News and Weather Briefing for Friday, March 31, 2023
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Weather
Hazards and Tropical Weather
GENERAL OUTLOOK
High pressure moves off the Carolina coast tonight and Friday as chances for showers and a few storms increase from late Friday through Saturday morning. Very windy conditions will develop behind the front Saturday into early Sunday. Dry weather returns for Sunday then more chances for rain expected ahead of the next cold front which will arrive from the west in the middle of the week. General Forecast Through Saturday Night
Franklin Area
Today
A slight chance of showers before 1pm, then a slight chance of showers after 2pm. Mostly cloudy, with highs in the mid-to-upper 60s. Light winds out of the southeast early in the morning increasing and shifting to come out of the south 5 to 15 mph by midmorning. Winds could gust as high as 25 mph. Chance of rain is 20%.
Tonight
A chance of showers, then showers and possibly a thunderstorm after 2am. Lows in the mid 50s. Winds out of the south 10 to 20 mph, with gusts as high as 40 mph. Chance of rain is 80%. New rainfall amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.
Saturday
Showers and possibly a thunderstorm before 10am, then a slight chance of showers between 10am and noon. Highs in the low-to-mid 70s. Winds out of the west 10 to 20 mph in the morning increasing to 20 to 25 mph in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 50 mph. Chance of rain is 80%. New rainfall amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.
Saturday Night
Mostly clear, with lows in the mid 30s. Winds out of the northwest 10 to 20 mph, with gusts as high as 40 mph.
Sunday
Sunny, with highs near 70.
Sunday Night
Mostly clear, with lows in the lower 40s.
Highlands Plateau
Today
A slight chance of showers before 1pm, then a slight chance of showers after 2pm. Mostly cloudy, with highs in the mid-to-upper 60s. Light east southeast wind becoming south 8 to 13 mph in the morning. Winds could gust as high as 23 mph. Chance of rain is 20%.
Tonight
A chance of showers, then showers and possibly a thunderstorm after 2am. Lows around 56. South wind 10 to 17 mph, with gusts as high as 38 mph. Chance of rain is 80%. New rainfall amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.
Saturday
Showers and possibly a thunderstorm before 10am, then a slight chance of showers between 10am and noon. Highs near 73. Breezy, with a west wind 14 to 19 mph increasing to 20 to 25 mph in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 48 mph. Chance of rain is 80%. New rainfall amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.
Saturday Night
Mostly clear, with lows around 33. Breezy, with a northwest wind 13 to 20 mph, with gusts as high as 37 mph.
Sunday
Sunny, with highs near 69.
Sunday Night
Mostly clear, with lows around 42.
Otto and South Central Macon County
Today
A 30 percent chance of rain, mainly after 3pm. Mostly cloudy, with highs in the mid 60s. Winds out of the south 5 to 10 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph.
Tonight
A chance of rain before 2am, then showers, mainly after 2am. Lows in the mid 50s. Winds out of the south 10 to 20 mph, with gusts as high as 30 mph. Chance of rain is 80%. New rainfall amounts between a half and three quarters of an inch possible. vSaturday
Showers and thunderstorms before 10am, then a chance of showers. Patchy fog before 9am. Highs near 70. Winds out of the west 10 to 20 mph in the morning increasing to 20 to 25 mph in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 50 mph. Chance of rain is 80%. New rainfall amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.
Saturday Night
Mostly clear, with lows in the mid 60s. Winds out of the northwest 10 to 20 mph, with gusts as high as 30 mph.
Sunday
Sunny, with highs near 70.
Sunday Night
Mostly clear, with lows in the low-to-mid 40s.
Nantahala Area
Today
A chance of rain, mainly between noon and 5pm, then a chance of showers after 5pm. Mostly cloudy, with highs in the low-to-mid 60s. Winds out of the southeast 5 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph. Chance of rain is 30%.
Tonight
A chance of rain, mainly between 9pm and 3am, then showers after 3am. Steady temperature around 60. Winds out of the south 10 to 20 mph, with gusts as high as 40 mph. Chance of rain is 80%. New rainfall amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.
Saturday
Showers and thunderstorms before 10am, then a slight chance of showers. Patchy fog before 9am. Highs in the mid-to-upper 60s. Winds out of the west 15 to 20 mph in the morning increasing to 25 to 30 mph in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 50 mph. Chance of rain is 80%. New rainfall amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.
Saturday Night
Mostly clear, with lows in the mid 30s. Winds out of the northwest 15 to 20 mph decreasing to 10 to 15 mph after midnight. Winds could gust as high as 35 mph.
Sunday
Sunny, with highs in the mid 60s. Winds out of the northwest 3 to 7 mph.
Sunday Night
Mostly clear, with lows in the low-to-mid 40s.
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Hazards and Tropical Weather
A High Wind Watch will be in effect from midnight tonight until 6am Sunday morning. A copy is posted below:
High Wind Watch
URGENT – WEATHER MESSAGE
National Weather Service Greenville-Spartanburg SC
1027 PM EDT Thu Mar 30 2023
…HIGH WIND WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM LATE FRIDAY NIGHT THROUGH LATE SATURDAY NIGHT…
* WHAT…West winds 20 to 30 mph with gusts up to 65 mph possible.
* WHERE…Much of the mountains and foothills of North Carolina.
* WHEN…From late Friday night through late Saturday night.
* IMPACTS…Damaging winds could blow down trees and power lines. Widespread power outages are possible. Travel could be difficult, especially for high profile vehicles.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS…
Monitor the latest forecasts and warnings for updates on this situation. Fasten loose objects or shelter objects in a safe location prior to the onset of winds.
Latest US Drought Monitor Map for North Carolina.
Space Weather A Dark Coronal Hole and Stealthy Solar Storm Combo-Pack: Space Weather News 23 March 2023
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Almanac
24 Hour Smoke Forecast
A map of the forecast smoke fields is posted above.
PM2.5 AQI is 60 (MODERATE) for most of the county, and the ridges and other higher elevations PM2.5 AQI is 60 (MODERATE)
Fire and Smoke Map
Local Air Monitor
Pollen
Pollen levels are expected to be in the high range (10.0 out of 12) today with Maple, Oak, and Elm being the main culprits. Tomorrow is expected to be in the medium range (5.6 out of 12).
Record Weather Events for March 31st
Record weather events for this date in Macon County
(1872-2016)
Highest Temperature 82°F in Franklin in 1986
Lowest Temperature 13°F in Franklin in 1964
Greatest One-Day Rain 2.37 inches in Highlands in 1976
Greatest One-Day Snowfall 0.3 inches in Highlands in 1966
Weather Extremes for Macon County for the month of March Data available from 1872
Highest Temperature 87°F at the Coweeta Experimental Station on 03-29-2020
Lowest Temperature -7°F in Highlands on 03-07-1899
Greatest Rainfall 6.61 inches in Highlands on 03-26-2021 (also a state record)
Greatest Snowfall 25.5 inches at the Coweeta Experimental Station on 03-13-1993
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Special Section: Former President Donald Trump Indicted for Fraud
(sharing of a particular source is not an endorsement)
(This is a special section to allow readers to read/view news coverage of indictment of the former President from sources not necessarily in their particular echo chamber)
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National and World News Roundup
Global National: March 30, 2023 | Trump becomes 1st ex-US president to face criminal charges
Nightly News Full Broadcast – March 30
PBS NewsHour full episode, (March 30, 2022
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COVID-19 News and Updates
Here is a section on COVID-19. It includes local, regional, state, national, and global items.
COVID-19 Numbers for Macon County:
Podcasts and Long Form Videos (History, Culture, Science, Space, Technology and Current Events)
Anything covering educational, entertainment, history, current events, and technology topics
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On This Day
March 31st this the 90th day of the year (91st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar; 275 days remain until the end of the year.
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Published at 5:00am on Friday, March 31, 2023
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.
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