Read the Beforeitsnews.com story here. Advertise at Before It's News here.
Profile image
Story Views
Now:
Last hour:
Last 24 hours:
Total:

News and Weather Briefing for Sunday, December 19, 2021

% of readers think this story is Fact. Add your two cents.


Here is an index to assist you in moving from section to section within the article.
**note** The Local and State News Segment has been moved below the Macon Calendar Segment.

Back to Top
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
Support Macon Media


OUTLOOK

Showers will linger during the morning, while drier air filters in by this afternoon from west to east behind a departing cold front. Dry and cold high pressure will build into the region Monday. A Gulf low pressure system will organize on Monday and move to the Carolina coast on Wednesday, possibly supporting showers focused along and south of I-85. Relatively quiet weather with near to above normal temperatures is expected in the last half of the week.
National Weather Map for Today

General forecast through Monday Night

Franklin area

Today

Scattered showers, mainly before 9am. Areas of fog before 11am. Otherwise, cloudy through midmorning, then gradual clearing, with highs in the mid 50s. Winds out of the northwest 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain is 50%. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible.

Tonight

Mostly clear, with lows in the mid 20s. Winds out of the northwest around 5 mph becoming calm before midnight.

Monday

Mostly sunny, with highs in the lower 50s. Calm winds.

Monday Night

Mostly cloudy, with lows around 30. Calm winds.

Tuesday

A 20 percent chance of rain after 4pm. Partly sunny, with highs in the lower 50s.

Tuesday Night

Mostly cloudy, with lows around freezing.



Highlands Plateau

Today

Scattered showers, mainly before 9am. Areas of fog before 11am. Otherwise, cloudy, then gradually becoming mostly sunny, with highs in the lower 50s. Winds out of the northwest 5 to 10 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph. Chance of rain is 50%. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible.

Tonight

Partly cloudy, with lows in the upper 20s. Winds out of the north 5 to 10 mph becoming calm before midnight.

Monday

Mostly sunny, with highs in the low-to-mid 40s. WInds out of teh southeast 3 to 5 mph.

Monday Night

Mostly cloudy, with lows around freezing. Calm winds in the early evening increasing to come out of the north around 5 mph after midnight.

Tuesday

A 20 percent chance of rain after 1pm. Partly sunny, with highs in the mid 40s.

Tuesday Night

Mostly cloudy, with lows in the mid 30s.



Otto area

Today

Scattered showers, mainly before 9am. Areas of fog before 11am. Otherwise, cloudy through midmorning, then gradual clearing, with highs in the mid 50s. Winds out of the northwest 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain is 50%. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible.

Tonight

Partly cloudy, with lows in the upper 20s. Winds out of the northwest wind around 5 mph becoming calm before midnight.

Monday

Mostly sunny, with highs near 50. Light winds out of the south.

Monday Night

Mostly cloudy, with lows around freezing. Calm winds.

Tuesday

A 20 percent chance of rain after 2pm. Partly sunny, with highs near 50.

Tuesday Night

Mostly cloudy, with lows around freezing.



Nantahala area

Today

Scattered showers, mainly before 9am. Areas of fog before 11am. Otherwise, cloudy through midmorning, then gradual clearing, with highs in the mid-to-upper 40s. WInds out of the northwest 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain is 40%. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible.

Tonight

Mostly clear, with lows around 30. Winds out of the northwest around 5 mph becoming calm before midnight.

Monday

Mostly sunny, with highs near 50. Calm winds.

Monday Night

Mostly cloudy, with lows in the mid 30s. Calm winds.

Tuesday

Partly sunny, with highs near 50.

Tuesday

NightPartly cloudy, with lows in the mid 30s.




Back to Top

Hazards and Tropical Weather

…Areas of Dense Fog This Morning…

Hazardous weather is not expected today.




Back to Top

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 (0.5 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 19th

Record weather events for this date in Macon County
(1872-2016)

Highest Temperature 71°F in Highlands in 1931
lowest Temperature 0°F in Franklin in 1963
Greatest One-Day Rainfall 3.79 inches in Nantahalas in 1967
Greatest One-Day Snowfall 4.0 inches in Nantahala in 1954

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




Back to Top

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]


Back to Top

Local and State News

U.S. Faces Record Covid Surge As Omicron Variant Spreads – December 18th, 2021

PBS NewsHour Full Episode December 18th, 2021


Back to Top

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.

• Pressure builds against doctors peddling false virus claims [AP News]

• Covid: Dutch go into Christmas lockdown over Omicron wave [BBC News]

• Harvard will move to remote classes in January [Stamford Advocate]

• OSHA vaccine mandate penalties to start Jan. 10 [Boston Herald]

• Antibody Responses to 3rd Dose mRNA Vaccines in Nursing Home and Assisted Living Residents [MedRxiv (PDF)]


Back to Top

Science and Technology News Roundup

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. Those who support Macon Media with at least a dollar a month receive early access to video of some events and meetings before they are made public on the website. Videos and news involving public safety are not subject to early access.

Become a Patron!

Or, if you prefer Pay Pal, try PayPal.me/MaconMedia

Published at 6:00am on Sunday, December 19, 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




Before It’s News® is a community of individuals who report on what’s going on around them, from all around the world.

Anyone can join.
Anyone can contribute.
Anyone can become informed about their world.

"United We Stand" Click Here To Create Your Personal Citizen Journalist Account Today, Be Sure To Invite Your Friends.

Please Help Support BeforeitsNews by trying our Natural Health Products below!


Order by Phone at 888-809-8385 or online at https://mitocopper.com M - F 9am to 5pm EST

Order by Phone at 866-388-7003 or online at https://www.herbanomic.com M - F 9am to 5pm EST

Order by Phone at 866-388-7003 or online at https://www.herbanomics.com M - F 9am to 5pm EST


Humic & Fulvic Trace Minerals Complex - Nature's most important supplement! Vivid Dreams again!

HNEX HydroNano EXtracellular Water - Improve immune system health and reduce inflammation.

Ultimate Clinical Potency Curcumin - Natural pain relief, reduce inflammation and so much more.

MitoCopper - Bioavailable Copper destroys pathogens and gives you more energy. (See Blood Video)

Oxy Powder - Natural Colon Cleanser!  Cleans out toxic buildup with oxygen!

Nascent Iodine - Promotes detoxification, mental focus and thyroid health.

Smart Meter Cover -  Reduces Smart Meter radiation by 96%! (See Video).

Report abuse

    Comments

    Your Comments
    Question   Razz  Sad   Evil  Exclaim  Smile  Redface  Biggrin  Surprised  Eek   Confused   Cool  LOL   Mad   Twisted  Rolleyes   Wink  Idea  Arrow  Neutral  Cry   Mr. Green

    MOST RECENT
    Load more ...

    SignUp

    Login

    Newsletter

    Email this story
    Email this story

    If you really want to ban this commenter, please write down the reason:

    If you really want to disable all recommended stories, click on OK button. After that, you will be redirect to your options page.