weather - The Gadgeteer

Florence is headed this way, and my thoughts have turned to emergency preparedness

By Janet Cloninger / September 10, 2018 / News / Safety, weather / 1 Comment

NEWS – Here in North Carolina, we’ve experienced way too many hurricanes coming ashore over the years. Florence seems to headed our way right now, and it’s time to think about laying in supplies in case we experience power outages and disturbances in other services. The SolarPuff light would be a good light to have […]

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Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA) explained: AMBER alerts and what the heck is a Severe Alert vs. an Extreme Alert and how do I turn them off?!?

By Kathleen Chapman / June 30, 2017 / Articles / weather / 6 Comments

Here’s the scenario: I’m at home in the middle of the night sleeping, dreaming of eating doughnuts without guilt when suddenly I’m jolted out of my blissful reverie by my phone’s blaring emergency broadcast alert. I fumble around frantically to find my phone to determine the type of impending doom that’s about to befall me and

Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA) explained: AMBER alerts and what the heck is a Severe Alert vs. an Extreme Alert and how do I turn them off?!? Read More

ShedRain e-Motion motorized compact umbrella review

By Julie Strietelmeier / June 28, 2017 / Reviews / Outdoor Gear, Umbrella, weather / 10 Comments

Do you carry a compact umbrella with you for rainy days? I have one in my drawer at my day job and one in the glove compartment of my car just so I have all my bases covered. The overall design of compact umbrellas hasn’t changed much over the years unless you include the button

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Samsung teams up with The Weather Channel to bring new functionality to weather app

By Julie Strietelmeier / April 12, 2017 / News / Android, Android app, weather / Leave a Comment

The Weather Channel App for Samsung, which was released in 2016, offers exclusive functionality to users of the soon-to-be-released Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ devices and older devices like the S7, S6 and Note 5. The latest feature to be added to the Weather Channel App for Samsung includes Google calendar event syncing and Lyft

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AcuRite PRO+ 5-in-1 Weather Sensor review

By Julie Strietelmeier / October 3, 2016 / Reviews / Home and Kitchen, Outdoor Gear, weather / 18 Comments

Several weeks ago I posted a review of the AcuRite smartHUB Weather Environment System which I’m still using. There were a few comments on the review asking about a wind speed sensor. AcuRite saw those comments and sent me the PRO+ 5-in-1 Weather Sensor which also works with the smartHUB. Let’s take it for a spin.

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BloomSky SKY1 solar powered weather camera kit review

By Julie Strietelmeier / September 14, 2016 / Reviews / Home and Kitchen, weather / 4 Comments

Weather nerds can easily become part of a crowd-sourced community-based weather network with the BloomSky SKY1 solar powered weather camera kit. Set it up in your yard and you and others who follow you can instantly check the weather in your exact area, making it more accurate than what the weatherman on the TV, radio and

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AcuRite smartHUB Weather Environment System review

By Julie Strietelmeier / August 30, 2016 / Reviews / Home and Kitchen, Outdoor Gear, weather / 9 Comments

I’m a weather nerd. It’s not that I can name every type of cloud in the sky or that I know all about how weather systems work, but I like to keep an eye on the local weather and I even record it in my journal every day with hand drawn icons. Don’t laugh, I

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You’ll be prepared for the next rain storm with this scarf that has a built in hood

By Julie Strietelmeier / April 20, 2016 / News / Outdoor Gear, tech clothing, weather / Leave a Comment

April showers bring May flowers and wet hair. Unless you’re sporting a buzz cut, you probably don’t like getting caught in the rain without an umbrella. The RainScarf is an alternative to bulky umbrellas and raincoats. This light weight 75″ long scarf is reversible with a soft polyester blend side for cool clear days and

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Life-Saved Sunblock Umbrella offers layers of safety

By Margaret Dornbusch / August 17, 2015 / News / Gear, Outdoor Gear, Outdoors, Umbrella, weather / Leave a Comment

The Life-Saved Sunblock Umbrella could save your life. The Life-Saved Sunblock Umbrella features a new coating technology and a sunblock surface to shield you from rain and sun. In an emergency, though, you can use the umbrella handle as a hammer to break a car window and as a seat-belt cutter to help you get

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Here’s an katana umbrella for Michonne and Walking Dead fans

By Julie Strietelmeier / August 4, 2015 / News / Outdoor Gear, Umbrella, weather / 1 Comment

The Samurai Sword Umbrella from Brando looks like a Katana, which is a long, single-edged sword used by Japanese samurai. But that’s not the first thing that came to mind when I saw it. I thought of the Michonne character from one of my favorite shows The Walking Dead. This umbrella is 38 inches long

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WeatherFlow Wind Meter review

By Mark Rosengarten / May 20, 2014 / Reviews / Android, iOS, Outdoor Gear, weather / Leave a Comment

I am a mild-mannered chemistry teacher most of the year but for two weeks out of every year I visit the Great Plains in search of the most intense weather Mother Nature can throw at us. I have been bringing a Kestrel 4000 weather meter with me to measure the temperature, dewpoint and wind speed

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Give the gift of emergency preparedness this holiday season

By Janet Cloninger / November 7, 2013 / News / Batteries and Chargers, Emergency preparedness, Gear, Outdoor Gear, weather / 1 Comment

If you’re like me, you have a lot of names on your gift lists. And maybe like me, you want to give somebody something they’ll find really useful, so you need good gifts at a great price. How about giving someone a product that that help them out if a winter storm causes them to

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Hear NOAA weather information in every room of your house

By Janet Cloninger / June 6, 2013 / News / Emergency preparedness, Gear, Home and Kitchen, weather / Leave a Comment

It’s not even officially summer yet, and already storm devastation has begun with tragic loss of life. Whenever there are dangerous conditions in your area, you need to be informed so you can protect yourself and your family. There’s already a nationwide NOAA weather alert system that works in conjunction with the FCC’s Emergency Alert

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Netatmo announces nationwide retail availability of their Urban Weather Station with Brookstone

By Janet Cloninger / March 14, 2013 / News / Android, Home and Kitchen, iOS, weather / Leave a Comment

We told you about the Personal Urban Weather Station from Netatmo last year. This weather station comes with indoor and outdoor sensors that monitor temperature, barometric pressure, humidity, sound levels, and indoor CO2 levels. The collected data is sent to your mobile device, so you can monitor current conditions where you live – not the

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Check the time on your device charger. No, charge your device with your clock. Two great tastes that taste great together!

By Janet Cloninger / January 2, 2013 / News / Clocks, Home and Kitchen, Watches and Clocks, weather, Wireless charging / Leave a Comment

oregon scientific time and charging stations

If your night table is cluttered with your alarm clock and some device as it charges, the Time & Wireless Charging Stations from Oregon Scientific could clear things up for you. The standard model (right) also displays the indoor temperature and outdoor temp from one outdoor sensor (included). It’s also equipped with a non-magnetic charging

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Nebula 12 – Hey, you! Get off of my cloud

By Julie Strietelmeier / November 24, 2012 / News / Home and Kitchen, weather / Leave a Comment

Here’s one more reason that proves the human race can’t do anything anymore unless it involves a gadget… Introducing the Nebula 12 concept indoor weather forecast station. Developed by the same Swiss team that will be bringing you the insanely expensive power generating iRock rocking chair, the Nebula 12 puts a self generating indoor cloud

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Netatmo Introduces the First Personal Weather Monitoring Station for iOS

By Janet Cloninger / August 28, 2012 / News / Home and Kitchen, weather, Wireless / 3 Comments

We’ve all seen those little desktop weather stations that show the indoor and outdoor temperatures and maybe humidity. They’re useful, but there are many other parameters that could prove more useful in an urban environment, like air quality. Netatmo has introduced the Personal Urban Weather Station, the first to use your iPhone, iPod touch, or

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Eton Axis ARCPT300W Emergency Radio Review

By Mark Adkins / March 15, 2012 / Reviews / Emergency preparedness, Home and Kitchen, Outdoor Gear, weather / 4 Comments

A reliable emergency radio radio is a great idea for anyone. Something that will work even if you forgot to replace the batteries and that can get the weather bands can literally be a lifesaver in an emergency. The Eton Corporation, in conjunction with the American Red Cross, offers several radios that fit this need.

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Eton Rover Self-Powered AM/FM/NOAA Weather Radio with Flashlight and USB Cell Phone Charger Review

By Janet Cloninger / February 29, 2012 / Reviews / Emergency preparedness, Home and Kitchen, Outdoor Gear, weather / 3 Comments

I’ve mentioned several times that the Piedmont area in North Carolina where I live has a lot of bad weather – tornadoes, thunderstorms, and hurricanes in the summer; ice storms and sometimes even tornadoes in the winter – that can leave us without power for days. No power means no lights and no telephone service

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Oregon Scientific’s Touch Advanced Weather Station

By Janet Cloninger / January 9, 2012 / News / Clocks, Gear, Watches and Clocks, weather / Leave a Comment

Some weather stations have a confusing array of buttons that toggle between modes, but Oregon Scientific is announcing a new touchscreen weather station at CES that will simplify determining what you should wear in the mornings. The Touch Advanced Weather Station gives you full weather forecasts, accurate time & date, temperature, humidity and air pressure

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