News and Weather Briefing for Saturday, December 18, 2021
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**note** The Local and State News Segment has been moved below the Macon Calendar Segment.
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Weather
Hazards and Tropical Weather
Almanac
Macon Calendar
Local and StateNews
National News Roundup
COVID-19 News and Updates
Science and Technology
On This Day
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OUTLOOK
A cold front with widespread showers will push through the region late tonight through Sunday. Dry and cold high pressure will build into the region Monday. A Gulf low pressure system will pass to the south Tuesday, possibly supporting showers focused along and south of I-85. Relatively quiet weather with near to above normal temperatures is expected later in the week.
National Weather Map for Today
General forecast through Monday Night
Franklin area
Today
Occasional showers. Areas of fog before 2pm. Highs in the mid 60s. Calm winds in the morning increasing to come out of the southeast around 5 mph in the afternoon. Chance of rain is 90%. New rainfall amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.
Tonight
Showers likely, mainly before 5am. Patchy fog before 7pm, then patchy fog after 8pm. Otherwise, cloudy, with lows in the mid 40s. Light and variable winds. Chance of rain is 60%. New rainfall amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch possible.
Sunday
A 30 percent chance of showers, mainly before 9am. Cloudy, then gradually becoming mostly sunny, with highs in the mid 50s. Winds out of the northwest 3 to 6 mph. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible.
Sunday Night
Mostly clear, with lows in the mid-to-upper 20s. Calm winds.
Monday
Mostly sunny, with highs in the lower 50s.
Monday Night
Mostly cloudy, with lows around 30.
Highlands Plateau
Today
Occasional showers and possibly a thunderstorm. Areas of fog. Highs in the upper 50s. Winds out of the southwest 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.
Tonight
Showers likely before 1am, then showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm between 1am and 2am, then showers likely after 2am. Patchy fog. Otherwise, cloudy, with lows in the mid 40s. Winds out of the southwest 5 to 10 mph shifting to come out of the northwest after midnight. Chance of rain is 70%. New rainfall amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.
Sunday
A 40 percent chance of showers, mainly before 10am. Patchy fog before 7am. Otherwise, cloudy through mid morning, then gradual clearing, with highs near 50. Winds out of the northwest 5 to 10 mph. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible.
Sunday Night
Partly cloudy, with lows in the upper 20s. Winds out of the north around 5 mph shifting to come out of the east after midnight.
Monday
Mostly sunny, with highs in the low-to-mid 40s.
Monday Night
Mostly cloudy, with lows around freezing.
Otto area
Today
Occasional showers. Areas of fog before 2pm. Highs in the mid 60s. Calm winds in the morning increasing to come out of the south around 5 mph in the afternoon. Chance of rain is 80%. New rainfall amounts between a half and three quarters of an inch possible.
Tonight
Showers likely, mainly before 5am. Patchy fog. Otherwise, cloudy, with lows in the mid 40s. Light and variable winds. Chance of rain is 60%. New rainfall amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch possible.
Sunday
A 30 percent chance of showers, mainly before 9am. Cloudy through mid morning, then gradual clearing, with highs in the mid 50s. Winds out of the northwest 5 to10 mph. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible.
Sunday Night
Partly cloudy, with lows in the upper 20s. Winds out of the north around 5 mph becoming calm before midnight.
Monday
Mostly sunny, with highs near 50.
Monday Night
Mostly cloudy, with lows around 30.
Nantahala area
Today
Occasional showers, mainly after 8am. Areas of fog before 4pm, then patchy fog after 5pm. Highs near 60. Calm winds early increasing to come out of the northeast around 5 mph in the morning. Winds could gust as high as 20mph. Chance of rain is 80%. New rainfall amounts between a half and three quarters of an inch possible.
Tonight
Showers likely. Patchy fog after 8pm. Otherwise, cloudy, with lows in the mid 40s. Winds out of the southwest around 5 mph becoming light and variable by noon. Chance of rain is 70%. New rainfall amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch possible.
Sunday
A 30 percent chance of showers, mainly before 8am. Cloudy, then gradually becoming mostly sunny, with highs in the mid 40s. Winds out of the north 3 to 6 mph. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible.
Sunday Night
Mostly clear, with lows around 30. Light and variable winds.
Monday
Sunny, with highs near 50.
Monday Night
Mostly cloudy, with lows in the mid 30s5.
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Hazards and Tropical Weather
…Areas of Dense Fog This Morning…
Areas of dense fog were occurring early this morning across portions of East Tennessee, southwest Virginia, and southwest North Carolina. The fog was reducing visibilities to below one quarter of a mile. High clouds moving into the area will diminish this fog later this morning.
Motorists are urged to use caution this morning. Allow for extra time to reach your destination, provide more distance between vehicles, lower your speed, and use your low beam headlights.
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Almanac
Air Quality
Air quality is in the upper range of green for most of the county, with the ridges and other higher elevations today being in the upper range of green.
Fire and Smoke Map
Local Air Monitor
Pollen
Pollen levels are expected to be in the low range (0.3 out of 12) today with a mixed trace of sources being the main culprit. Tomorrow is expected to be in the low range (0.3 out of 12).
Record Weather Events for December 18th
Record weather events for this date in Macon County
(1872-2016)
Highest Temperature 75°F in Highlands in 1924 lowest Temperature 0°F at the Coweeta Experimental Station in 1953 Greatest One-Day Rainfall 3.70 inches in Highlands in 1915 Greatest One-Day Snowfall 7.0 inches in Highlands in 1916
Record weather events for December in Macon County
Highest Temperature 78°F in Franklin on Dec 31, 1951
Lowest Temperature -12°F in Highlands on Dec 30, 1917
Greatest Rainfall 6.00 inches in Highlands on Dec 14, 1901
Greatest One-Day Snowfall 12.0 inches in Franklin on Dec 21, 1876
All-time record weather events for Macon County
Highest Temperature 101°F in Franklin on Jul 29, 1952
Lowest Temperature -19°F in Highlands on Jan 21, 1985
Greatest Rainfall 21.15 inches in Highlands on Jul 29, 1879
Greatest One-Day Snowfall 25.5 inches at the Coweeta Experimental Station on Mar 13, 1993
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Macon Calendar
(send your event to [email protected])
Experiencing Nature Through Expanded Senses
“Friends of the Greenway is hosting an indoor “Experiencing Nature Through Expanded Senses” with leader, Diane Wildermuth. Sessions will be held at FROG Quarters on December 15 at 10:30 AM or 12:30 PM. Contact Diane at 421-5539 or [email protected] for additional information or to register.”
THE POLAR EXPRESS™ Train Ride
THE POLAR EXPRESS™ with the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad is back in 2021! The 1¼ hour round-trip passenger excursion comes to life as the train departs the Bryson City depot for a journey through the quiet wilderness for a special visit at the North Pole. Set to the sounds of the motion picture soundtrack, guests on board will enjoy warm cocoa and a treat while listening and reading along with the magical story. Children’s faces show the magic of the season when the train arrives at the North Pole to find Santa Claus waiting. Santa will board THE POLAR EXPRESS™, greeting each child and presenting them with a special gift as in the story, their own silver sleigh bell. Christmas carols will be sung as they return back to the Bryson City Depot. For tickets, see [GSMR.com]
Dillsboro Lights & Luminaries
Adapted from an old Scandinavian custom of lighting the way for the Christ child, more than 2,500 candles in small white bags line the streets and every storefront is aglow with Christmas lights and decorations. Shopkeepers and restaurants are open late. See Santa and Mrs. Claus as they ride through town in their pickup truck. Write a letter to Santa and drop it off at his special mailbox. Live music on Front Street. For more information, see [Visit Dillsboro]
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Local and State News
NBC Nightly News Full Broadcast – December 17th, 2021
PBS NewsHour Full Episode December 17th, 2021
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COVID-19 News and Updates
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: [November 18, 2021]
• WHO Coronavirus (COVID-19) Dashboard [World Health Organization]
Globally, as of 5:51pm CET, 16 December 2021, there have been 271,376,643 confirmed cases of COVID-19, including 5,324,969 deaths, reported to WHO. As of 16 December 2021, a total of 8,337,664,456 vaccine doses have been administered.
In United States of America, from 3 January 2020 to 5:51pm CET, 16 December 2021, there have been 49,833,416 confirmed cases of COVID-19 with 792,371 deaths, reported to WHO. As of 10 December 2021, a total of 465,812,616 vaccine doses have been administered.
TWiV 843: COVID-19 clinical update #93 with Dr. Daniel Griffin
• MORE EFFECTIVE/MORE EFFICIENT/MORE EQUITABLE: YEAR-END STAFF REPORT on Overseeing an Improving & Ongoing Pandemic Response [Select Subcommitee on the Coronavirus Crisis (PDF)]
• House oversight committee releases report detailing efforts of Trump administration officials to ‘undermine’ Covid-19 efforts in US [CNN]
• In COVID-19 clinical update #93, Dr. Griffin summarizes Omicron fitness, S-gene target failure, monoclonal efficacy against Omicron, vaccination, monoclonals, and disease in children, persistence of memory B cells in the elderly, infection and vaccine induced immunity, protection against severe illness and death by a third mRNA vaccine dose, high flow oxygen versus intubation, and therapeutic anticoagulation.
Show notes at [Microbe TV]
COVID-19 variants fuel new infections nationwide
• SARS-CoV-2 Omicron spike mediated immune escape, infectivity and cell-cell fusion [Cambridge Institute of Therapeutic Immunology and Infectious Disease (PDF)]
• Appeals court reinstates Biden vaccine rules for businesses, handing White House a victory in Covid fight [NBC News]
• We Know Enough About Omicron to Know That We’re in Trouble [The Atlantic]
• U.S. mental health professionals say they can’t keep up with demand for therapy. [New York Times]
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Science and Technology News Roundup
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Published at 4:20am on Saturday, December 18, 2021
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. Back to Top
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