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The winter is already brutal on your car because of the conditions, but drivers can make things harder by turning on the vehicle to let it warm up before driving. One thing some do when the temperatures are cold outside is to start the car and let the engine warm up a few seconds before driving. Several auto experts believe this may not be conducive to preserving the engine.

It seems that no one can ever do quite enough to satisfy the demands of professional complainers. Not even Elon Musk, world-famous promoter of electric vehicles. He was met rudely by protesters at the grand opening of his Tesla assembly plant, just outside Berlin, during recent ceremonies: "...it [the plant] has faced opposition and some environmental activists blocked the factory’s entrance while displaying banners flagging its high water use…” All said and done, it should become clear to various parties that the newer generation of electric vehicles is no better, environmentally speaking, than late-model automobiles powered by the much-maligned internal...

*snip* . . . . Isaac acknowledged the need for some targeted reforms—like winterization requirements and mandating backup generating capacity—that would shore up the grid’s preparedness for future events, he said that federal integration of Texas’s power system is a bad idea. “We’re an independent state and we like our Texas independence,” he said. “And the last thing we want to do is have our grid controlled by any kind of federal regulatory agency or the federal government,” he added. One thing Isaac said he fears with greater federal control of Texas’s grid would be “market distorting policies that pick...

January 11, 2020 ======================================================== Meteorologists declared it the largest snowfall in the region since 1971. Between January 7–9, 2021, a moist, low-pressure weather system over the ocean collided with a cold air mass sitting over western Europe. The result was the heaviest snowfall over Spain in fifty years. After barely seeing significant snowfall for a decade, the capital city of Madrid was blanketed with widespread accumulations of 20 to 30 centimeters (8 to 12 inches). Some suburban and rural areas in central, northern, and eastern Spain were coated with up to 50 centimeters (20 inches) of snow. The country’s State...

BRIDGEPORT, Calif. Authorities in California searched for a sixth day Saturday for a missing Marine after he failed to return from a backcountry skiing trip through the Sierra Nevada. First Lt. Matthew Kraft began trekking a section of the rugged Sierra High Route on Feb. 23 and was scheduled to complete it on Monday or Tuesday near Bridgeport, a town northeast of Yosemite National Park, 1st Marine Capt. Paul Gainey said. Kraft is an infantry officer who received survival training in the field. "He has the skills to survive in austere environments, and we're hoping for the best here," Gainey...

A decade ago, folks in northern states such as Minnesota, South and North Dakota, Montana, Wyoming and Idaho were watching large swaths of their pine forests die off due to invasive pine beetles. The pine beetles bored beneath the bark of pine trees and introduced a fungus and larvae which weakened and then killed the trees.

Cold temperatures can sap electric car batteries, temporarily reducing their range by more than 40 percent when interior heaters are used, a new study found. The study of five electric vehicles by AAA also found that high temperatures can cut into battery range, but not nearly as much as the cold. The range returns to normal in more comfortable temperatures. […] AAA tested the BMW i3s, Chevrolet Bolt and Nissan Leaf from the 2018 model year, and the 2017 Tesla Model S 75D and Volkswagen e-Golf. All have a range of at least 100 miles per charge. They were tested...

In case you were interested in current temps in the upper Midwest, here are a few to consider... Pembina ND (on the Canadian border) -25 air temp/-25 wind chill Minneapolis MN -18 air temp/-38 wind chill Sioux Falls SD -12 air temp/-27 wind chill Mason City IA -19 air temp/-44 wind chill Solon Springs WI (northwest WI) -17 air temp/-32 wind chill

YouTube and Instagram face ban in Russia unless they remove videos of oligarch Oleg Deripaska and deputy prime minister ‘relaxing on a yacht with an escort and discussing 'bad relations with America' Billionaire Oleg Deripaska and Deputy Prime Minister Sergei Prikhodko were reportedly filmed by an escort on Deripaska's private yacht in 2016, which the Russian opposition, led by Alexei Navalny, claim is evidence of corruption and bribery. In one video, the two men can be heard referring to 'bad relations with America' and 'Nuland', referring to Victoria Nuland, the then Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian affairs...

If you must drive, get on with it. Don't just sit there and let your car warm up — it is a machine that is designed to move after all — and all you're doing is adding to the state's notorious wintertime pollution problems. Results from a 14-month collaborative study show that 75 percent of a vehicle's combined emissions occur within the first three minutes after it has sat for 12 hours for more. It's called a "cold start," and if drivers want to help clean up Utah's dirty air, they should avoid it if possible. "Cold starts are a...

24 degrees breaks old record of 30 set in 1873. Thursday morning not only broke an "ancient" record from 1873, but we also dropped to the second coldest temperature ever recorded in the month of November in Jacksonville. According to the National Weather Service, for the second morning in a row, Jacksonville set a new cold weather record. Thursday mornings temperature dropped to a bone chilling 24 degrees breaking the old record of 30 degrees set in 1873. If that wasn't cold enough for you, Thursday's 24 degrees also marks the second lowest temperature ever recorded in the month of...

What storm is this? The horrific blizzard that hit New York on February 17, 1902.  It would be considered the worst snowstorm to hit the metropolitan area since the Great Blizzard of 1888. (Read all about it here.)  I assume we're actually in the aftermath of the blizzard here, as the snow shovels are out, and the kids are playing. What area is being filmed?  Madison Square Park (near 23rd Street), with theWorth Memorial in the background of some angles Who made this?  Edison Manufacturing Company. Their Manhattan studio was nearby, at 41 East 21st Street. Who's the director? The head of Edison's film division Edwin S. Porter, considered by most...

ost people think that Springtime is the time to start growing that vegetable or herb garden. But there are many types of plants that should mainly be grown during the cooler months. Fall is a great time to try your hand at growing leafy greens, and that makes this a great way to save some money on produce. If you end up with a good harvest, you'll have a bountiful source of vegetables while other people are paying higher prices for greens at the grocery store. Here are 6 cooler weather plants you may want to try your hand at...

A shadow of a different kind is hanging over Punxsutawney Phil. Authorities in still-frigid Ohio have issued an “indictment” against the famed groundhog, who predicted an early spring when he didn't see his shadow after emerging from his lair in western Pennsylvania on Feb. 2. … “Punxsutawney Phil did purposely, and with prior calculation and design, cause the people to believe that spring would come early,” Gmoser declared. So what's the penalty? Death, Gmoser said, tongue firmly in cheek. …

Here's another surprise for Chevy Volt owners. Autoblog reports that General Motors is holding an online chat with Volt owners about winter driving. Part of the chat reveals that, despite the fact that GM claimed the Volt is purely electric for a range of about 35 miles, the vehicle will use gas in cold conditions. GM states, "Please be aware: when starting your Volt in these colder months, in some instances, your gas engine may engage regardless of the state of charge of the battery. This was designed into (the) Volt to generate heat for the battery when temperatures...

Friday, March 18, 2011 Govt Weighing Power Usage Cuts For Firms, Homes TOKYO (Nikkei)--With cold weather boosting demand for electricity, the government is considering mandatory power usage cuts for businesses and households to avert a major blackout in greater Tokyo. "We may need to take compulsory measures in some cases," said Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Banri Kaieda at a news conference Thursday afternoon. The ministry is considering setting mandatory quotas for each business sector to reduce power usage. Large companies could also face usage limits, and restrictions on the use of electronic signs may be introduced, under the...

Dangerously cold temperatures are settling over Minnesota with wind chill readings that can cause frostbite to exposed skin in a matter of minutes. Forecasters say daytime temperatures may not make it above zero in northern Minnesota. Friday morning lows could drop to minus-30 and colder from the Iron Range north. In International Falls, for example, the overnight low is expected to be around minus-36. Brainerd may see minus-27 and Duluth minus-25. In the Twin Cities, the low from Thursday night into Friday morning will be around minus-15, with minus-20 readings possible in suburban areas. The artic air will be escorted...

Latest Storm Headlines * This has the potential to be the biggest snowstorm for much of Minnesota since Halloween, 1991. * Potential for 1-2 feet of snow Saturday, with 2-5 foot drifts during the PM hours. * Close to blizzard criteria - best chance of white-out conditions south/west of the metro area. * Winter Storm Warning for much of Minnesota/Wisconsin. Blizzard Watch posted for southwestern MN. * Get your errands/shopping done today, snow arrives late evening, between 8 and 10 pm, snow gets heavier and steadier as the night goes on - should be snowing heavily when we wake up...

An Arctic front has moved into North Texas, dropping morning temperatures to the high 20s. The high this afternoon isn't expected to get past 40. And a second, more severe front is on the way from Canada. It's expected to hit the Dallas area by Wednesday night, according to the National Weather Service. Behind that second cold front, temperatures Thursday night could plunge to the high teens.

NEW YORK - Oil started the new year Monday trading above $81 a barrel, almost double what it fetched at the beginning of 2009 even though the U.S. is using much less. Prices, which have been propped up by a weak dollar, will get even more support as winter weather chills the country. That means gasoline, heating oil and other fuels are also probably headed higher as the market tests how much people are willing to pay for energy, analysts said. "It looks like Antarctica out there," analyst Stephen Schork said. "It's snowing everywhere. This winter is like a gift...