Cherokee County to see up to 2” rain through Saturday morning

BREAKING NEWS

From Robin Caldwell ([email protected]):

Rain throughout the day today is expected with an additional 1.5-2” through Saturday morning.

Saturday is looking better with only .25 to .5” expected through Sunday morning.  Sunday and into next week looks like we will finally get a break from all of the precipitation.

The entire week next week looks like just a slight chance of rain each day.

Hopefully we will get to see some clearing skies.

Thank you for all that you do and enjoy the rain-less days ahead.

Robin Caldwell, Coordinator

Cherokee County Emergency Management

59 Hiwassee Street Suite 105

Murphy, NC  28906

828.837.7352 (o)

828.837.5454 (f)

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Rain expected to produce possible flooding through New Years

News
Towns County weather

HIAWASSEE, Ga. –  The National Weather Service issued an Flash Flood Watch which will take effect this evening, Thursday, Dec. 27, and a current Wind Advisory for north Georgia counties across FYN’s area of coverage.

Between Thursday evening through Saturday morning, light rain will move into the state Thursday, becoming moderate to heavy across most of north and central Georgia Thursday night. The heavy rain will persist into Friday before tapering off Friday night. Total rainfall of 1.5 to 3 inches is expected through Saturday morning with isolated higher amounts likely.Hiawassee weather

A second round of precipitation is expected to develop on Saturday, with an additional 1-2 inches of rain possible through New Year’s Eve.

A Wind Advisory is in effect for portions of north Georgia through 7 a.m. Friday morning, with sustained winds 10 to 20 mph, with gusts to 40 mph possible. The strongest gusts are expected across the higher elevations and ridgetops. With already saturated soils, strong winds could down trees and power lines.

Soil conditions remain highly moist and river levels remain elevated across the area. Even a relatively small amount of rainfall will produce significant runoff and flooding of creeks and rivers. Once the rain ends, high water could persist for several days after.

 

 

Area responders urge residents to prepare for rounds of rain

News

HIAWASSEE, Ga. – Meteorologists are forecasting a heavy amount of rainfall to descend on the north Georgia and western North Carolina mountains throughout the week, warning that possible flash flooding may occur in prone locations. According to the National Weather Service, a total of 5 to 7 inches of rain is expected in the region, with the potential of 10 inches of localized precipitation.

Clay County weather

North Carolina forecast by WNC Weather

Area first responders urge residents to remain aware of current conditions as rainfall amounts accumulate.

Towns County Emergency Management Agency encourages citizens to register with the CodeRED call-text alert system, an automated program that notifies residents of impending concern.

“We are aware of the potential of this storm impact over the next several days,” Towns County EMA Director Rickey Mathis explained to FYN this morning. “I have spoken to the Area 1 GEMA field coordinator as well as the chapter chairman of the Red Cross. If needed, we will open a comfort station for those that may need to evacuate. The situation that is most concerning is a heavy rain 1-2 inches in a short period of time. With the ground saturation, it just runs off. Subscribing to the CodeRED alert system is a great way to get local information, and a great way for us to quickly alert the citizens as well as social media and FYN.”

Residents can subscribe for CodeRED alerts at http://www.townscountyga.org/emergency-alert-system.html

Hiwassee Dam Fire Department is ready should conditions warrant an emergency response. “Our swift water response team is prepared. If you live in flood prone areas, stay alert,” the Murphy, NC department advised. “Monitor the streams as well as NOAA radio. Be prepared to evacuate. The forecast is still not set in stone, but we have seen predictions for anywhere from 6 to 12 inches of rain through Friday. The ground is saturated and the streams are already above normal flow.”

Emergency crews in Towns County, GA, Clay County, NC, and surrounding areas are additionally trained in swift water response.

Follow FYN for weather-related updates in our area of coverage.

 

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Flash Flood Watch for North Georgia

News

This information is from the National Weather Service. To see the full NWS Radar Image for Georgia please follow the link.

The remnants of Tropical Storm Cindy will push east through the weekend. Expect the moisture associated with TS Cindy to interact with a boundary that will move south across the region through Saturday night. Given the already saturated soils and plentiful moisture expected with this front, we may see more flooding issues, especially across north GA.

Over the past 24 hours, we have observed 1-3 inches of rainfall, mainly north of I-20.  This will be the main area of concern in terms of flooding potential.

WHAT:

Flash Flood Watch is in effect across north GA (along and north of I-20).


WHEN:

From 2 PM this afternoon through 8 PM Saturday evening.

IMPACTS:

An additional 1-2 inches with locally higher amounts is possible, potentially within the metro Atlanta area and points north and west.  This may lead to flooding in low lying and flood prone areas, especially in urban areas and along Interstate 20. In addition, creeks, streams and rivers may overflow their banks.

 

Air Quality Summary Report – Rough Ridge Wildfire

Featured, News

Chattahoochee National Forest

November 12, 2016

Rough Ridge Fire Information: 470.208.2839

Weather Forecast

An area of high pressure will build into the region from the north and bring east to northeast winds today and freezing temperatures tonight. Maximum Temperature is 62F. Minimum Relative Humidity will 30%. Winds are expected to be East 6 – 11 mph then becoming 4-9 mph around 11am. Smoke will start settling in low areas around 7pm.

Yesterday: The monitor in Ellijay recorded hourly concentrations classified as very unhealthy, while drifting smoke resulted in a moderate AQI in Chatsworth and Blue Ridge.

Today: The upper level winds (5 to 7 miles per hour) are slowly dispersing the smoke in a southwesterly or westerly direction. Communities in the flow of the smoke may experience very unhealthy air quality.

Smoke impacts should be low in most of the communities listed below with the predicted weather pattern and anticipated fire behavior.

Tomorrow: Winds speeds will increase slightly (upper level winds between 6 to 8 miles per hour) and switch direction from Chatsworth/Eton to Benton and Ocoee and then Blue Ridge. These communities may experience an AQI of code orange or red.

Community

Yesterday’s

AQI

Today’s

AQI

Tomorrow’s

AQI

Comments

McCaysville

No monitor

Good

Good

Winds will disperse the smoke away from McCaysville.

Blue Ridge

Moderate

Good

Unhealthy

Smoke will disperse towards Blue Ridge after the sun sets on Sunday.

Ellijay

Very Unhealthy

Good

Good

Winds will disperse the smoke away from Ellijay.

Chatsworth and Eton

Moderate

Very Unhealthy

Unhealthy

Today, already recorded hourly concentrations classified as very unhealthy. Smoke from wildfire dispersing towards Chatsworth and Eton today and a portion of tomorrow.

Benton and Ocoee, TN

Good

Good

Unhealthy for

Sensitive Group

Early tomorrow morning the winds shift toward Benton and Ocoee, TN.

Disclaimer: Weather and fire activity may change quickly and alter these air quality predictions. AQI estimates for the communities do not represent a full 24-hour period but, rather, reflect a period within the day where smoke impacts would be greatest.

Air Quality Index

What the Index means for your health with regards to particulates from smoke

Good

None

Moderate

Air quality is acceptable; however, for some pollutants there may be a moderate health concern for a very small number of people.

Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups

Although general public is not likely to be affected at this AQI range, older adults and children are at greater risk from the presence of particles in the air.

Unhealthy

Everyone may begin to experience some adverse health effects, and members of the sensitive groups may experience more serious effects.

Very Unhealthy

Health warnings of emergency conditions. The entire population is more likely to be affected.

Hazardous

Health alert: everyone may experience more serious health effects.

Water Conservation

Featured Stories

water-conservation-3By: Eddie Ayers, County Extension Agent

Even though we have finally gotten some rain, we should always be conscious about conserving water. In this time of extreme drought we need to be even more aware of how much water we use and waste.

Water supply planners estimate that a typical household needs 0.4 to 0.5 acre-feet of water per year (approximately 150,000 gal) to satisfy the typical demands of a home. However, we can get by on far less. Home water use varies considerably, depending on the number of people in a household, plumbing fixtures, appliances, lot size, and other factors.

The largest water users inside the home are toilets, clothes washers, faucets, and showers. Toilets made before 1993 use 3.5 to 8 gallons per flush (gpf). High efficiency toilets manufactured after 1993 use 1.6 gpf or less. The date of manufacture of most toilets is on the underside of the tank lid. A family of four can save 14,000 to 25,000 gal/yr by switching from conventional toilets to the newer, more efficient ones. Here are some suggestions to lower water use in toilets. Install vacuum assisted, low-volume toilets. Consider not flushing the toilet unless absolutely necessary. Regularly check for toilet leaks by placing food coloring in your toilet tank. Repairing leaking toilets can save more than 600 gallons of water per month. Do not use your toilet as a wastebasket. Make sure your toilet flapper does not remain open after flushing. Avoid using toilet bowl cleaners such as toilet tank tablets. These products affect the pH of water in your toilet tank and can cause leaks by damaging the rubber and plastic parts of your toilet.

Showerheads currently manufactured in the U.S. have a flow-rate of 2.5 gallons per minute (gpm) or less. Here are some suggestions for increasing shower-use efficiency. Install a low-flow showerhead if you do not already have one. Keep your showers brief. Check the time you are in the shower so you know how long they last. A shower that lasts for five minutes using a low-flow showerhead uses 10 gallons of water while a 5 minute shower with a conventional shower head uses almost 13 gallons. Turn off the water while you lather up with soap and shampoo. Irrigate your indoor plants by placing a bucket in the shower to collect the water while waiting for it to warm up. Check the flow rate of your showerhead by using a 5-gallon bucket and a clock. Turn the shower on full and place a 5-gallon bucket under the shower for the amount of time you usually are the shower. Check and repair leaks in the tub diverter valve.

Install low-flow faucet aerators on all your household faucets. Some aerators can restrict flow to less than 1.0 gpm. Do not run the faucet continuously while washing dishes and hands, shaving, or brushing your teeth. Checking and repairing faucet leaks can save up to 140 gallons of water per week.

Conventional washing machines use between 35 to 50 gallons per load (gpl). The newer front-loading machines are more efficient and use between 18 to 20 gpl. Below are suggestions for reducing water use while clothes washing. Run the washing machine only when you have a full load of clothes. For lightly soiled laundry loads, use the shortest wash cycle. To avoid redundant washing, pre-treat stains on your clothes. Select the minimum water volume per load if your washer has a variable water volume setting. Regularly check washing machine hoses for leaks

Install a high efficiency dishwasher machine. Running the dishwasher only when it’s full can save 1,000 gallons of water per month. Running a full dishwasher usually uses less water than washing the same number of dishes by hand. Because the drying cycle of most dishwashing machines uses 1,500 watts per cycle, air or hand drying the dishes is more efficient and less expensive.

Just to give you an idea about how much water can be wasted take a look at these figures: 60 drops/minute = 192 gallons/month, 90 drops/minute = 210 gallons/month, and 120 drops/minute = 429 gallons/month. This article has been devoted to water conservation in the home. In the near future I will present an article about water conservation outside the home. Please note that some of the information in this article is from Colorado State Extension.

For more information, contact me at the Gilmer UGA Extension office.

An Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Institution

Eddie Ayers

Gilmer County Extension Agent               Fannin County Extension Coordinatorwater-conservation-2
1123 Progress Road, Suite A                      205 Church Street, Suite 1
Ellijay,  GA 30540                                             Blue Ridge, GA 30513
Phone 706 635-4426                                      Phone 706 632-3061
Fax 706 636-4426                                             Fax 706 632-4718

 

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