Hi Mike!! Great job on Coast2Coast. Please tel me the name of the device we can use to charge things from our car? I missed it when you said it. Thank all the Best.
Just waking up, sorry for the delay. It is a power inverter. More info and a photo here: http://meteorologicalmusings.blogspot.com/2011/08/why-i-keep-my-cars-gas-tank-at-least.html
One important thing to mention about power inverters is that they come in different wattage ratings, with a lower wattage rating generally costing less. A $25 inverter will easily run a radio or small appliance, but in order to run a higher wattage appliance (such as a refrigerator) you'd need to be sure to get one rated higher, which will probably cost a little more. Using an under-rated inverter with an appliance which draws too much power can easily blow a fuse (in the best case) and can be a fire hazard at its worst. Also be aware that the higher the power draw, the shorter the life of the battery will be. This is especially the case on an auto battery, which is designed for short bursts of high-drain when turning the starter rather than extended-periods of power draw that an inverter requires.
I have a 3-outlet 500 watt inverter (about $50) that I have used in power outage situations to help run a small dorm-style refrigerator in my home and (more importantly) provide for the emergency operation of my CPAP breathing machine at night, but I have also invested in a deep-cycle marine battery which is dedicated to the setup and handles the current drain more effectively.
More heavy rain (snow in the mountains) forecast. Rains have already begun over the southern two-thirds of the state. See 3:15pm radar below. In addition, there is small risk of a tornado, especially tomorrow morning, in coastal areas of Southern California, shown in dark green.
The title of this essay is from a press release that indirectly "blames the victim." The author is Sedgwick County Emergency Management regarding a fatal tornado that occurred just north of Wichita at 1:14 this morning. The tornado was rated EF-2 ("strong") intensity. I believe the wording is unfortunate as discussed below. Photo: KAKE.com. Note that with a basement, as little as seconds to dash down the stairs might have been sufficient to avoid injury. In what has increasingly and unfortunately become the norm in tornado situations, no NWS tornado warning was issued even though: Rotation was depicted on radar Radar shows lofted debris People from outside the NWS are observing tornadoes and bringing them to NWS's and the public's attention. I want to be clear: the tornado formed practically on top of the home and there was probably no way to have warned in time to help the man killed. But there is absolutely no reason a tornado warning could not have bee...
This past Friday, we had a great example of how a meteorologist can tell the difference between side-lobes (a false echo that mimics a tornado's circulation on radar) and one indicating a tornado is forming or in progress. I'm going to walk you through it so young meteorologists, in a similar case, won't make the mistake of mistaking side lobes for a tornado. This case was in north central Texas on February 2nd. I'm using the Abilene/Sweetwater WSR-88D and the software is RadarScope. When I draw on one panel of the screen, it shows up on the other in the same place, so the measurements are about as exact as any in meteorology. The Thunderstorm Cluster, 4:24pm Above is a cluster of thunderstorms with the two storms with arrows starting to transition to supercells. We already have the northern storm (just south of Aspermont) moving north northeast. In a situation like this, the storm will likely be "a hailer" -- meaning it is likely to produce hail, possibly ...
Hi Mike!! Great job on Coast2Coast. Please tel me the name of the device we can use to charge things from our car? I missed it when you said it. Thank all the Best.
ReplyDeleteAlasha.
Hi Alasha,
ReplyDeleteJust waking up, sorry for the delay. It is a power inverter. More info and a photo here: http://meteorologicalmusings.blogspot.com/2011/08/why-i-keep-my-cars-gas-tank-at-least.html
Thanks for listening last night.
Mike
Hi Mike! Nice job last night on the show!
ReplyDeleteOne important thing to mention about power inverters is that they come in different wattage ratings, with a lower wattage rating generally costing less. A $25 inverter will easily run a radio or small appliance, but in order to run a higher wattage appliance (such as a refrigerator) you'd need to be sure to get one rated higher, which will probably cost a little more. Using an under-rated inverter with an appliance which draws too much power can easily blow a fuse (in the best case) and can be a fire hazard at its worst. Also be aware that the higher the power draw, the shorter the life of the battery will be. This is especially the case on an auto battery, which is designed for short bursts of high-drain when turning the starter rather than extended-periods of power draw that an inverter requires.
I have a 3-outlet 500 watt inverter (about $50) that I have used in power outage situations to help run a small dorm-style refrigerator in my home and (more importantly) provide for the emergency operation of my CPAP breathing machine at night, but I have also invested in a deep-cycle marine battery which is dedicated to the setup and handles the current drain more effectively.
@1:15pm. You are absolutely right. I know this and forgot to mention it, thank you.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Mike!!!
ReplyDeleteAlasha