Kestrel 3000 Pocket Weather Meter Aids in Preventing Heat Related Illnesses

Aug. 10 /PRNewswire/ -- Heat related deaths and illnesses have recently yielded tragic headlines. With the continuing dangerous heat wave gripping the country, prevention of heat-related deaths and illnesses has become a priority with athletic coaches and trainers, summer camp counselors, childcare providers and others. An affordable pocket instrument, the Kestrel(R) 3000 Pocket Weather(TM) Meter, is available to provide critical heat stress index measurements whenever and wherever needed. The "heat stress index" was developed by the National Weather Service to provide a simple indication of how hot we feel given the combined effects of the relative humidity and the actual air temperature. According to the National Weather Service, a heat index reading of 90 degrees F to 105 degrees F could lead to sunstroke, heat cramps and heat exhaustion with prolonged exposure and/or physical activity. With higher heat index readings, heat stroke or sunstroke become likely. In-depth information on heat stress index and heat-related illness can be found at the NWS web site: http://weather.noaa.gov/weather/hwave.html.

In addition to heat stress index, the Kestrel 3000 also measures humidity, temperature, dewpoint, wind chill, and wind speed. The Kestrel 3000 presents a way for people working or training outside, such as coaches and athletic trainers, to take instantaneous temperature, humidity and heat stress readings in the field with just the press of a button. Anyone participating in warm weather activities can use the Kestrel 3000 to determine when the heat index is too high for prolonged exposure and prevent the possibility of heat related health problems.

Matt Walser, athletic trainer for the University of Florida football team, relies on the accuracy of the Kestrel 3000. "We use the Kestrel 3000 normally two or more times during our practices," he states. "The 3000 has been very reliable, accurate and easy-to-use, proving to be an essential tool at practice for monitoring temperature, humidity and heat stress index trends."

The Kestrel 3000, which retails for $159, is waterproof to one meter and floats. It comes with a neck lanyard and protective slip-on cover, and operates on a single watch battery that lasts approximately 300 hours. The Kestrel 3000 is assembled in the USA by Nielsen-Kellerman, and is fully guaranteed for one year.

NK also manufactures the Kestrel 1000, which measures solely wind speed ($89), the Kestrel 2000 which measures wind speed, temperature and wind chill ($119), and the newly released Kestrel 4000, which measures and tracks barometric pressure, altitude, density altitude, wet bulb, humidity, dewpoint, heat stress index, wind chill, wind speed and temperature, and has a multitude of graphing and memory recall features ($329).

Nielsen-Kellerman's Kestrel Weather Meters are employed by thousands of users in hundreds of activities around the world. All of the Kestrel Pocket Weather Meters are available at national retail and catalog outlets or directly from NK. For more information, contact Katie Horn at NK at 800-784-4221, ext. 220, or visit www.nkhome.com.

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SOURCE Nielsen-Kellerman