News and Weather Briefing for Tuesday, December 21, 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 Gulf low pressure system moves northeast across Florida this afternoon, tracking off the Carolina Coast this evening. This system will bring increased rain chances mainly along and south of I-85 today into tonight. Relatively quiet weather is still expected the rest of the week. Temperatures will gradually warm late this week, becoming well above normal by Christmas weekend.
Winter Officially Begins at 10:59 am Today
Today marks the official start of winter as the winter solstice will occur at 10:59am this morning, the day will be the shortest of the year, and the night the longest.
The earth rotates on a tilted axis. When this axis leans towards the sun, it’s summer in the northern hemisphere and winter in the south. This is reversed as the earth continues on its orbit until the axis becomes tilted away from the sun.
During the solstice, the earth’s axis is tilted at its furthest point from the sun. This means that, for us in the northern hemisphere, the sun is at its lowest point in the sky. It’s also the shortest day of the year – and the longest night.
What is a Solstice? | National Geographic
• Winter Solstice 2021: When It Is and How It Is Observed [Wall Street Journal]
National Weather Map for Today
General forecast through Thursday Night
Franklin area
Today
A 20 percent chance of rain after 4pm. Cloudy, with highs near 50. Calm winds.
Tonight
Mostly cloudy, with lows in the upper 20s. Calm winds in the early evening increasing to come out of the northwest 5 to 10 mph after midnight.
Wednesday
Sunny, with highs in the low-to-mid 50s. Winds out of the northwest 3 to 6 mph.
Wednesday Night
Clear, with lows in the mid 20s. Calm winds.
Thursday
Sunny, with highs in the mid 50s.
Thursday Night
Mostly clear, with lows around 30.
Highlands Plateau
Today
A 20 percent chance of rain after 2pm. Cloudy, with highs in the low-to-mid 40s. WInds out of the north around 5 mph becoming calm by midmorning.
Tonight
Cloudy during the early evening, then gradual clearing, with lows around freezing. Winds out of the north 5 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph.
Wednesday
Sunny, with highs in the mid 40s. Winds out of the northwest 10 to 20 mph, with gusts as high as 30 mph.
Wednesday Night
Clear, with lows in the mid-to-upper 20s. WInds out of the northwest 3 to 7 mph.
Thursday
Sunny, with highs in the mid 40s.
Thursday Night
Mostly clear, with lows around freezing.
Otto area
Today
A 20 percent chance of rain after 3pm. Cloudy, with highs near 50. Calm winds.
Tonight
Cloudy during the early evening, then gradual clearing, with lows around 30. Winds out of the northwest 3 to 8 mph.
Wednesday
Sunny, with highs near 50. Winds out of the northwest 5 to 10 mph.
Wednesday Night
Clear, with lows in the mid 20s. WInds out of the north around 5 mph becoming calm before midnight.
Thursday
Sunny, with highs in the mid 50s.
Thursday Night
Partly cloudy, with lows around 30.
Nantahala area
Today
Cloudy, with highs in the mid-to-upper 40s. Light and variable winds.
Tonight
Cloudy, then gradually becoming partly cloudy, with lows around freezing. Calm winds becoming northwest around 6 mph after midnight.
Wednesday
Sunny, with highs in the mid 40s. Winds out of the northwest 5 to 10 mph.
Wednesday Night
Clear, with lows in the upper 20s. Winds out of the northwest around 5 mph becoming calm by midnight.
Thursday
Sunny, with highs in the lower 50s.
Thursday Night
Partly cloudy, with lows in the mid 30s.
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Hazards and Tropical Weather
…Areas of Dense Fog This Morning…
Hazardous weather is not expected today.
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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 (0.7 out of 12) today with a mixed trace of sources being the main culprit. Tomorrow is expected to be in the low range (0.6 out of 12).
Record Weather Events for December 21st
Record weather events for this date in Macon County
(1872-2016)
Highest Temperature 71°F at the Coweeta Experimental Station in 1978
lowest Temperature -5°F in Highlands in 1901
Greatest One-Day Rainfall 3.186 inches in Highlands in 1918
Greatest One-Day Snowfall 12.0 inches in Franklin in 1876
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 20th, 2021
PBS NewsHour Full Episode December 20th, 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.
• U.S. military has granted 0 religious exemptions for COVID vaccines [WTRF-TV]
• Rapid deployment of COVID-19 vaccines saved the US $438B, study says [Heartland Forward]
• 40+ organizations sign petition urging permanent COVID-19 OSHA standards [Becker's Hospital Review]
Dr John Campbell: US omicron surge now
• Tennessee 4th in nation in COVID-19 death rate, unvaccinated 99% of new cases per data [FOX 17 Nashville]
• Challenges mount at high court over OSHA vaccine-or-test mandate [Courthouse News Service]
‘You’re playing right into their hands’ when you doubt the vaccine, President Trump says. pic.twitter.com/xJc7JTL0cR
— No Spin News (@NoSpinNews) December 20, 2021
• Impact of Changes in Infection Control Measures on the Dynamics of COVID-19 Infections in Schools and Pre-schools [Frontiers in Public Health]
• Modeling COVID-19 Mortality Across 44 Countries: Face Covering May Reduce Deaths [American Journal of Preventive Medicine]
• The riddle of Japan’s dramatic drop in COVID numbers [NPR]
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Science and Technology News Roundup
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Published at 4:00am on Tuesday, December 21, 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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