Tuesday, April 27, 2010

Timing of Muggy Weather/Sea Salt v. Table Salt/Mother's Day Poll

WEATHER
Mid/upper level low is pushing eastward. Look for some showers and thunderstorms from the Tennessee Valley into the Mid-Atlantic. New storm system will bring showers and thunderstorms to the northwest today. Today, cool spots in the nation will be over New England and the Intermountatin Region and northern Rockies with highs in the 40s and 50s. Elsewhere, highs will be in the 60s, 70s and 80s.

Houston, enjoy today and Wednesday because the dewpoints are going to shoot up fast starting Thursday. It will be extremely humid through at least Tuesday of the coming week--very sauna like. Lows will be in the low 70s with highs in the 80s starting Friday. It will be very breezy starting Thursday afternoon. Highs starting Saturday will be in the upper 80s. Can't rule out any 90 degree readings, but there will be a lot of cloud cover to mitigate. Regardless, it is going to be quite warm and muggy. Also, there is a chance for showers and thunderstorms Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Next round of lower humidity will arrive middle of the coming week.

SPANISH WORD OF THE DAY
Let's do salt or sal, pronounced SAHL. What kind of SAHL do you use? Find out the difference between table salt and sea salt in the AND MORE section.

Children are inately adept at acquiring language. So, don't miss this window of opportunity. Start them out with my award winning DVDs, Let's Learn Spanish with Frank & Paco. They are on the shelf (in the education section) at Barnes & Noble stores or you can order them from http://www.frankandpaco.com, http://www.amazon.com, http://www.bn.com, http://www.bestbuy.com, or http://www.ebay.com/. Our ESL (English as a Second Language) version can be found at http://www.frankypaco.com

AND MORE
Sea Salt vs. Regular Table Salt
Okay...so I'm feeling all smart when I go to the store and pick out a salt made with sea salt. I had heard it was lower in sodium (or so I thought). I even picked up one that had iodine in it...a vital nutrient. So, a few days later I decide to actually look at the label and see just how much lower the sodium content is. It's not!!! Was it the brand? So, I start looking around on the internet. I see a few discussions where they say sodium in sea salt is lower, but generally it is because of the coarser texture--which might make you want to eat less--thus lower sodium consumption. But actually, comparing equivalent weights, they are no different in sodium content. Because it is sea salt, there are some other trace nutrients that can change the flavor a bit--perhaps to your liking. I decided to settle on an article from the Mayo Clinic, a source I trust. So, here is the link:

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/sea-salt/AN01142

Bottom line, sea salt is not lower in sodium.

Poll Results and New Poll
My poll on natural disasters is closed. Which one frightened people the most? There was a tie with 37% of respondents picking earthquakes and 37% of respondents picking hurricanes. 12% picked tsunami or tornado outbreaks. 0% picked volcanoes, wildfires, mudslides or widespread flooding. Only one answer was permitted. Thanks to all who participated.

My new poll is about mother's (given that we are a week and a half away from Mother's day). Which characteristic about Mom do you cherish the most? Only one answer is allowed. Thanks in advance for participating.

Weather Museum Golf Tournament this Friday, April 30th at Wildcat at 1 pm
This Friday, the Weather Museum will have its annual golf tournament benefitting their education programs. Many local weather celebrities will be on hand to meet and greet and even play. I will be there before the shotgun start at 1 pm. Then at 4 pm, we'll go live with KSEV's 3 Amigos and if I'm really good, they might let me sit in for a few minutes. I got to do this 2 years ago and it was so much fun.
http://www.wxresearch.org/
There is a link to the golf tournament on that front page.

Have a terrific Tuesday everyone!
Cecilia Sinclair
Wonder Weather Woman