Rainy For Christmas
December 23, 2010
It looks like dreams of snow of Christmas won’t be coming true. The latest forecast from the National Weather Service calls for just a cold rain for Christmas Day and Christmas Night.
Here is your official North Escambia area forecast:
- Tonight: Mostly clear, with a low around 31. North wind around 5 mph becoming calm.
- Friday: Sunny, with a high near 58. Calm wind becoming southeast around 5 mph.
- Friday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 38. Calm wind becoming east around 5 mph.
- Christmas Day: Rain likely. Cloudy, with a high near 56. North wind between 5 and 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70%.
- Saturday Night: A 20 percent chance of rain before 9pm. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 30. North wind around 10 mph.
- Sunday: Sunny, with a high near 48. North wind between 10 and 15 mph.
- Sunday Night: Clear, with a low around 24. North wind between 5 and 10 mph.
- Monday: Sunny, with a high near 48. North wind between 5 and 15 mph.
- Monday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 22. North wind around 5 mph becoming calm.
- Tuesday: Sunny, with a high near 51.
- Tuesday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 24.
- Wednesday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 56.
- Wednesday Night: A 30 percent chance of rain. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 35.
- Thursday: A 40 percent chance of rain. Cloudy, with a high near 59.
Population Figures Announced: Florida Gets 2 New Seats In Congress
December 21, 2010
Florida picked up two new seats in Congress in the new apportionment announced Tuesday morning with the data on national and state population from the U.S. Census.
Florida will have 27 members of Congress after the reapportionment is completed. The state Legislature will draw the new map, deciding where to place the new districts.
Florida remains the fourth largest state in the nation, with 18,801,310 people, a 17.6 percent increase over 2000. The U.S. population on April 1 was reported as 308.7 million.
Some Fog Tonight; Colder By Christmas
December 21, 2010
Here is your official North Escambia area forecast:
- Tonight: Areas of fog after midnight. Otherwise, mostly cloudy, with a low around 54. Southwest wind between 5 and 10 mph.
- Wednesday: A 20 percent chance of showers after noon. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 65. Northwest wind between 5 and 10 mph.
- Wednesday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 40. North wind around 5 mph.
- Thursday: Sunny, with a high near 57. North wind between 5 and 10 mph.
- Thursday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 36. North wind around 5 mph becoming calm.
- Friday: A 20 percent chance of showers after noon. Partly sunny, with a high near 64. Calm wind becoming southeast around 5 mph.
- Friday Night: A 40 percent chance of showers. Cloudy, with a low around 39. South wind 5 to 15 mph becoming west.
- Christmas Day: Mostly sunny, with a high near 52. North wind between 10 and 15 mph.
- Saturday Night: Clear, with a low around 26. North wind around 10 mph.
- Sunday: Sunny, with a high near 48.
- Sunday Night: Clear, with a low around 22.
- Monday: Sunny, with a high near 51.
- Monday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 24.
- Tuesday: Sunny, with a high near 48.
Fog After Midnight, Colder By Christmas
December 20, 2010
A warming trend is in store the early part of this week, but temperatures will be more winter-like by Christmas.
Here is your official North Escambia area forecast:
- Tonight: Patchy fog after midnight. Otherwise, partly cloudy, with a low around 41. South wind around 5 mph becoming calm.
- Tuesday: Mostly cloudy, with a high near 67. South wind between 5 and 10 mph.
- Tuesday Night: Areas of fog after midnight. Otherwise, mostly cloudy, with a low around 54. Southwest wind around 5 mph.
- Wednesday: Partly sunny, with a high near 70. West wind 5 to 10 mph becoming north.
- Wednesday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 42. North wind around 5 mph.
- Thursday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 63. North wind around 5 mph.
- Thursday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 39. Calm wind.
- Friday: A 20 percent chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 65. Calm wind becoming south between 5 and 10 mph.
- Friday Night: A 30 percent chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 41. South wind 5 to 15 mph becoming northwest.
- Christmas Day: Mostly sunny and breezy, with a high near 53.
- Saturday Night: Clear, with a low around 26.
- Sunday: Sunny, with a high near 52.
- Sunday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 27.
- Monday: Sunny, with a high near 55.
See The Show: Total Lunar Eclipse
December 20, 2010
There’s a treat in store in the skies early Tuesday morning across the North Escambia area– the year’s only total lunar eclipse.
From beginning to end, the eclipse will last about three hours and twenty-eight minutes. For observers in the North Escambia area, the eclipse lasts from 12:33 a.m. through 4:01 a.m. Totality, the time when Earth’s shadow completely covers the moon, will last a lengthy 72 minutes.
While it is merely a coincidence that the eclipse falls on the same date as this year’s winter solstice, for eclipse watchers this means that the moon will appear very high in the night sky, as the solstice marks the time when the Earth’s axial tilt is farthest away from the sun. It’s the first total eclipse on the winter solstice since 1554.
A lunar eclipse occurs when the Earth lines up directly between the sun and the moon, blocking the sun’s rays and casting a shadow on the moon. As the moon moves deeper and deeper into the Earth’s shadow, the moon changes color before your very eyes, turning from gray to an orange or deep shade of red.
The moon takes on this new color because indirect sunlight is still able to pass through Earth’s atmosphere and cast a glow on the moon. Our atmosphere filters out most of the blue colored light, leaving the red and orange hues that we see during a lunar eclipse. Extra particles in the atmosphere, from say a recent volcanic eruption, will cause the moon to appear a darker shade of red.
Unlike solar eclipses, lunar eclipses are perfectly safe to view without any special glasses or equipment. All you need is you own two eyes. It will be the last chance for sky watchers in the continental U.S. to see a total lunar eclipse until April 15, 2014.
Pictured above: Path and times local to North Escambia for the eclipse, click to enlarge. Pictured below: The Total Lunar Eclipse of July 16, 2000 was a very long total eclipse (1 hour 47 minutes) that won’t be exceeded for over a thousand years. Courtesy Fred Espenak/NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Local Singer Appears Tonight On Finals Of NBC’s ‘The Sing-Off’
December 20, 2010
A local singer’s group is one of four finalists on NBC’s a cappella singing competition series “The Sing-Off” tonight.
Adam Chance Ray, who performs as Adam Chance, sings bass for the six-member Street Corner Symphony. The group is one of four to make it through the preliminary rounds for the chance to appear live for tonight’s show; the show started with 10 a cappella groups competing for a $100,000 prize and a Sony Music recording contract
Chance (pictured), who was born in the Florida Panhandle, currently resides in Tuscaloosa, but still has numerous relatives in the Atmore and Jay areas.
The members of Street Corner Symphony are from all over the Southeast United States and call Nashville their home base. The group was formed in May of 2010 for the sole purpose of competing in The Sing-Off.
“We met right before we had to get things together for the show,” Chance said.
Street Corner Symphony’s music is described as “laid back southern soul” with a rich heritage in gospel music. Chance is the only one of the six members that is not the child of a preacher.
Returning celebrity judges Ben Folds, Shawn Stockman and Nicole Scherzinger will critique each performance, narrowed down the finalists to the top four groups competing for America’s vote.
A behind the scenes NBC interview with Street Corner Symphony is below. Adam Chance is on the far right.
Pictured top: Street Car Symphony members (L-R) Jon McLemore, Adam Chance, Jeremy Lister, Mark McLemore, Richie Lister, John Martin. Courtesy photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
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Area Churches Plan Special Christmas Services, Events
December 19, 2010
Here is a look at upcoming special Christmas services at area churches:
- Highland Baptist Church in Molino will hold a Christmas Candlelight Service, Wednesday, December 22 at 7 p.m.
- The First Baptist Church of Bratt will present “The Youth Christmas Play”, on Wednesday, December 22 at 7 p.m. The public is invited to attend in the church Family Life Center.
- Christmas Eve Services Lessons and Carols, December 24, 7 and 11 p.m. with Candlelight Communion at St. Monica’s Episcopal Church, 699 South Hwy 95A, Cantonment. (850) 937-0001.
- The First Presbyterian Church will celebrate a Christmas Even Candlelight Service on Friday, December 24 at 6 p.m. Everyone welcome.
- Grace Fellowship in Atmore is offering a free Christmas meal to be delivered to homes in the Atmore are between 11 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. on Christmas Day. Meals are limited.
Cold Tonight, Sunny Monday
December 19, 2010
Here is your official North Escambia area forecast:
- Tonight: Clear, with a low around 29. North wind around 5 mph becoming calm.
- Monday: Sunny, with a high near 60. Calm wind becoming southeast around 5 mph.
- Monday Night: Patchy fog after midnight. Otherwise, mostly clear, with a low around 41. South wind around 5 mph.
- Tuesday: Patchy fog before 7am. Otherwise, partly sunny, with a high near 68. South wind between 5 and 10 mph.
- Tuesday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 53. South wind around 5 mph becoming west.
- Wednesday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 71. Northwest wind between 5 and 10 mph.
- Wednesday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 45. North wind around 5 mph.
- Thursday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 67. North wind around 5 mph becoming east.
- Thursday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 41. Calm wind.
- Friday: A 20 percent chance of showers. Partly sunny, with a high near 67.
- Friday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 40.
- Christmas Day: Mostly sunny, with a high near 53.
- Saturday Night: Clear, with a low around 30.
- Sunday: Sunny, with a high near 52.
Sunny, Cool Sunday
December 18, 2010
Here is your official North Escambia area forecast:
- Tonight: Mostly clear, with a low around 30. North wind around 5 mph.
- Sunday: Sunny, with a high near 55. North wind around 5 mph.
- Sunday Night: Clear, with a low around 30. Calm wind.
- Monday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 62. Calm wind becoming southeast around 5 mph.
- Monday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 46. South wind around 5 mph.
- Tuesday: Mostly cloudy, with a high near 70. South wind between 5 and 10 mph.
- Tuesday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 52. South wind around 5 mph becoming west.
- Wednesday: A 20 percent chance of rain. Mostly sunny, with a high near 68. West wind between 5 and 10 mph.
- Wednesday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 43. Southwest wind around 5 mph becoming calm.
- Thursday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 68.
- Thursday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 41.
- Friday: Partly sunny and breezy, with a high near 65.
- Friday Night: A 20 percent chance of rain. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 41.
- Christmas Day: Mostly cloudy, with a high near 58
See Santa In Century This Morning
December 18, 2010
Children in the Century and Byrneville areas will have the opportunity to see Santa this morning, courtesy of the Century Volunteer Fire Department.
Santa’s helpers at the Century VFD submitted the following information and schedule:
Century Volunteer Fire Department will be doing their annual Santa Run on Saturday, December 18 starting at approximately 8:30 a.m. Santa will be escorted around the town atop a fire truck along with his sleigh and reindeer.
Route will be as follows:
- Leaving Century Firehouse Substation on Highway 4 and travel north on Killam Road. Will then make a left and head west towards our first stop which will be at the Byrneville Community Center. Santa’s time is valuable so this stop will only be for 30 minutes!
- Then Jolly Ole St .Nick will travel east on Highway 4 towards Century city limits, then north on Highway 29 to his second stop which will be in the parking lot at Whataburger. Again we have to keep the reindeer moving so this stop will only be for 30 minutes also!
- Then we will head north on Highway 29 to the Dollar General Store where Santa will have his last stop for all the kids. By now it will be about time for Santa to head back to the North Pole to get ready for Christmas Day so this last stop will only be for 30 minutes!
- The truck with Santa atop will then head back south on Highway 29 to the southern town limits which will conclude the run3.
- Any kids along any of these routes will get candy tossed to them as well as any at one of our three stops.
Century Volunteer Fire Department would like to remind parents of children to be safe if you will be along the roadways of the route. Santa will make every attempt to toss the candy in your yard, but if some falls in the road let an adult grab it for you.
Merry Christmas
Century Volunteer Fire Department




