How to use the online alarm clock
While you wait to check the river after the evening downpour, set the alarm for 8:43 pm and keep an eye on the remaining time. That gives you a clear moment to look at the water level before 9:00 pm, rather than repeatedly checking the clock. You can use the wait to find a torch, put on waterproof shoes and choose a safe viewing point away from the bank.
For a quiet indoor wait, a gentle tone may be enough; if rain, television or conversation could mask it, choose something more persistent. Set the volume where you can hear it from the room you expect to be in, then leave the alarm page running. The river check could be missed because this browser alarm can sound only while the browser remains active and your phone or computer stays awake, so use another alarm if you may step away.
After a wet evening, bright light from a phone can make it harder to see the darker ground outside. Keep the screen at a comfortable, lower brightness while waiting, then take a torch for the path rather than relying on the display. At 8:43 pm, allow your eyes a brief moment to adjust before approaching the viewing point, and read the river from a stable, well-lit position.
Common questions
Will it still be right when the clocks change?
Yes. It reads your device's local clock, so the move between GMT and BST at the end of March and October is picked up automatically, as long as the computer's date, time and time zone are set correctly.
Can I use this on a phone?
It works in a mobile browser, but phones lock the screen and suspend background tabs far more readily than a laptop does, which can stop the alarm sounding. For anything important, a desktop or a plugged-in laptop is the steadier option.
Does the alarm still work if I close the tab?
No. Everything runs inside this page, so closing the tab — or quitting the browser altogether — ends the countdown there and then. Leaving it open in the background is all it asks, and switching to another tab makes no difference.
What happens if my laptop goes to sleep before 8:43 pm?
The tab sleeps along with it and the alarm will not sound on time, if at all. If you are relying on it, change the power settings so the machine stays awake, or keep a phone alarm running as well.
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