Daily Weather Briefing for Friday, September 8, 2017

LOCAL NEWS (Local and state governments prepare for Hurricane IRMA)

For those of you who are unsure about food safety, storage and preparation without electricity, the Department of Homeland Security maintains web page at https://www.ready.gov/food to assist you.

The CDC has a pretty good primer on creating family communications plan at https://emergency.cdc.gov/preparedness/plan/index.asp

LINKS

Macon Media Severe Weather Preparedness Page
http://thunderpigblog.blogspot.com/p/breaking-news-hub.html

Macon County Emergency Management Statement on Potential Impact of Hurricane Irma
http://thunderpigblog.blogspot.com/2017/09/macon-county-emergency-management.html

NC Governor Declares State of Emergency and Suspends Certain Motor Vehicle Regulations in Preparation for Hurricane Irma
http://thunderpigblog.blogspot.com/2017/09/nc-governor-declares-state-of-emergency.html

LOCAL OUTLOOK

Dry high pressure will linger across the region through Saturday. On Sunday, Irma is expected to approach from the south with rain chances increases and gusty conditions persisting into Monday. The center of Irma is expected to move north northwest across the region as a weakening tropical storm Monday night through Tuesday. The moist remnants may move west and stall on Wednesday… then shift back east over the mountains aided by an incoming cold front.

WEATHER SPONSOR

Adams Products, a Division of Oldcastle is underwriting the daily weather briefing and public safety updates for the month. They have all your masonry products (block, mortars, tools), plus feature Belgrade Pavers and Sakrete Products. Open 7:30 AM to 4:00 PM, M-F, located at 895 Hickory Knoll Road, Franklin, NC.

Visit their Facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/Adams.Oldcastle.Franklin.NC/

Their phone number is 828.524.8545, all are welcome, let them help you with your next project.

Weather Almanac for September 8th (1872-2016)

Record weather events for this date in Macon County

Highest Temperature 96°F in Highlands in 1925
Lowest Temperature 38°F at the Coweeta Experimental Station in 1953
Greatest Rainfall 2.48 inches in Highlands in 2014

Record weather events for September in Macon County

Highest Temperature 98°F in Franklin on Sept 4, 1975
Lowest Temperature 27°F in Franklin on Sept 30, 1967
Greatest Rainfall 11.87 inches in Highlands on Sept 29, 1967

THREE DAY OUTLOOK

TODAY

Areas of fog in the morning. Temperatures will start out in the mid-40s in the Franklin area and will be 5 to 8 degrees cooler in the Highlands and higher elevations. Skies will be sunny in the morning and mostly sunny by 6 pm. Highs will be in the mid-70s in the Franklin area and 5 to 10 degrees cooler in Highlands and the higher elevations. Winds will be calm or very light from the north.

TONIGHT

Mostly clear with some clouds with temperatures dropping from the lower 60s at 6 pm to around 50 in the Franklin area with Highlands and the higher elevations ranging 5 to 8 degrees cooler. Winds are expected to be calm or very light from the north.

SATURDAY

Sunny with temperature starting off near 50 and rising to the mid-70s in the afternoon,m then dropping back to the lower 60s by 6 pm in the Franklin area. Highlands and the higher elevations will be 5 to 10 degrees cooler. Winds will be from the northwest, peaking in the afternoon.

SATURDAY NIGHT

It will be mostly clear with temperatures dropping from the lower 60s at 6 pm to around 50 by 6 am in the Franklin area and 5 to 8 degrees cooler in Highlands and the higher elevations. Winds will be out of the northwest.

SUNDAY

Sunny with highs ranging from the mid-60 to the mid-70s.

SUNDAY NIGHT

Clouds associated with IRMA begin to arrive and rising humidity should keep lows ranging from the mid 40s to the lower 50s.

HAZARDS

No hazardous weather is expected. You should be completing your preparations for IRMA over the weekend. Plan to have on hand at least 6 gallons of water (3 for drinking and three for hygiene) per person and three days supply of food that you do not need electricity to prepare.

The National Weather Service has issued a Hazardous Weather Outlook for Monday and Tuesday in anticipation of potential impacts by the remnants of Hurricane IRMA. It now looks likely that Macon County may experience winds of tropical storm strength on Monday and overnight Monday Night. Please plan accordingly and make sure all the members of your family are aware of the contents of your family emergency communications plan.

Macon Media maintains a Severe Weather Preparedness Page at http://thunderpigblog.blogspot.com/p/breaking-news-hub.html for those who are interested.

NWS HAZARDOUS OUTLOOK

..MONDAY…Tropical Storm hazards possible. Hurricane Irma is expected to weaken to a tropical storm as it moves north across eastern Georgia early next week. Excessive rainfall and damaging wind gusts will be possible across the western Carolinas and northeast Georgia as Irma approaches Monday and Monday night.

..TUESDAY…Tropical Storm hazards possible.

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

TROPICAL WEATHER OUTLOOK

Tropical Weather Outlook
NWS National Hurricane Center Miami FL
200 AM EDT Fri Sep 8 2017

For the North Atlantic…Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico:

The National Hurricane Center is issuing advisories on Hurricane Irma, located near the Turks and Caicos Islands, on Hurricane Jose, located several hundred miles east of the Leeward Islands, and on Hurricane Katia, located over the southwestern Gulf of Mexico.

1. A tropical wave is expected to emerge off the coast of Africa over the weekend. Environmental conditions appear to be conducive for gradual development of this system next week as it moves west-northwestward over the eastern Atlantic Ocean.

* Formation chance through 48 hours…low…near 0 percent.
* Formation chance through 5 days…low…20 percent.

Tropical cyclone formation is not expected during the next 5 days.

Hurricane Irma Discussion Number 36
NWS National Hurricane Center Miami FL AL112017
1100 PM EDT Thu Sep 07 2017

Microwave images and data from an Air Force Reserve Hurricane Hunter aircraft indicate that Irma is developing a concentric eyewall structure, and the plane reported an elliptical eye. The highest flight-level and SFMR winds measured by the aircraft were 146 kt and 139 kt, respectively, so the initial intensity is lowered slightly to 145 kt. Irma’s central pressure has fallen a bit despite the slight reduction in winds, counterbalanced by an expansion of the hurricane-force wind field as observed by the plane.

If Irma has developed concentric eyewalls, then some additional gradual weakening or fluctuations in intensity are possible over the next day or two, despite a seemingly favorable atmospheric and oceanic environment. The intensity models depict a very gradual decrease in Irma’s maximum winds up until a possible landfall in Florida, but the hurricane is nonetheless expected to still be at or near category 4 strength at that time. After landfall, a fairly quick decay in maximum winds is expected due to land interaction and increased shear, although Irma’s large wind field is likely to still produce hurricane-force winds over a large area.

Irma continues to move west-northwestward at 290/14 kt, steered by the western extent of the subtropical ridge. Irma should maintain this trajectory but slow down during the next 36 hours, and then turn north-northwestward toward a break in the ridge by 72 hours. Although there was a westward shift in the 18Z GFS, this model’s new track puts it very close to the previous NHC forecast. As such, no major changes to the NHC track were required on this forecast through 72 hours, and the projected path lies between the GFS and ECMWF, closest to the TVCN consensus and HCCA. After 72 hours, the models are showing a more pronounced turn toward the northwest when Irma interacts with a shortwave diving southeastward from the Central Plains, and the NHC forecast has been adjusted accordingly at the end of the forecast period.

KEY MESSAGES:

1. Irma is a potentially catastrophic category 5 hurricane and will continue to bring life-threatening wind, storm surge, and rainfall hazards to the Turks and Caicos Islands and the Bahamas through Saturday. Heavy rainfall is still possible across portions of Hispaniola through Friday. Hurricane conditions will also spread over portions of the north coast of Cuba, especially over the adjacent Cuban Keys through Saturday.

2. Severe hurricane conditions are expected over portions of the Florida peninsula and the Florida Keys beginning late Saturday. Irma could make landfall in southern Florida as a dangerous major hurricane, and bring life-threatening storm surge and wind impacts to much of the state. A Hurricane Warning is in effect for southern Florida, the Florida Keys, Lake Okeechobee, and Florida Bay, while Hurricane Watches have been issued northward into central Florida.

3. A Storm Surge Warning is in effect for southern Florida and the Florida Keys. A Storm Surge Warning means there is a danger of life-threatening inundation, from rising water moving inland from the coastline, during the next 36 hours in the indicated locations.
For a depiction of areas at risk, please see the National Weather Service Storm Surge Watch/Warning Graphic, available at hurricanes.gov. This is a life-threatening situation. Persons located within these areas should take all necessary actions to protect life and property from rising water and the potential for other dangerous conditions. Promptly follow evacuation and other instructions from local officials. A Storm Surge Watch has been issued north of the Storm Surge Warning for portions of the central Florida coast.

4. There is a chance of direct impacts in portions of Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina, but it is too early to specify the magnitude and location of these impacts.

FORECAST POSITIONS AND MAX WINDS

INIT 08/0300Z 21.3N 72.4W 145 KT 165 MPH
12H 08/1200Z 21.8N 74.4W 145 KT 165 MPH
24H 09/0000Z 22.3N 76.7W 140 KT 160 MPH
36H 09/1200Z 22.9N 78.6W 135 KT 155 MPH
48H 10/0000Z 23.7N 79.9W 135 KT 155 MPH
72H 11/0000Z 27.2N 81.1W 100 KT 115 MPH…INLAND
96H 12/0000Z 32.0N 83.5W 50 KT 60 MPH…INLAND
120H 13/0000Z 35.5N 86.5W 30 KT 35 MPH…INLAND

MACON CALENDAR

If you have an event you wish to be added to this calendar, please send the information, along with a flyer in pdf format or a high-quality photo, to [email protected]. If you want text published, please include a paragraph with your photo, flyer or graphic. Please include date(s) and time(s).
There is no charge for civic, educational or nonprofit groups, except for groups or events that receive funding from the TDA, TDC, and EDC, where full rates apply.

Friday, September 8th at 1:00 pm

BUTTERFLY WALK AT HIGHLANDS BIOLOGICAL STATION

James T. Costa, Ph.D. will lead a free nature walk with an emphasis on butterflies at 1 pm Friday Sept. 8 at the Highlands Biological Station, 265 N. 6th St. Highlands. He is Director of the research station and a biology professor at Western Carolina University. For those who want to carpool from Franklin, we will meet at Bi-Lo’s parking lot at 12:15 pm. Please email Renee at [email protected] if you are interested so you may be informed of any changes due to weather.
In addition, Dr. Costa will speak at 6:30 pm Sept. 8 at City Lights in Sylva about his new book, Darwin’s Backyard: How Small Experiments Led to a Big Theory.

The Future Farmers of America are selling Raffle Tickets
More information is posted below:

Support Franklin FFA (Future Farmers of America)
!!! RAFFLE TICKETS !!!!

$5.00 a ticket or 5 for $20.00

Winner announced & does not be present at The Macon County Fair 2017
September 13-16, 2017 at The Wayne Proffitt Agriculture Center – Macon County Fairgrounds, 1436 Georgia Rd, Franklin NC 28734
Raffle is for Adventure Package, valued at $300.00…

Items are:
1. Cargo Carrier ( donated by Ultimate Truck Accessories) – can be used atop an SUV/Van or rear hitch
2. Foldable Camp Chairs in Camo with Table
3. Burn Fire Log (Swedish Flame Torch)
4. Lighter
5. Heavy Duty Flashlight
6. “Over the flame” cooking basket
7. Roasting Sticks
8. Bug Spray

We thank Appalachian Ace Hardware for their support.

*All proceeds go to Franklin FFA & FHS Ag Dept*
Contact Gregory Charles Spala via FB or 813-838-7693 text or call
Or Lori Spala via FB or 813-503-2160

September 27th, WEDNESDAY

HOSPICE HOUSE FOUNDATION OF WNC

PEACEFUL JOURNEY
3rd annual charity dining event
hosted by RISTORANTE PAOLETTI at 440 Main Street in Highlands

For information, visit http://hhfwnc.org/peaceful-journey/

National Alliance on Mental Illness
Appalachian South

Meets each Thursday at 7pm
The First Methodist Church Outreach Center
at the intersection of Harrison Ave. and West Main Street
(directly across from Lazy Hiker Brewery)

Come join our weekly support group for anyone suffering from mental illness and their family or friends. This includes Depression, Bipolar,8chizophrenia, PTSD, Substance Abuse, Etc.

Here you will find:
— others living with mental health challenges YOU ARE NOT ALONE
- learn coping skills and ?find hope in shared experience
- help learning how to break down stigma and guilt surrounding mental health
- how to live life with the expectation of a better a better future

Kay (706)970-9987 Denise (828)347-5000)

SYRINGE EXCHANGE PROGRAM

On January 1, 2017, the Syringe Exchange Program of Franklin began operating a comprehensive harm reduction program to address the opioid epidemic that is impacting western NC. Opioid overdose reversal kits including naloxone are available free of charge. If you have any questions about our services or if you know someone interested in volunteering, please contact Stephanie Almeida at 828-475-1920.

Sun and Moon

Sun

Begin civil twilight 6:45 a.m.
Sunrise 7:11 a.m.
Sun transit 1:31 p.m.
Sunset 7:52 p.m.
End civil twilight 8:15 p.m.

Moon

Moonrise 8:58 p.m. last night
Moon transit 3:00 a.m.
Moonset 9:26 a.m.
Moonrise 9:34 p.m.

Phase of the Moon on September 7, 2017: Waning Gibbous with 94% of the Moon’s visible disk illuminated.

Sky Guides for this week

Sky and Telescope Magazine 
Astronomy Magazine

Earth Sky has an article on the eclipses of 2017. [LINK]

Heavens Above has an Android App that will assist you in observing the sky and even has a satellite tracker that will let you know when the International Space Station and dozens of other satellites are overhead. [LINK]

Stellarium is also an app that will assist you in observing the sky. It is available in both Android [LINK] and iOS versions. [LINK]

CROWD FUNDING OR DAY SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES

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.

If you have a business or event you are interested in sponsorship opportunities or underwriting coverage, send an email to [email protected] for more information. Serious inquiries only. Macon Media rewards early sponsors/underwriters with lifetime guaranteed low rates while newer sponsors/underwriters pay higher rates based on the date they first support Macon Media.

Thank You to the people who have been sending in donations and those businesses who are underwriting coverage of news and events. You have kept Macon Media online. You have made it possible for Macon Media to begin purchasing state of the art equipment and begin work on building a real website with features not employed by any local news outlets.

You can find out more information on how to do that and some of what I plan to accomplish if I reach certain levels of funding at https://www.patreon.com/MaconMedia

Published at 4:20 am on September 8, 2017

#WNCscan #MaconWx #MaconSafety

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, Penn State University Electronic Wall Map, The State Climate Office of North Carolina, Storm Prediction Center, U.S. Naval Observatory, and the Weather Prediction Center.