Hurricane Season Ends Nov. 30. Here's a Power-Outage Kit That Still Makes Sense All Winter
Officially, the Atlantic hurricane season runs June 1 to November 30. Winter storms and ice cause outages too, so this is a good week to restock.
The Atlantic hurricane season officially closes on November 30. That's a natural reminder to check your outage kit before winter storms. Ice storms, nor'easters and plain old grid failures cut power for hours or days, and the same small kit covers all of them.
Start with the free and cheap basics
Ready.gov's standard advice is to store at least one gallon of water per person per day for several days, plus flashlights, extra batteries, a first-aid kit and nonperishable food. That costs little and matters more than any gadget.
Backup power for the things that actually matter
Jackery Explorer 300 Portable Power Station
A 7.5 lb rechargeable battery with two wall-style outlets, USB-C and a car port, for outages, camping and tailgates.
Price: under $300 when we checked. Check Amazon for the current price.
A small battery power station keeps phones, a Wi-Fi router, lamps and a fan running. It doesn't burn fuel, so there's no exhaust and no carbon-monoxide risk like a gas generator. Never run a gas generator indoors or in a garage. The Explorer 300's current Amazon listing lists 292 Wh, two AC outlets (300 W rated) and a 100 W USB-C port. (full rundown)
The 30-second runtime math
Hours ≈ 292 × 0.85 ÷ device watts. This is our rule of thumb for conversion losses, not a Jackery figure.
- 10 W router: about 24 hours
- 40 W fan: about 6 hours
- 5 W LED lamp: well over a day
Anything that heats, like space heaters, kettles or hair dryers, is out of range for a 300 W unit. Full-size refrigerators generally need a bigger station.
The sleeper pick: a gadget with a power bank built in
AstroAI L7 Cordless Tire Inflator
A pocket-size, battery-powered air pump with a digital gauge that stops on its own at the pressure you set.
Price: under $30 when we checked. Check Amazon for the current price.
The AstroAI L7 is a tire inflator first. It also has a USB-C port to charge a phone and an LED flashlight with SOS and strobe modes. After a storm, low tires and dead phones often show up together. (rundown)
Before the next storm
- Charge your power station to full and set a reminder to top it up every few months.
- Write down the watt rating of anything medical you'd need to power, and check with the device maker.
- Keep cash on hand. Card readers go down with the grid.
