Daily Weather Briefing for Sunday, February 19, 2017

…Heavy snow possible for the Cascades, Sierras, Sawtooths, the Mogollon Rim and Central Rockies…

…Strong thunderstorms and heavy rain possible over eastern Texas and lower Mississippi valley…

…Heavy rain possible for portions of northern and central California…

Surface low and associated front will spin up near the Southeast Coast today as an upper-level low propagates eastward — resulting in showers and a few thunderstorms for Florida and the Southeast Coast. Rain will also develop over parts of the Southern Ohio and Tennessee valleys along with parts of the Central/Southern Appalachian this morning and will move into parts of the Mid-Atlantic/Central Appalachians this afternoon before dissipating.

The system that brought widespread heavy precipitation to California and portions of the Southwest will continue to weaken as it tracks eastward into the Central/Southern High Plains today and into Monday. Rain and higher elevation snow is forecast for parts of California, the Great Basin and Southwest ending over most of California this morning and will expand into the Central/Southern Plains, waning by Monday. Farther north, multiple waves embedded within the upper-level low will move into the Northwest and Intermountain West/Northern Rockies early and will aid in producing rain and higher elevation snow from the Coast into parts of the Northern Rockies. Heavy snow will be possible for some of the higher elevations of the Cascades, Sierras, Sawtooths, the Mogollon Rim and Central Rockies. A plume of moisture will stream into California bringing another round of heavy rainfall to portions of central California. Rain and higher elevation snow will develop over parts of Central/Southern California.

As the upper-level low moves eastward, circulation around the low will aid in streaming moisture into Eastern Texas that will move northward to the Middle Mississippi Valley by Monday. Showers and thunderstorms will begin to develop over parts of the Western Gulf Coast and will expand northward into the central U.S. this afternoon. Some of the storms over eastern Texas may become severe this afternoon.

GOFUNDME ESTABLISHED FOR FAMILY WHO LOST HOME IN FIRE

A family with three children, two girls, ages 14 and 8, and a boy, age 4, has lost their home due to a fire. A GOFUNDME has been established to assist the family with clothing and other needs while they are homeless. Visit https://www.gofundme.com/family-of-5-loses-all-in-house-fire to find out more.

LOCAL OVERVIEW

A warm surface high pressure system will move into the area through early next week, with strong upper ridging bringing temperatures close to record highs. A cold front with minimal moisture will move through the area by midweek, with a dry end to the work week to follow. The next frontal system will substantial rain/thunder chances will arrive next weekend.

THREE DAY OUTLOOK

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Sunday

Areas of fog early. Mostly cloudy with decreasing clouds becoming mostly sunny by late afternoon. Highs near the upper 60s and winds 5 to 10 mph from the northwest.

Sunday Night

Patchy fog early. Mostly clear with lows near the mid 30s and calm winds.

Washington’s Birthday

Mostly sunny with highs near the lower 70s. Calm winds early, shifting to come from the south by 8 or 9 am.

Monday Night

Mostly cloudy with lows near the mid 40s and calm winds.

Tuesday

Mostly cloudy with highs near the mid to upper 60s. A slight chance of rain showers after 3 pm.

Tuesday Night

Mostly cloudy with lows near the mid 40s. 30% chance of rain, mainly after 11 pm.

HAZARDS

No hazardous weather is expected.

As always, you can check to see what advisories, watches and warnings are in effect for Macon County by visiting http://is.gd/MACONWARN

MACON CALENDAR

If you have an event you wish to be added to this calendar, please send the information, along with a flyer or photo, to [email protected]
There is no charge for civic, educational or non profit groups.

FRANKLIN BIRD CLUB MEETING AT LIBRARY

February 20
Franklin Bird Club meeting. “Cherokee Bird Legends and Myths” by Barbara Duncan. 7:00 pm at the Macon County Public Library.

February 21 3:30 pm to 4:30 pm at the FHS Fine Arts Building
Youth Night Out Teen Dating Violence and Healthy Relationships.
Presented as a partnership of Angel Medical Center, Macon County Public Health, REACH of Macon County and Discover Church.

MARDI GRAS DINNER TO BENEFIT REACH OF MACON COUNTY

A Mardi Gras Dinner to benefit REACH of Macon County will be held at Root + Barrel Kitchen on Main Street on Tuesday, February 28th at 6:30 pm.
Reserved tickets are $75 and open seating is $60.
More information is on the flyer posted here.

Weather Extremes Almanac for February 19, 2017

North Carolina

High Temperature 84ºF in Fayetteville, Cumberland County in 1956
Low Temperature -19ºF on Mount Mitchell, Yancey County in 2015
Greatest One-Day Rainfall 2.92 inches in Morehead City, Carteret County in 1960
Greatest One-Day Snowfall 15.0 inches i on Mount Mitchell, Yancey County in 2015

Macon County

High Temperature 72ºF in Franklin in 1890
Low Temperature -6ºF in Highlands in 2015
Greatest One-Day Rainfall 2.10 inches in Nantahala in 1940
Greatest One-Day Snowfall 5.0 inches in Franklin in 1979

Astronomy

Twilight Begins: 6:49 am
Sunrise: 7:15 am
Sunset 6:20 pm
Twilight Ends: 6:46 pm
Day Length: 11 hours 57 minutes
Sunrise to Sunset: 11 hours 5 minutes

Moon Phase: Waning Crescent with 42% of the Moon’s visible disk illuminated
Moonrise 1:43 am
Moonset 12:26 pm

Observing the Skies

Evening Events and Planets