News and Weather Briefing for Thursday, December 16, 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 will approach the area tonight before retreating and then briefly stalling over Tennessee on Friday. The front is expected to sweep across our area over the weekend bringing chances for rain. Expect the front to stall over Florida by Monday as low pressure forms along the front over the Gulf of Mexico. This low moves across Florida going into mid week possibly bringing another round of precipitation to our area.
National Weather Map for Today
General forecast through Saturday Night
Franklin area
Today
Partly sunny, with highs in the mid 60s. Calm winds in the morning increasing to come out of the south around 5 mph in the afternoon.
Tonight
Patchy fog after midnight. Otherwise, mostly cloudy, with lows in the mid 40s. Calm winds.
Friday
Patchy fog before 8am. Otherwise, mostly cloudy, with highs near 70. Calm winds.
Friday Night
A 30 percent chance of showers, mainly after 1am. Mostly cloudy, with lows around 50. Calm winds.
Saturday
Showers, mainly after 11am. Highs in the mid 60s. Calm winds. Chance of rain is 80%.
Saturday Night
Showers, mainly before midnight. Lows in the mid-to-upper 30s. Chance of rain is 80%.
Highlands Plateau
Today
Patchy fog between 8am and 9am. Otherwise, mostly cloudy, with highs in the mid 50s. Winds out of the southwest 5 to 108 mph.
Tonight
Patchy fog before 7pm, then patchy fog after midnight. Otherwise, partly cloudy, with lows in the upper 40s. Winds out of the southwest 5 to 10 mph.
Friday
Patchy fog before 8am. Otherwise, partly sunny, with highs near 60. Winds out of the southwest 3 to 6 mph.
Friday Night
A 30 percent chance of showers, mainly after midnight. Mostly cloudy, with lows in the lower 50s. Winds out of the southwest 5 to 10 mph. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible.
Saturday
Showers, mainly after 11am. Highs near 60. Winds out of teh southwest 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain is 80%.
Saturday Night
Showers, mainly before 11pm. Lows around 40. Chance of rain is 80%.
Otto area
Today
Partly sunny, with highs in the lower 60s. Calm winds becoming south around 5 mph in the afternoon.
Tonight
Patchy fog after midnight. Otherwise, mostly cloudy, with lows in the mid-to-upper 40s. Light and variable winds.
Friday
Patchy fog before 8am. Otherwise, partly sunny, with highs in the upper 60s. Calm winds.
Friday Night
A 30 percent chance of showers, mainly after 1am. Mostly cloudy, with lows in the lower 50s. Calm winds.
Saturday
Showers, mainly after 11am. Highs in the mid 60s. Light and variable winds. Chance of rain is 80%.
Saturday Night
Showers, mainly before 11pm. Lows around 40. Chance of rain is 80%.
Nantahala area
Today
Partly sunny, with highs in the lower 60s. Winds out of the southwest around 5 mph.
Tonight
A slight chance of showers between 1am and 3am. Patchy fog after 3am. Otherwise, mostly cloudy, with lows around 50. Winds out of the southwest around 5 mph becoming calm before midnight. Chance of rain is 20%.
Friday
Patchy fog before 8am. Otherwise, mostly cloudy, with highs in the mid 60s. Calm winds.
Friday Night
A 30 percent chance of showers, mainly after 2am. Mostly cloudy, with lows in the mid 50s. Calm winds.
Saturday
Showers, mainly after 11am. High in the lower 60s. Calm winds in the morning increasing to come out of the southwest around 5 mph in the afternoon. Chance of rain is 80%.
Saturday Night
Showers, mainly before midnight. Lows in the upper 30s. Chance of rain is 80%.
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Hazards and Tropical Weather
Hazardous Weather is not expected today.
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Almanac
Air Quality
Air quality is in the extreme upper range of green for most of the county, with the ridges and other higher elevations today being in the extreme upper range of green.
Fire and Smoke Map
Local Air Monitor
Pollen
Pollen levels are expected to be in the low range (1.8 out of 12) today with Juniper being the main culprit. Tomorrow is expected to be in the low range (1.4 out of 12).
Record Weather Events for December 16th
Record weather events for this date in Macon County
(1872-2016)
Highest Temperature 70°F at the Coweeta Experimental Station in 1971
lowest Temperature 4°F in Franklin in 1963
Greatest One-Day Rainfall 2.48 inches in Highlands in 1982
Greatest One-Day Snowfall 1.5 inches in Highlands in 1932
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 15th, 2021
PBS NewsHour Full Episode December 15th, 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 5:02pm CET, 14 December 2021, there have been 270,031,622 confirmed cases of COVID-19, including 5,310,502 deaths, reported to WHO. As of 13 December 2021, a total of 8,200,642,671 vaccine doses have been administered.
In United States of America, from 3 January 2020 to 5:02pm CET, 14 December 2021, there have been 49,625,855 confirmed cases of COVID-19 with 790,920 deaths, reported to WHO. As of 10 December 2021, a total of 465,812,616 vaccine doses have been administered.
• Omicron spreading rapidly in U.S. and could bring punishing wave as soon as January, CDC warns [MSN]
• How Kennedy built an anti-vaccine juggernaut amid COVID-19 [AP News]
• Covid’s deadly trade-offs, by the numbers: How each state has fared in the pandemic [Politico]
• Don’t Be Surprised When You Get Omicron [The Atlantic]
• HKUMed finds Omicron SARS-CoV-2 can infect faster and better than Delta in human bronchus but with less severe infection in lung [HKU Med]
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Science and Technology News Roundup
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Published at 5:10am on Thursday, December 16, 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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