Latest news with #hurricanes
The Guardian
18 hours ago
- Climate
- The Guardian
Meteorologist warns live on air that Doge cuts will mean less accurate hurricane forecasts
John Morales, a Florida weather presenter, told viewers live on air that he will no longer be able to accurately predict hurricanes as a result the Trump administration's drastic cuts to weather and climate agencies. The White House's department of government efficiency, Doge, took aim at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration earlier this year, cutting jobs which have led to gaps in forecast data
Phone Arena
a day ago
- Science
- Phone Arena
Report tempers excitement about T-Mobile satellite internet
T-Mobile and SpaceX's direct-to-cell service will officially launch in July. The service is in beta right now and only lets customers send texts over satellite right now. T-Mobile is expected to roll out data services this year but according to an analysis by Universidad Politecnica de Madrid, data speeds may be painfully slow initially. T-Mobile never said that satellite services would match or exceed cellular services. Instead, they are intended as a fallback option for when its own network isn't available. Universidad Politecnica de Madrid used crowdsourced mobile network data provided by Weplan Analytics to analyze the capabilities, limitations, and future prospects of the feature. The data spans from October 2024, which was when the satellite feature was launched in areas impacted by hurricanes, to April 2025. The report established a clear correlation between the number of satellites in orbit and the expansion of the coverage, particularly in areas not served adequately by land-based networks, such as national parks and sparsely populated areas. The paper has also revealed that direct-to-cellular signals were stable over the analyzed period and the network was not congested, seemingly because usage was limited to SMS during that time. That said, since the signal strength is lower compared to LTE, a phone's battery may deplete faster when it's connected to a satellite. The researchers used Signal-to-Interference-plus-Noise Ratio (SINR) to conclude that T-Mobile and SpaceX's data service will offer speeds of 4 Mbps outdoors, which will only be enough for basic connectivity needs in remote areas. —Universidad Politecnica de Madrid The speed could increase to up to 24 Mbps in the future, considering the FCC updated the out-of-band emissions limits for T-Mobile in March. TMF Associates's Tim Farrar points out that "the paper [incorrectly] assumes 10dB SINR improvement to calculate the higher theoretical capacity," so 24 Mbps is a very optimistic and possibly unrealistic theoretical maximum speed. —Universidad Politecnica de Madrid SpaceX CEO had hinted at a peak download speed of 17Mbps in 2024 All in all, T-Mobile 's satellite service is still nothing short of impressive, especially considering that it's the only carrier in the US to have deployed the feature at a large scale. As far as data speeds are concerned, they were never expected to match 4G or 5G, with an exec revealing in March that data services would be low-impact. Switch to Total 5G+ Unlimited 3-Month plan or Total 5G Unlimited and get a free iPhone. We may earn a commission if you make a purchase Buy at Total Wireless
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Tampa Bay among most moved-out areas in America: PODS
TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — For the first time, Tampa Bay has been placed on a list of cities and areas with the highest number of move-outs in America. PODS, a moving company, released its annual moving trends report. The company analyzed long-distance moving numbers between January 2024 and March 2025 to determine where people are moving to and out of. According to the report, more people are leaving Florida than entering. These are the highest-paying jobs in Tampa The Tampa Bay and South Florida areas were both ranked among cities with the highest number of move-outs. 'Tampa Bay's appearance comes as a surprise since it previously ranked 4th and 9th on our move-in lists in 2022 and 2023, respectively. However, it was suspiciously absent last year, and now we see why,' the report said. PODS' data listed Tampa Bay at No. 16 on the most move-outs list, while South Florida came in at No. 3. 'It's a somewhat surprising shift considering Tampa Bay was recently on our move-in list, but not entirely shocking with the city's significant population boom,' PODS said. 'Development has been ongoing for nearly a decade, prices have soared, traffic has multiplied, and the increasing risk from hurricanes have pushed both transplants and native residents to their limits.' According to PODS, many people who left Florida moved to the Midwest, Colorado, New Mexico, Utah and the Northeast. Here are the top 20 cities and areas with the highest number of move-outs, according to PODS. Los Angeles, California (1st in 2024) Northern California (San Francisco area) (2nd in 2024) South Florida (Miami area) (3rd in 2024) Long Island, New York (Serving parts of NYC) (4th in 2024) San Diego, California (8th in 2024) Central Jersey, New Jersey (6th in 2024) Chicago, Illinois (7th in 2024) Boston, Massachusetts (13th in 2024) Hudson Valley, New York (10th in 2024) Denver, Colorado (12th in 2024) Santa Barbara, California (11th in 2024) Seattle, Washington (Not ranked in 2024) Stockton-Modesto, California (9th in 2024) Washington, DC (Not ranked in 2024) Hartford, Connecticut (15th in 2024) Tampa Bay, Florida (Not ranked in 2024) Fresno, California (17th in 2024) Austin, Texas (5th in 2024) Bakersfield, California (18th in 2024) Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (Not ranked in 2024) PODS said people are still moving to Florida, but it is no longer the hotspot of years past. 'Between 2021 and 2023, Florida consistently had at least six cities on our list of top cities people are moving to — but this year, there are only two: Ocala and Jacksonville,' the report said. These are the top 10 cities with the highest number of move-ins, according to PODS' data: Myrtle Beach, South Carolina/Wilmington, North Carolina (1st in 2024) Ocala, Florida (2nd in 2024) Raleigh, North Carolina (6th in 2024) Greenville-Spartanburg, South Carolina (4th in 2024) Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas (Not ranked in 2024) Charlotte, North Carolina (5th in 2024) Boise, Idaho (11th in 2024) Knoxville, Tennessee (8th in 2024) Nashville, Tennessee (13th in 2024) Jacksonville, Florida (9th in 2024) You can find more city and area rankings on PODS' website. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
CNET
6 days ago
- General
- CNET
Easily Make Your Own Distilled Water With 5 Simple Steps
When disaster strikes, distilled water can be a lifesaver, especially if you have a CPAP machine for sleep apnea or other critical medical devices that require it. As the purest type of water available, distilled water can be a blessing for dealing with cuts or scrapes, since you'll be limiting the risk of infection. Unlike simple filtered water, distilled water is pretty much free of all impurities. That means it's missing beneficial minerals like calcium and magnesium and will taste a little weird, even though it's extremely safe to drink. Maintaining and storing a good supply of distilled water is a great way to prepare for emergency situations like hurricanes, floods, wildfires or other natural disasters. Most grocery stores sell distilled water, but in the past few years, we've seen many shortages. If you can't find distilled water and need it to prepare for an upcoming storm or to ensure you can run your medical devices, there's an easy way to make it at home yourself. Why make distilled water at home? For people suffering from sleep apnea who use CPAP machines or any other sort of humidifier, distilled water is essential. It's also useful if you don't want additional minerals in your water. (For example, distilled water won't corrode automobile engine parts or create lime-scale buildup in aquariums and it's easier on your home if you use it to make this all-natural cleaner.) Joey Skladany/CNET If you live in a place with "hard" water or water with lots of chemicals, you can even use distilled water to protect your hair when washing it. However, because distilled water doesn't have minerals like calcium and magnesium, it tastes bland and isn't the best for drinking. You can buy distilled water at your local grocery store or on Amazon, but making it at home will save you money and keep a few plastic jugs out of the recycling system. Learning to make this bacteria-free water at home will also save you if the store is out of stock. Below, I'll walk you through the five steps to make your own distilled water. I'll also explain the differences between all the types of water you come across in the store. For more tips, find out if it's cheaper to buy groceries online compared with the grocery store and our list of the best filtered water bottles. What's the difference between tap, filtered, purified and distilled water? Tap water is the easy one. Turn on your kitchen faucet. Water comes out of the tap. Voila! Tap water. The quality of tap water varies by location and might contain traces of minerals specific to the geology of your region, as well as traces of chemicals used in municipal water treatment. Hopefully, your tap water is safe to drink, but that's not true for as many as 45 million Americans. Filtered water is one solution. Filtered water starts out as plain tap water. You may already have filtered water in your home by way of a whole-house filtration system, a faucet filter or a water filtration pitcher. Most filtered water passes through some combination of carbon and micron filters, which help to remove chemicals such as chlorine (commonly added to municipal tap water as a disinfectant) and pesticides, and metals like copper or lead. Filters can also eliminate foul odors and tastes. Purified water usually begins as tap water as well. It will go through many purification processes, including those used for water filtration. Purified water goes a step further than filtering, with a process that removes chemical pollutants, bacteria, fungi and algae. You'll often find purified water in bottles at your local grocery. Distilled water is a more specialized type of purified water but much easier and cheaper to produce at home. As with purified water, it meets the classification requirement of 10ppm (parts per million) of total dissolved solids, aka contaminants, or less. The process of distilling is simple: Heat tap water to the point that it turns to vapor. When the vapor condenses back to water, it leaves behind any mineral residue. The resulting condensed liquid is distilled water. Is it safe to drink distilled water? Distilled water is completely safe for use but the downside of distilling is that it removes all of the helpful minerals like calcium and magnesium that occur naturally in tap water. For that reason, it isn't generally recommended to use distilled water as your daily drinking water. You might also find that it lacks the flavor of tap or filtered water. What's the best way to store distilled water? If stored properly, distilled water can have a long shelf life as long as it's not exposed to direct sunlight or warm temperatures. Choose the storage container you use for distilled water carefully. Distilled water's lack of nutrients can cause it to leach chemicals from the container it's stored in. If you plan to use the water immediately, most containers will do but for long-term storage it's best to use glass or high-quality stainless steel. Making distilled water is like a fun science project. Gettys Images/DanBrandenburg How to make your own distilled water Here's how you can distill your own water at home. Not to get too scientific here, but this is exciting for me. We'll be using water in all three of its known states -- solid, liquid and gas. The gist is this: You heat water (liquid), turn it into water vapor (gas), then collect the condensation with the aid of ice (solid). It's like middle school science class all over again. You'll likely find everything you need in your kitchen. A large pot with a lid, a small pot, water, ice and oven mitts for handling the hot cookware. It does take some time for all this science to happen, so be prepared. In my example below, I started with 8 cups of water in the large pot. After 1 hour, I had produced about 1 1/4 cup of distilled water. To create a gallon jug that you'd find in the supermarket you'd need about 13 hours of distilling time. If you follow these steps, you should get near 100% yield, but whatever amount of distilled water you want to end up with, make sure to add additional water so you don't end up heating an empty pot(s) at the end of the process, which can damage cookware. Ice speeds up the condensation process. Steve Conaway/CNET 1. First, place the large pot over a stovetop burner and add 8 cups of water. Then, place the smaller pot inside the large pot. At this point, the smaller pot should float on top of the water. The key to circulating water vapor inside the large pot is airflow. Make sure there's plenty of space around the smaller pot, both around its sides and between it and the top of the larger pot. 2. Next, turn the burner to somewhere between medium and medium-high heat. I tried to keep the heat level at a steady simmer -- somewhere between 180 and 200 degrees Fahrenheit -- and not a boil. Running a higher temperature won't get you a higher yield, but it will warm up the cold side of the lid faster, and make general handling of the equipment harder to deal with. 3. After you put the burner on, place the lid upside-down on the large pot. Lids are usually higher in the middle than around the edges. Flipping the lid will allow the condensed distilled water to trickle down to the middle of the lid and into the smaller pot. Once all this is done, head over to your icemaker (or tray) and load the top of the inverted lid with ice. The difference in temperature on the two sides of the lid will speed up the condensation process. Use caution throughout the process. Steve Conaway/CNET 4. At this point, you can sit back and wait. I ended up replenishing the ice supply twice within an hour, once at 30 minutes and once after 45 minutes. This is what you need the oven mitts for -- that lid will be hot! Use caution when dumping that now-hot melted ice. The water in the smaller pot is your distilled water. Steve Conaway/CNET 5. Any water that has dripped down into the smaller pot has now been distilled. Again, I was able to make about 1 1/4 cup of distilled water from 8 cups of tap water in about an hour. Just remember, making your own distilled water is easy (and fun!), but lack of nutrients makes it a bad choice for daily drinking water. But if you're stuck at home and you rely on a device that requires it, or perhaps you just want to keep your fish healthy, you may want to try making it yourself. For more, check out how to clean mold and bacteria out of your washing machine and the best way to unclog a clogged toilet.
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Memorial Day weekend proves Pinellas beaches have bounced back after Hurricanes Helene, Milton
The Brief Memorial Day weekend has proven that Pinellas County beaches have bounced back after Hurricanes Helene and Milton. Last Fall, Hurricane Helene flooded out buildings and left behind thick mounds of sand. The hurricanes also disturbed a beach renourishment project the shoreline was due for on its 10-year cycle. ST. PETE BEACH, Fla. - Memorial Day weekend has proven that Pinellas County beaches have bounced back after Hurricanes Helene and Milton. Local perspective On Monday, it was hard to find a parking spot at Pass-a-Grille. Follow FOX 13 on YouTube "Believe it or not, a lot of people on the 8th Avenue business district have been blessed, and they're open and ready to go just like we are," said Rick Falkenstein, the owner of Hurricane Seafood Restaurant. The backstory He said the area has come a long way. Last Fall, Hurricane Helene flooded out buildings and left behind thick mounds of sand. Though Falkenstein's restaurant is named Hurricane Seafood, he said he was able to reopen shortly after the storms. "Back then, it was hard for me to talk about," he said. "I got choked up because I saw so many businesses and residents absolutely destroyed. They're homeless because of Helene and because of Milton." READ: Memorial Day marks first American Legion Post 273 ceremony since reopening after hurricanes Dig deeper The hurricanes also disturbed a beach renourishment project the shoreline was due for on its 10-year cycle. Pinellas County crews instead pivoted to a sand-sifting operation and laid down more than 19,200 cubic yards of sand. "Coming here, we weren't sure if things were going to be recovering but once we showed up, we were pretty surprised," said visitor Tyler Heaton. "The community seems to be doing great. People are at the beach, enjoying the food and everything that the area has to offer." The Source The information in this story was gathered by FOX 13's Jennifer Kveglis. WATCH FOX 13 NEWS: STAY CONNECTED WITH FOX 13 TAMPA: Download the FOX Local app for your smart TV Download FOX Local mobile app:Apple |Android Download the FOX 13 News app for breaking news alerts, latest headlines Download the SkyTower Radar app Sign up for FOX 13's daily newsletter
