Winds out of the northwest 10 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph.
Friday Night
Clear, with lows around 25. Winds out of the northwest 5 to 10 mph shifting to come out of the southeast after midnight.
Saturday
Sunny, with highs in the mid 40s.
Saturday Night
Mostly cloudy, with lows in the upper 20s.
Nantahala Area
Today
Rain. Patchy fog. Highs in the mid 40s. Calm winds in the morning increasing to come out of the northwest around 5 mph in the afternoon. Chance of rain is 90%. New rainfall amounts between a half and three quarters of an inch possible.
Tonight
Rain likely, mainly before 2am. Patchy fog before 3am. Otherwise, cloudy, with lows around 30. Winds out of the northwest 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain is 70%. New rainfall amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.
Friday
Mostly cloudy through mid morning, then gradual clearing, with highs in the mid 30s. Winds out of the northwest 10 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph.
Friday Night
Clear, with lows in the mid 20s. Winds out of the north 5 to 10 mph becoming light and variable after midnight.
Saturday
Sunny, with highs in the mid 40s.
Saturday Night
Partly cloudy, with lows around 30.
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Hazards and Tropical Weather
Periods of heavy rainfall may affect the region today and tonight. Isolated flooding could result.
Latest US Drought Monitor Map for North Carolina.
Space Weather Goodbye Big Flares, Hello Green Comet | Space Weather News: 26 January 2023
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 30 (MODERATE) for most of the county, and the ridges and other higher elevations PM2.5 AQI is 30 (MODERATE)
Fire and Smoke Map
Local Air Monitor
Pollen
Pollen levels are expected to be in the low (0.5 out of 12) today with Juniper and Elm being the main culprits. Tomorrow is expected to be in the low range (0.5 out of 12).
Record Weather Events for February 2nd
Record weather events for this date in Macon County
(1872-2016)
Highest Temperature 75°F in Franklin in 1989
Lowest Temperature -7°F in Highlands in 1917
Greatest One-Day Rainfall 2.93 inches in Franklin 1983
Greatest One-Day Snowfall 6.2 inches in Highlands in 1936
Weather Extremes for Macon County for the month of February Data available from 1872
Highest Temperature 79°F at the Coweeta Experimental Station on 01-28-1996
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
Record Weather Events for February 2nd in North Carolina
Highest Temperature 87°F in Siler City, Chatham County in 1982
Lowest Temperature -10°F in Mount Mitchell, Yancey County in 1980
Greatest Rainfall 5.52 inches in Lake Toxaway, Transylvania County in 1983
Greatest Snowfall 8.5 inches in Banner Elk, Avery County in 1976
Weather Extremes for North Carolina for the month of February Data available from 1872
Highest Temperature 88°F in New Bern, Craven County on 02-28-1962
Lowest Temperature -20°F in Brevard, Transylvania County on 02-17-1958
Greatest Rainfall 8.83 inches in Lake Toxaway, Transylvania County on 02-13-1966
Greatest Snowfall 24.00 in Mount Mitchell, Yancey County on 02-12-1985
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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
• NC needs 5,000 more teachers; vacancies up almost 60% [WRAL-TV (Raleigh, NC)]
• Tougher criminal penalties for attacks on power substations proposed by NC lawmakers [Raleigh News and Observer]
• North Carolina lawmakers file new bill limiting LGBTQ discussions in schools [WLOS-TV (Asheville, NC)]
Senate Bill 49: Parents' Bill of Rights [PDF Copy]
Sponsors (Nc Senate): Galey; Lee; Barnes (Primary)
Alexander; Corbin; Daniel; Ford; Hanig; Hise; Jarvis; Johnson; Krawiec; Lazzara; Moffitt; B. Newton; P. Newton; Overcash; Sawrey; Sawyer; Settle
• Sylva begins budget process [Smoky Mountain News]
• The Punisher and the Punished: A conversation with retired Force Recon Marine Corporal Adam Ranke [Mountain Philosopher]
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National and World News Roundup
https://bjs.ojp.gov/content/pub/pdf/fv9311.pdf Funeral for Tyre Nichols at Mississippi Boulevard Christian Church in Memphis | Associated Press
Rev. Al Sharpton delivers eulogy at Tyre Nichols' funeral in Memphis | WATN-TV
• First police report in Tyre Nichols case does not match video of deadly beating [CNN]
• First sweeping federal gun crime report in 20 years released [AP News]
• Fed Slows Its Tightening With Quarter-Point Rate Rise: Central bank signals another increase is likely next month [WSJ (video and audio)] [WSJ (article archive)]
• Biden and McCarthy hold ‘first good’ meeting on debt ceiling, but ‘no agreements, no promises’ [Politico]
• Lawsuit can proceed against Kenosha shooter Kyle Rittenhouse [AP News]
• FBI search of Biden's beach house found no classified documents, lawyer says [NBC News]
• Donald Trump sues Bob Woodward, claims journalist's audiobook violates copyright [CBS News]
Rev. Al Sharpton delivers eulogy at Tyre Nichols' funeral in Memphis | WATN-TV
• The 2022 Long-Term Budget Outlook (July 2022) [Congressional Budget Office ] [PDF Download]
Law enforcement officials testify in Texas for House Judiciary hearing on immigration | PBS Newshour
Global National: Feb. 1, 2023 | Inside look at life in Kherson, Ukraine near the front lines
Nightly News Full Broadcast (February 1st)
PBS NewsHour full episode, (February 01, 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 4:16pm CET, 31 January 2023, there have been 100,941,827 confirmed cases of COVID-19 with 1,097,246 deaths, reported to WHO. As of 20 January 2023, a total of 660,066,195 vaccine doses have been administered.
Globally, as of 4:16pm CET, 31 January 2023, there have been 753,479,439 confirmed cases of COVID-19, including 6,812,798 deaths, reported to WHO. As of 24 January 2023, a total of 13,156,047,747 vaccine doses have been administered.
Excess Deaths: Causes (Deep Dive) | MedCram - Medical Lectures Explained CLEARLY
• Vaccine Makers Kept $1.4 Billion in Prepayments for Canceled Covid Shots for the World’s Poor [ New York Times ]
House Oversight hearing examining COVID-19 pandemic relief fraud | PBS Newshour
• The next generation of coronavirus vaccines: a graphical guide [ nature ]
• Stock Up on Free At-Home COVID-19 Tests While You Can [ Time Magazine ]
• Factbox: What ending the U.S. COVID health emergency means for your pocket [Reuters ]
• Anti-intellectualism amid the COVID-19 pandemic: The discursive elements and sources of anti-Fauci tweets [PubMed]
• TWiV 979: Flushing out the viroids [Microbe TV]
• TWiV 978: Clinical update with Dr. Daniel Griffin [Microbe TV]
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Science and Technology News Roundup
• Meta Platforms Stock Rises After Posting Upbeat Outlook for Coming Year [Wall Street Journal]
• Meta lost $13.7 billion on Reality Labs in 2022 as Zuckerberg’s metaverse bet gets pricier [CNBC]
• AMD is ‘undershipping’ chips to keep CPU, GPU prices elevated [PC World]
• How the Supreme Court ruling on Section 230 could end Reddit as we know it [MIT Technology Review]
• Dangerous Fungi Are Spreading Across U.S. as Temperatures Rise [Wall Street Journal]
Evergreen Links
• Red Dead Online player bids farewell to Google Stadia save by releasing horse they named after their departed daughter [Games Radar]
Dan Carlin's Hardcore History 69 - Twilight of the Æsir
• 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]
How Do We Know What We Know? Philosophy of Science | Fraser Cain
Podcasts and Long Form Videos (History, Culture, Science, Space, Technology and Current Events)
Anything covering educational, entertainment, history, current events, and technology topics
SpaceX Starlink 5-3 launch & Falcon 9 first stage landing, 2 February 2023 | SciNews
The Level1 Show February 1 2023: More Layoffs, Now With Extra Sting | Level1Techs
Cloning Dodos is for the Birds - DTNS 4447 | Daily Tech News Show
The Columbia Space Shuttle Disaster - What Did We Learn? | Scott Manley
Full History of the Ancient Celts: Origins to Roman Conquest | Kings and Generals
Everything - Yes, Everything - is a SPRING! (Pretty much) | Arvin Ash
Glory And Defeat - The Franco-Prussian War 1870/71 (Full Documentary) | Real Time History
The True Meaning of Schrödinger's Equation | The Science Asylum
Protecting from Solar Flares, Tiny Rockets, Oldest Possible Ice | Q and A 209 | Fraser Cain
Ruby in the WebAssembly - Coder Radio 503 | Jupiter Broadcasting
Network Security at Scale: L3 Through L7 at Splunk - Mitch Connors and Bernard Van De Walle | CNCF [Cloud Native Computing Foundation]
David Kipping: Alien Civilizations and Habitable Worlds | Lex Fridman Podcast #355
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Special Section: The Death of Queen Elizabeth II
(sharing of a particular source is not an endorsement)
(Today is the last day this special ection will run. This is a special section to allow readers to discover original documentation and read/view news coverage of The Passing of Queen Elizabeth II)
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Special Section: The Russo-Ukrainian War
(sharing of a particular source is not an endorsement)
• Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, February 01 [Institute for the Study of War] [PDF for February 1st]
• Russia-Ukraine war: List of key events, day 343 [Al Jazeera]
• LIVEBLOG: Day 344 of Russian aggression against Ukraine [TVP World]
• Russo-Ukrainian War. Day 343: Ukraine shows progress in the fight against corruption in 2022 [Euromaiden Press]
• Russian Troop Buildup May Signal New Assault, Ukraine Says [New York Times]
• Home of Ukrainian oil tycoon raided in anti-corruption purge [Al Jazeera]
• Russian journalist given jail time for Ukraine coverage [DW News]
• Russian army officer admits: 'Our troops tortured Ukrainians' [BBC News]
• Top EU officials head to Kyiv as rescue efforts continue in Kramatorsk [France 24]
• Ukraine Ramps Up Corruption Fight as Zelensky Races to Assure Wary West [Wall Street Journal]
Ukrainians breakthrough 16km line between Vuhledar and Volnovakha to cut off Russian train supply! | Divine Justice
US Sending Long-Range GLSDB Missiles to Ukraine? | Combat Footage Review
Can Ukraine take back Crimea? | Caspian Report
Hundreds of Russian soldiers surrender to Ukraine by raising a white flag. | Divine Justice
Ukraine 11th month Update | The Cold War
News from Russian or pro-Russian outlets or Video About the Russian Perspective
• Putin sets mission for Russian military [Russia Today]
• Kremlin appreciates idea of rewards for destroying NATO tanks in Ukraine [Pravda]
• US does not hide its goal to inflict strategic defeat to Russia in Ukraine — Russian envoy [TASS]
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On This Day
February 2nd is the 33rd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar; 332 days remain until the end of the year (333 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)
506 – Alaric II, eighth king of the Visigoths, promulgates the Breviary of Alaric (Breviarium Alaricianum or Lex Romana Visigothorum), a collection of "Roman law".
880 – Battle of Lüneburg Heath: King Louis III of France is defeated by the Norse Great Heathen Army at Lüneburg Heath in Saxony.
962 – Translatio imperii: Pope John XII crowns Otto I, Holy Roman Emperor, the first Holy Roman Emperor in nearly 40 years.
1032 – Conrad II, Holy Roman Emperor becomes king of Burgundy.
1141 – The Battle of Lincoln, at which Stephen, King of England is defeated and captured by the allies of Empress Matilda.
1207 – Terra Mariana, eventually comprising present-day Latvia and Estonia, is established.
1438 – Nine leaders of the Transylvanian peasant revolt are executed at Torda.
1461 – Wars of the Roses: The Battle of Mortimer's Cross results in the death of Owen Tudor.
1536 – Spaniard Pedro de Mendoza founds Buenos Aires, Argentina.
1645 – Scotland in the Wars of the Three Kingdoms: Battle of Inverlochy.
1653 – New Amsterdam (later renamed The City of New York) is incorporated.
1709 – Alexander Selkirk is rescued after being shipwrecked on a desert island, inspiring Daniel Defoe's adventure book Robinson Crusoe.
1814 – The last of the River Thames frost fairs comes to an end.
1848 – Mexican–American War: The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo is signed.
1850 – Brigham Young declares war on Timpanogos in the Battle at Fort Utah.
1868 – Pro-Imperial forces capture Osaka Castle from the Tokugawa shogunate and burn it to the ground.
1870 – The Seven Brothers (Seitsemän veljestä), a novel by Finnish author Aleksis Kivi, is published first time in several thin booklets.
1876 – The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs of Major League Baseball is formed.
1887 – In Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, the first Groundhog Day is observed.
1899 – The Australian Premiers' Conference held in Melbourne decides to locate Australia's capital city, Canberra, between Sydney and Melbourne.
1900 – Six cities, Boston, Detroit, Milwaukee, Baltimore, Chicago and St. Louis, agree to form baseball's American League.
1901 – Funeral of Queen Victoria.
1909 – The Paris Film Congress opens, an attempt by European producers to form an equivalent to the MPCC cartel in the United States.
1913 – Grand Central Terminal opens in New York City.
1920 – The Tartu Peace Treaty is signed between Estonia and Russia.
1922 – Ulysses by James Joyce is published.
1925 – Serum run to Nome: Dog sleds reach Nome, Alaska with diphtheria serum, inspiring the Iditarod race.
1934 – The Export-Import Bank of the United States is incorporated.
1935 – Leonarde Keeler administers polygraph tests to two murder suspects, the first time polygraph evidence was admitted in U.S. courts.
1942 – The Osvald Group is responsible for the first, active event of anti-Nazi resistance in Norway, to protest the inauguration of Vidkun Quisling.
1943 – World War II: The Battle of Stalingrad comes to an end when Soviet troops accept the surrender of the last organized German troops in the city.
1959 – Nine experienced ski hikers in the northern Ural Mountains in the Soviet Union die under mysterious circumstances.
1966 – Pakistan suggests a six-point agenda with Kashmir after the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965.
1971 – Idi Amin replaces President Milton Obote as leader of Uganda.
1971 – The international Ramsar Convention for the conservation and sustainable utilization of wetlands is signed in Ramsar, Mazandaran, Iran.
1972 – The British embassy in Dublin is burned three days after Bloody Sunday.
1980 – Reports surface that the FBI is targeting allegedly corrupt Congressmen in the Abscam operation.
1982 – Hama massacre: The government of Syria attacks the town of Hama.
1987 – After the 1986 People Power Revolution, the Philippines enacts a new constitution.
1989 – Soviet–Afghan War: The last Soviet armoured column leaves Kabul.
1990 – Apartheid: F. W. de Klerk announces the unbanning of the African National Congress and promises to release Nelson Mandela.
1998 – Cebu Pacific Flight 387 crashes into to Mount Sumagaya in the Philippines, killing all 104 people on board.
2000 – First digital cinema projection in Europe (Paris) realized by Philippe Binant with the DLP CINEMA technology developed by Texas Instruments.
2004 – Swiss tennis player Roger Federer becomes the No. 1 ranked men's singles player, a position he will hold for a record 237 weeks.
2005 – The Government of Canada introduces the Civil Marriage Act. This legislation would become law on July 20, 2005, legalizing same-sex marriage.
2007 – Police officer Filippo Raciti is killed when a clash breaks out in the Sicily derby between Catania and Palermo, in the Serie A, the top flight of Italian football. This event led to major changes in stadium regulations in Italy.
2012 – The ferry MV Rabaul Queen sinks off the coast of Papua New Guinea near the Finschhafen District, with an estimated 146–165 dead.
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Published at 5:00am on Thursday, February 02, 2023
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.
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