News and Weather Briefing for Friday, August 20, 2021
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Local News
Weather
Hazards and Tropical Weather
Almanac
Macon Calendar
National News Roundup
COVID-19 News and Updates
On This Day
Support Macon Media
OUTLOOK
An upper trough will cross the region today and persist just east of the area tonight. This trough will interact with very wet ground across the area to produce scattered showers and thunderstorms, mainly this afternoon and early this evening. The associated upper- level low will slowly lift northeast into New England this weekend into early next week as Tropical System Henri moves by well offshore. A ridge of high pressure will build slowly eastward and this should lead to drier conditions for the weekend with only isolated showers and thunderstorms during the afternoon and evening hours expected. Highs will remain at or above climatology into next week.
National Weather Map for Today
General forecast through Sunday Night
Franklin area
Today
A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly after 1pm. Patchy fog before 9am. Otherwise, mostly cloudy, with highs in the mid-80s. Calm winds becoming northwest around 5 mph in the afternoon. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.
Tonight
A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms before 10pm. Patchy fog after 2am. Otherwise, partly cloudy, with lows around 63. Calm winds.
Saturday
A chance of showers, with thunderstorms also possible after 2pm. Patchy fog before 8am. Otherwise, mostly sunny, with highs mid-80s. Light and variable winds. Chance of rain is 30%. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.
Saturday Night
A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms before 10pm. Partly cloudy, with lows in the mid-60s. Calm winds.
Sunday
A chance of showers, with thunderstorms also possible after 2pm. Mostly sunny, with highs in the upper 80s. Chance of rain is 30%.
Sunday Night
Mostly clear, with lows in the mid-60s.
Highlands Plateau
Today
Showers and thunderstorms likely, mainly between 4pm and 5pm. Patchy fog before 9am. Otherwise, partly sunny, with highs in the mid-to-upper 70s. Winds out of the northwest 5 to 10 mph becoming light and variable by noon. Chance of rain is 60%. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.
Tonight
A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms before 11pm. Patchy fog after 1am. Otherwise, partly cloudy, with lows around 60. Calm winds becoming north around 5 mph.
Saturday
A chance of showers, with thunderstorms also possible after 2pm. Mostly sunny, with highs in the mid-to-upper 70s. Light and variable winds. Chance of rain is 30%. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.
Saturday Night
A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms before 11pm. Partly cloudy, with lows around 60. Light winds out of the northwest.
Sunday
A chance of showers, with thunderstorms also possible after 2pm. Mostly sunny, with highs near 80. Chance of rain is 40%.
Sunday Night
A chance of thunderstorms before 7pm. Mostly clear, with lows around 60. Chance of rain is 30%.
Otto area
A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly after 1pm. Patchy fog before 9am. Otherwise, partly sunny, with highs in the mid-80s. Calm winds in the morning increasing to come out of the northwest around 5 mph in the afternoon. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.
Tonight
A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms before 10pm. Patchy fog after 1am. Otherwise, partly cloudy, with lows in the mid-60s. Calm winds.
Saturday
A chance of showers, with thunderstorms also possible after 2pm. Mostly sunny, with highs mid-80s. Calm winds. Chance of rain is 30%. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.
Saturday Night
A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms before 11pm. Partly cloudy, with lows in the mid-60s. Calm winds.
Sunday
A chance of showers, with thunderstorms also possible after 2pm. Mostly sunny, with highs in the mid-to-upper 80s. Chance of rain is 30%.
Sunday Night
Mostly clear, with lows in the mid-60s.
Nantahala area
Today
A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly after 2pm. Patchy fog before 9am. Otherwise, partly sunny, with highs near 80. Calm winds in the morning increasing to come out of the northwest around 6 mph 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 8pm. Patchy fog after 1am. Otherwise, partly cloudy, with lows in the low-to-mid 60s. Light winds out of the west.
Saturday
A chance of showers, with thunderstorms also possible after 2pm. Mostly sunny, with highs near 80. Calm winds. Chance of rain is 30%. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.
Saturday Night
A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms before 11pm. Partly cloudy, with lows in the mid-60s. Calm winds.
Sunday
A slight chance of showers, then a chance of showers and thunderstorms after 2pm. Mostly sunny, with highs in the lower 80s. Chance of rain is 30%.
Sunday Night
Mostly clear, with lows in the mid-60s.
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Hazards and Tropical Weather
Patchy dense fog will develop from time to time across the western Carolinas and northeast Georgia through daybreak this morning. The best chance of dense fog will be across the mountains and the North Carolina foothills, especially in places that received abundant rainfall this week. The fog may be especially dense at times in the river valleys.
Allow extra travel time and stopping distance if you must drive through the region early this morning. Use low beam headlights and fog lamps if you encounter dense fog.
TROPICAL WEATHER OUTLOOK
TROPICAL TIDBITS
Tropical Tidbits is a website run by Macon Media’s favorite no-nonsense tropical forecaster, Levi Cowan. He does not post material just to get clicks or to sensationalize the storms he covers to “make them more exciting.” He is reliable and sober, unlike The Weather Channel crowd of Drama Queen Meteorologists.
Levi typically posts videos late in the afternoon or early before midnight on Youtube. [Youtube Channel]
[Thurs / Aug 19] Henri Could Threaten New England; Grace crossing the Yucatan Peninsula
Tropical Weather Outlook
NWS National Hurricane Center Miami FL
200 AM EDT Fri Aug 20 2021
For the North Atlantic…Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico:
The National Hurricane Center is issuing advisories on Tropical Storm Grace, located over the Bay of Campeche, and on Tropical Storm Henri, located several hundred miles south-southeast of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina.
The Weather Prediction Center has issued the last advisory on Post-Tropical Cyclone Fred, located inland over New Hampshire.
1. A tropical wave located over the eastern Atlantic several hundred miles to the southwest of the Cabo Verde Islands is producing a broad area of disorganized showers and thunderstorms. This wave is expected to interact with another wave emerging off the African coast over the next day or two. Afterwards, environmental conditions appear marginally favorable for some slow development by the beginning of next week as this system moves gradually to the northwest at 5 to 10 mph.
* Formation chance through 48 hours…low…near 0 percent.
* Formation chance through 5 days…low…20 percent.
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Almanac
(There is haze from the wildfires out on the west coast.)
Pollen levels are expected to be in the medium range (7.7 out of 12) today with Ragweed, Chenopods, and Grasses being the main culprits. Tomorrow is expected to be in the low-medium range (8.2 out of 12).
Weather Extremes for Macon County on August 20th
Highest Temperature 99°F in Franklin in 1983
Lowest Temperature 48°F at the Coweeta Experimental Station in 1943
Greatest Rainfall 2.41 inches in Highlands in 1935
Greatest Snowfall (No snowfall recorded on this date since records started being kept in 1872)
August Weather Extremes for Macon County
Highest Temperature 99°F in Franklin on 08-09-1980 Lowest Temperature 40°F at the Coweeta Experimental Station on 08-29-1968 Greatest Rainfall 9.68 inches in Highlands on 08-13-1940
Greatest Snowfall no measurable snowfall has been recorded since records started being kept in 1873
Weather Extremes for North Carolina for the month of August
Data available from 1870 to 2020
Highest Temperature 110°F Fayetteville, Cumberland County 08-21-1983
Lowest Temperature 31°F Banner Elk, Avery County 08-23-1930
Greatest One-Day Rainfall 13.08 in Idlewild, Ashe County 08-14-1930
Monthly Averages for North Carolina
Warmest Weather Station 79.7°F Wilmington, New Hanover County
Coldest Weather Station 59.6°F Mount Mitchell, Yancey County
Wettest Weather Station 7.74 in Lake Toxaway, Transylvania County
Driest Weather Station 3.12 in Lexington, Davidson County
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Macon Calendar
(send your event to [email protected])
The Macon County Art Association (a not for profit member organization) is offering classes in encaustic painting on Specified Fridays from 10AM-12PM at the Uptown Gallery 30 E Main St Franklin NC. Specific class dates are Friday July 9 and 23, August 3 and 27, September 3 and 17, October 29.
For more information contact the instructor, Karen Smith, at [email protected]
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National News Roundup
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: [August 19, 2021]
Disparities in Excess Mortality Associated with COVID-19 — United States, 2020 [Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report]
New SARS-CoV-2 variants have changed the pandemic. What will the virus do next? [Science Magazine]
Impact of the SARS-CoV-2 Virus on Male Reproductive Health [BJU International]
Acute SARS-CoV-2 infection is associated with an increased abundance of bacterial pathogens, including Pseudomonas aeruginosa in the nose [Cell.com]
Delta’s rise is fuelled by rampant spread from people who feel fine [Nature]
Blood clotting may be the root cause of long covid [Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland]
Evaluation of SARS-CoV-2 in Human Semen and Effect on Total Sperm Number: A Prospective Observational Study [World Journal of Men's Health]
COVID-19 vaccines may trigger superimmunity in people who had SARS long ago [Science Magazine]
Coronavirus Briefing: NC Gov. Roy Cooper (August 4th, 2021)
PRESS RELEASE (08-04-2021)
GOVERNOR ROY COOPER
Governor Cooper Announces Third COVID-19 Cash Drawing Winner and Highlights HOPE Program for Rental and Utility Assistance
HOPE Program has increased cap on awards and is now accepting landlord referrals
Today, amid higher COVID-19 numbers statewide, Governor Roy Cooper again urged North Carolinians to get vaccinated. He also announced the third winner of North Carolina’s Your Shot at $1 Million Summer Cash Drawing. Winston-Salem resident and incoming Fayetteville State University freshman Audrey Chavous received the $1 million prize as part of the cash drawing that includes North Carolinians 18 and over who have received a COVID-19 vaccine.
“The highly contagious Delta variant makes vaccination all the more important,” said Governor Cooper. “We can’t afford for people to wait any longer. Cases, hospitalizations and deaths from COVID-19 are up. Simply put, get your shot.”
Kody Kinsley, Chief Deputy Secretary for Health at the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS), said he hopes Chavous will inspire other young adults to get vaccinated right away and take advantage of the state’s new $100 Summer Cards for people who get their first dose of the vaccine.
“New cases of COVID-19 are on the rise and most of these cases are among young adults,” said Kinsley. “Vaccination is our way out of this pandemic and putting masks behind us. Our $1 Million Summer Cash drawings might be over, but you can still get a $100 Summer Card through the end of August. Don’t wait to vaccinate.”
In the last couple of weeks, North Carolina has seen a 42% increase in first shots.
“Facts about COVID-19 vaccines are key,” said Chavous, the cash drawing winner. “If you take your time and do the research, you’ll see that it’s backed by science and that the benefits of COVID-19 vaccines far outweigh any short-term side effects or rare risks.”
Governor Cooper was also joined by Laura Hogshead, Director of the North Carolina Office of Recovery and Resiliency to update on the progress of emergency rental assistance.
The North Carolina Office of Recovery and Resiliency (NCORR) stood up the HOPE program last year and it is helping people across the state stay in their homes with the lights on. The average turnaround from application to payment on claims is 14-18 days. Since the HOPE Program opened last fall, more than $328 million has been awarded to help North Carolina families, with over $234 million already paid to landlords and utility providers statewide.
The HOPE Program has recently implemented program changes that will expand landlord participation and increase the amount of assistance going to families across the state. As of August 1, HOPE is accepting landlord referrals of tenants who need assistance. If you are a landlord whose tenant is struggling to pay rent, you can submit their name and contact information at the HOPE website.
In addition, the HOPE Program has increased the cap on financial awards to applicants The monthly rent award limit has increased by 30 percent and the utility award limit has increased a full 100 percent for all new applications as of August 1.
For more information on the HOPE program visit WWW.HOPE.NC.GOV or call 888-9ASK HOPE to get help.
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On This Day
August 20th is the 232nd day of the year (233rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar; 133 days remain until the end of the year.
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Published at 3:30am on Friday, August 20, 2021
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
Source: http://thunderpigblog.blogspot.com/2021/08/wx20210820.html
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