Drought Outlook/Is It Okay to Wear Blue Jean Shorts?

WEATHER

Hey everyone--well a good buddy of mine sent me an email recently and said "come on girl, get your head back in the game". The truth is that I am constantly looking at the weather...but I have just been very busy with my new full time job/life in Austin. One neat thing is that I am handling my brother's social media business page in Facebook and 'also his Twitter account. I will frequently post concise weather updates as his "meteorologist mortgage partner". So, if you ever want to see any of those go to Facebook and look for Sam Whitworth with Guaranty Mortgage.

I see things all the time which I would like to share with you. Know that I miss posting here so much and as I said before, I'll do the best I can to post when I can.

I've had a lot of guilt about this and one friend of mine who is a mom of special needs child told me not to be so hard on myself--we have a very good reason to be busy "elsewhere".

Anyway, I've really been watching the tropics--especially with the worst drought ever in Texas--looking for some tropical rains! Dr. Jeff Masters of The Tropical Weather Underground recently pointed out that more than 75% of Texas is in the Exceptional drought category. That is the worst possible category! I have more on the drought situation in my AND MORE section.

In the tropics, as I write this post, within the last hour or so, the National Hurricane Center announced that Tropical Depression #7 has become Tropical Storm Gert. This storm will bring rain and gusty winds to Bermuda tonight. About a day's travel to the southeast is another area of disturbed weather which The National Hurricane Center says has only a 30% chance of developing. Over the next day or so, the only threat to land from both of these systems is to Bermuda.

There was another area of disturbed weather in the eastern Atlantic. But it fell apart. I'll keep watching to see if there will be any redevelopment as that area had the best chance of threatening the mainland U.S. eventually.

For those of you in Austin...we finally dropped below 100 on Saturday (yesterday)...the high was only 97. It was cloudy almost all day with some high cloudy outflow from decaying storms to the north. I took Sarah to the pool and I actually caught a chill a couple times. Brrrrr....

SPANISH WORD OF THE DAY

Let's do drought or sequía, pronounced say-KWEE-ah. This sequía is beyond dry, it's just downright pitiful. To learn about the drought, go to the AND MORE section.

We now have available Volumes 1, 2, and 3 of our DVD education videos for children, Let's Learn Spanish with Frank & Paco as well as the CD of the music from Volume 1 through 3 on our web site, www.frankandpaco.com. Buy volumes 1 through 3 and get the music CD free. We call it the bundle.

You can also find this award winning education series, Let's Learn Spanish with Frank & Paco on the shelf (in the education section) at Barnes & Noble stores or you can order them from 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. P.S. THEY MAKE TERRIFIC GIFTS!!!

AND MORE
Prayer Request
Please pray for my mother-in-law, Mary Ann. She was recently diagnosed with Stage 4 Lymphoma and it came over her in the span of 2 to 3 weeks. She has been such an amazing woman...raising 5 fantastic children and worked as the Director of Religious Education at her church. It is very difficult to see someone so full of life and vigor become so weak. I am praying for her to not lose heart and for the strength of all of her family who are working so hard to get her through her illness and treatment.

Drought Update and Outlook
I have posted the most recent drought update and outlook. First, some good news for New Mexico and part of the southeast as some improvement is expected through October 31st. For Texas, however, only persistence is expected during this time period.

3 Month Temperatures and Precipitation Outlooks
I have also posted the 3 month temperature and precipitation outlooks. For most of the south above normal temperatures are expected, while above normal precipitation is expected for the northern plains.

Is it Wrong to Wear Blue Jean Shorts
My brother recently informed my husband that it is not cool to wear blue jean shorts. Then, shortly after that, we saw a billboard in Austin which said "It is Never Okay to Wear Blue Jean Shorts". And yet, when I was shopping recently, I saw blue jean shorts on the sales rack. What do you think? Please answer my latest poll about this very important matter. Only one answer is allowed. Thanks in advance for participating.

My poll about paying attention to hurricane season this year compared to last year is closed. 40% of respondents said they are are (60% said they aren't). Thanks to all who participated.

Have a great week everyone!
Cecilia Sinclair
Wonder Weather Woman

2011 Hurricane Season/Black Cat Sighting/Sonic Skaters

HURRICANES AND WEATHER

Hi again everyone! It has been nearly 3 months since I last posted. We moved into our new home on March 25th and between all of that, new job and lots of family events, I have not been able to carve out any time to blog. But I have thought of things I want to share a million times.

Of course today is very important as it marks the beginning of the 2011 Hurricane Season for the Atlantic basic (Atlantic, Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico). As we kick it off, the Atlantic basin has a small area of low pressure just off the coast of the Carolinas. See figure at right. According to the National Hurricane Center, this area only has a 10% chance of developing as it drifts westward into land over the next day or so.

For a complete discussion of the forecast for this hurricane season, see my AND MORE section.

Weather wise, there is a slight risk for severe storms for west Texas and extreme eastern New Mexico. There is also a slight risk for eastern Michigan.

Houston and Austin will continue on the dry side through the week with and increased chance for rain late in the weekend and early in the coming week. Houston has a better chance for thunderstorms, but Austin has at least a chance. Lows will be in the low 70s with highs primarily in the low 90s. Austin hit a record high of 100 early last week. Hopefully, this is not a sign of things to come this summer. See the AND MORE section for a discussion of the Climate Prediction Center's 3 months outlooks.

For the next few days, there will be some troughiness out west and that will allow rain for parts of the west. Just a few days ago, my sister sent me a photo of her kids playing in the new snow in the Lake Tahoe area. They have had a ridiculous number of snow days and the kids will be going school at least until mid June.

The Midwest has been unusually cold and as we know wet. At my nephew's graduation celebration a week ago Friday in Council Bluffs, Iowa it was in the 50s and windy.

SPANISH WORD OF THE DAY

Let's go with vacation or de vacaciones , pronounced day vah-cah-see-OWN-ehs. Woohoo, it is time for de vacaciones. Be safe and have fun!

We have released our Volume 3 DVD and Volumes 1 through 3 music review CD for Let's Learn Spanish with Frank & Paco. We have a special at our web site. Buy the bundle--Volumes 1 through 3 and get the music review CD for FREE!!! To take advantage of that offer, go to our web site:

http://www.frankandpaco.com

You can also find my award winning education series, Let's Learn Spanish with Frank & Paco, Volumes 1 and 2, on the shelf (in the education section) at Barnes & Noble stores or you can order them from 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. P.S. THEY MAKE TERRIFIC GIFTS!!!


AND MORE
Summary
There are several forecasts for the 2011 Atlantic Hurricane Season. To summarize, all three of my favorites are forecasting an above normal hurricane season. The main reason for this is that the water temperatures are still running above normal, we continue in a multi-decadal pattern of above normal activity and even though the La Nina episode is winding down, the effect of it (which is reduced wind shear in the Atlantic basic) is expected to linger through the summer.

National Hurricane Center 2011 Hurricane Forecast
The following was copied directly from the National Hurricane Center's web site. Special shout-out to my friend Bill Read, director of the National Hurricane Center. I am so proud of you and wish you all the best this season.

Across the entire Atlantic Basin for the six-month season, which begins June 1, NOAA is predicting the following ranges this year:

•12 to 18 named storms (winds of 39 mph or higher), of which:


•6 to 10 could become hurricanes (winds of 74 mph or higher), including:


•3 to 6 major hurricanes (Category 3, 4 or 5; winds of 111 mph or higher)
Each of these ranges has a 70 percent likelihood, and indicate that activity will exceed the seasonal average of 11 named storms, six hurricanes and two major hurricanes.

“The United States was fortunate last year. Winds steered most of the season’s tropical storms and all hurricanes away from our coastlines,” said Jane Lubchenco, Ph.D., under secretary of commerce for oceans and atmosphere and NOAA administrator. “However we can’t count on luck to get us through this season. We need to be prepared, especially with this above-normal outlook.”

2011 Hurricane Season Forecast from the Weather Research Center

The following are the chances for a tropical storm to strike these locations (first number) and the average chance of same is the 2nd number.

Texas 70% 51%
Mexico 40% 40%
Louisiana to Alabama 90% 59%
West Florida 90% 71%
East Florida 60% 41%
Georgia to N. Carolina 70% 56%
East Coast of U.S. 30% 36%

The figure at right shows the areas with highest strike probability in red.

And here is their forecast for the total number of storms.
Number of Named Storms 10
Number Intensifying into Hurricanes 6

Dr. William Gray's team's 2011 Hurricane Forecast

16 named storms
9 become hurricanes
5 of those develop into major hurricanes.

72% probability that one of those major hurricanes will strike somewhere along the entire U.S. east coast, from Brownsville, Texas to northern Maine

48% chance of a major hurricane striking somewhere along the U.S. east coast


2011 Hurricane Season Names

The World Meteorological Organization puts out lists of names for the Atlantic season in 6 year sets. If a given year produces a particularly bad storm for a given name, then that name is retired and 6 years later a new name is inserted. It has been 6 years since Katrina and Rita--notice the new names in their place--Katia and Rina. Here is the set of names for this year.

Arlene
Bret
Cindy
Don
Emily
Franklin
Gert
Harvey
Irene
Jose
Katia
Lee
Maria
Nate
Ophelia
Philippe
Rina
Sean
Tammy
Vince
Whitney

Climate Prediction Center 3 Month Outlooks - June, July and August
The outlook is above normal temps for the southwest into the southeast and cooler than normal for the Midwest into the Ohio and Tennessee Valleys. The Northwest is expected to have above normal rain chances. See figures at right

Drought Assessment and Outlook
There is exceptional drought right now for much of Texas and New Mexico. The outlook is for some easing of that drought in central and eastern Texas. Keep your fingers crossed.

2nd Annual National Flood Workshop
The Weather Research Center is holding their 2nd annual National Flood Workshop in Houston from February 27th through March 1st in Houston. Abstracts are due in August. I attended the 1st one, and it was outstanding! To learn more, go to:
http://www.wxresearch.com/nfw/

News Other Than Weather Forecasts and Hurricane Season
We are really enjoying living near Brushy Creek north of Austin. The area is full of nature and yet you are very close to modern conveniences. Gordy and I both saw some kind of wild black cat when we were getting the mail. It was not a housecat...being much larger but not as large as what I would consider a mountain lion. It was not a bobcat as it had a long tail. I looked on the Internet and it said that there have never "officially" been any black jaguars in Texas. But we know what we saw. Some neighbors told us there have been news stories about this black cat...I have not looked them up yet, but I will let you know. Bottom line is that there is a lot of wildlife out here. We see deer all the time.

Finally, in case you were wondering about those skaters at Sonic, I did my own little interview recently. The guy told me that at least for their store the manager requires at least one employee to skate per shift. Everyone is expected to be able to skate, but usually the best skater is chosen. All I know is that I would kill myself doing that.

Have a great week everyone!
Cecilia Sinclair
Wonder Weather Woman

3 Month Precipitation/Temperature Outlooks/Poll on Charlie Sheen/We are in Austin

WEATHER
Sunday will be a wet day for the eastern seaboard from Florida to Massachusetts. Very cold for the northern plains with highs in the single digits. Pleasant for the south central and southwest with low humidity, sunshine and highs in the 60s and 70s and 80s. Look for snow for the Rockies, northern plains into the Ohio Valley and Great Lakes.

Houston and Austin, rain is either coming to an end or has already ended. A windy day today and then pleasant on Sunday with chilly morning temperatures and highs in the 60s and 70s. Some rain possible mainly for Houson middle of the coming week. Next best chance for T-Storms a week from Monday.

SPANISH WORD OF THE DAY
Let's do toiler paper or papel higiénico, pronounced pah-PELL ee-hee-EHN-ee-coh. Find out where I saw the best papel higiénico dispenser ever in the AND MORE section.

Very excited developments for my DVD Spanish language series...we received our first royalty check from a company called Wonderscape Entertainement--woohoo!

We have released our Volume 3 DVD and Volumes 1 through 3 music review CD for Let's Learn Spanish with Frank & Paco. We have a special at our web site. Buy the bundle--Volumes 1 through 3 and get the music review CD for FREE!!! To take advantage of that offer, go to our web site:

http://www.frankandpaco.com

You can also find my award winning education series, Let's Learn Spanish with Frank & Paco, Volumes 1 and 2, on the shelf (in the education section) at Barnes & Noble stores or you can order them from 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. P.S. THEY MAKE TERRIFIC GIFTS!!!

AND MORE
Cecilia is now in Austin
I am now resurfacing after completing (well almost completing) the rigors of a city to city move. We are staying with my sister Liz thanks sis!) in Austin until our house is done being built. We should be getting into it at the end of the month. Her apartment is super nice (much nicer than anything I ever stayed in). It is 2 bedrooms and 2 baths...so we have our own space. We eased into this living arrangement very easily.

Sarah has completed her first week at her new school. She made an amazingly smooth transition and is very happy.

I start my new job on Monday.

This week we finalized the closing of our house in Missouri City. We have been enjoying the Brushy Creek part area which is close to where we will be living. It is an amazing never to be developed area complete with lake, dam and 8 mile running trail. The weather has been amazing.

Overall, the lifestyle seems to be more laid back here and that is nice for us in our old age. Ha! Ha!

Of course we have been eating out, enjoying new restaurants. The picture at right is of an amazing toilet paper dispenser I saw in a restaurant yesterday. What a great design...no more fumbling to find the end of the toilet paper roll...no more mess. Love it! Who know such a simple thing could make my day so much.

We are amazed at how many restaurants, retail stores and especially pharmacies there are around here. Are people sick more often in Austin?

I can tell the air is cleaner. My allergies are almost non-existent (at least at the moment).

I will be working full time. So, I won't promise frequent posts. But I will do what I can as I love to discuss the weather.

Gave my first weather forecast to the general contractor working on our new home. He had to pour some concrete and needed to know when it would rain. I think I nailed it...hope it worked out for him.

New Poll
My poll on whether you enjoyed being off the last dangerous winter weather day is closed. 77% said they did. 0% said they did not. And 22% said they did not get the day off. Only one answer was allowed. Thanks to all who participated.

My new poll is about Charlie Sheen. I will give you my thoughts about his situation after the poll closes as I don't want to skew the answers. Do you think his recent problems will result in a positive impact on people with addictions? Only one answer is allowed. Thanks in advance for participating.

3 Month Temperature/Precipitation Forecasts
The March through May temperature from the Climate Prediction Center calls for above normal temperatures for much of the southern half of the country and below normal tempeatures for the Pacific northwest through the western Great Lakes states and for the southern half of Alaska. For precipitation, the outlook is for drier than normal conditions for all of the south and into the central plains and also for coastal Alaska.

Drought-wise, from Arizona to Florida and northward through Virginia there will be persistence to development of drought. Northern Alabama and western Tennessee and Hawaii will experience an improvement in conditions.

This tree is not dead
Our new house has a Gum Bumelia tree. At first we thought it was a dead oak tree, but then we figured out what it was. These kinds of trees are all over around here and there is often mistletoe in the branches. I was interested to read that the sap was often chewed like gum. The attached link says that it is an evergreen but the ones around here have no leaves right now.
http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/ornamentals/natives/bumelialanuginosa.htm

Have a great week everyone!
Cecilia Sinclair
Wonder Weather Woman

Icey roadways possible this afternoon through Thurs. morning

A dicey situation today, Wed. 2/9 as light freezing rain is falling (as I write this post) at locations as close in to Houston as Tomball.

Winter Weather Advisory remains in effect this afternoon. If you are driving anywhere this afternoon, except the immediate coast, be especially careful about driving over bridges and overpasses. Pay attention as temperatures will continue to drop as cold air filters into the area with a cold front. At the same time, a drying trend will begin with rain/sleet ending area wide by 6 pm.

Problems to watch out for overnight and early Thursday are any locations which have ice remaining. Temperatures will fall into the mid to upper 20s across most of the area tonight.

So, take side roads if needed and if possible, just stay home.

Cecilia Sinclair
Wonder Weather Woman

Week's Weather/Winter Storm Photos/Favorite Super Bowl Snack

WEATHER
Very cold start to the week for the northern plains and Great Lakes with highs near zero in North Dakota and single digits to teens elsewhere in the area. Look for snow around the Great Lakes and southward to Cincinnati. Also some snow showers around Boise Idaho. Some thunderstorms are possible from New Orleans into Florida. Pleasant for California and the southwest with highs in the 60s and 70s (except New Mexico will be in the 30s and 40s). The southeast and southern plains will have highs mainly in the 50s while the Pacific Northwest will have highs in the 40s and the Rockies will be mainly in the 30s. The Northeast will have highs in the 20s and 30s while the East Coast will have highs in the 40s and 50s. The Midwest and Ohio Valley will have highs in the 20s and 30s.

Nice warmup this Sunday in Houston. But a new cold front arrives in a few hours. Might get a sprinkle or too. Today was the first day in 5 days that the low was not in the 20s. Low at Bush IAH airport this morning was a balmy 32. Cooler on Monday. Then a slight warmup Tuesday before another cold front arrives Wednesday into Thursday. Look for some showers on Wednesday. But, it does not look like there will be an ice storm.

SPANISH WORD OF THE DAY
Let's do snack or merienda, pronounced mare-ee-EHN-dah. What is your favorite Super Bowl merienda? I love guacomole!

We have released our Volume 3 DVD and Volumes 1 through 3 music review CD for Let's Learn Spanish with Frank & Paco. We have a special at our web site. Buy the bundle--Volumes 1 through 3 and get the music review CD for FREE!!! To take advantage of that offer, go to our web site:

http://www.frankandpaco.com

You can also find my award winning education series, Let's Learn Spanish with Frank & Paco, Volumes 1 and 2, on the shelf (in the education section) at Barnes & Noble stores or you can order them from 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. P.S. THEY MAKE TERRIFIC GIFTS!!!

AND MORE
Friday's ice storm in Houston just shows that it doesn't take much ice to make a big mess. Most precipitation amounts in the area were less than 1/10 of an inch. Snow did not materialize around Houston...just too warm aloft. But as we saw, it was plenty cold at the surface to freeze the rain on contact with the ground. Hope you enjoy the photos at right.

My poll on whether you think the economy is rebounding is closed. 50% of you said they think it is. 25% said they don't think it is. And 25% said they are not sure. Only one answer was allowed. Thanks to all who participated.

My new poll is about the recent winter storms that hit much of the nation. Did you enjoy getting a day off from work or school. Or did you get a day off? I realize that many of you may have had several days off. So, please excuse the fact that I said day off instead of day(s) off. Only one answer is allowed. Thanks in advance for particpating.

Hope you enjoyed the Super Bowl. Have a great week everyone!

Cecilia Sinclair
Wonder Weather Woman

What winter weather to expect through Fri. 2/4/11

Hello everyone -
The National Weather Service has issued a Winter Storm Warning for southeast Texas effective from noon today through noon Friday.

The warning means that dangerous winter weather like ice is expected.

I think the timing of the worst of the weather will be from 9 pm tonight through 6 am Friday. Problem is that even if the precpitation stops at 6 am, there will be a lot of icey roads. So, I wouldn't be surprised if there are lots and lots of school and even business cancellations. Conditions should be vastly improved by Friday afternoon.

Snow is possible (several inches), especially for area north of the 59 corridor. But the biggest concern is ice. The 1000-500 mb thicknesses south of the 59 corridor may not ever be low enough for snow production. But, the low level temperatures will be below freezing for a good portion of the area. And, that means that if cold rain falls, it has a good chance of turning into ice, especially for exposed bridges and overpasses.

Be safe everyone!
Cecilia Sinclair
Wonder Weather Woman

Storms/Arctic Cold/Snow Houston Area

Hello all -
Big, big changes coming...

First slight risk for severe storms Tuesday morning.
Lows in 20s for most of Houston area Wed./Thurs/and Fri mornings and highs Wed and Thurs mainly in 30s. Coldest feeling day will be Wed. as it will be quite windy.

Snow possible Thursday pm into Friday morning...will have to keep checking this...but could get an inch or more in Houston area depending on how things come together.

Cecilia Sinclair
Wonder Weather Woman

February through April Temperature and Precipitation Outlooks/The Big Move

WEATHER
Chilly this Tuesday across the Great Lakes and northeast with highs in the teens and 20s. There will also be snow around northern Minnesota, the Great Lakes and over to Boston. There is a slight risk for severe storms in Florida through the overnight hours.

Houston, the sunshine will return today, but it will be breezy and chilly. Into the weekend, lows will be in the 30s and highs will be in the 60s (starting Wednesday). Look for a light freeze in outlying areas Wed., Thurs. and Fri. mornings. Clouds return Saturday will some rain beginning Saturday night and continuing through Sunday. There will be lingering cloudiness and some rain through the middle of the coming week.

SPANISH WORD OF THE DAY
Let's do move out or mudarse, pronunced moo-DAHR-say. It is time for us to mudarse of our house. Find out why in the AND MORE section.

We have released our Volume 3 DVD and Volumes 1 through 3 music review CD for Let's Learn Spanish with Frank & Paco. We have a special at our web site. Buy the bundle--Volumes 1 through 3 and get the music review CD for FREE!!! To take advantage of that offer, go to our web site:

http://www.frankandpaco.com

You can also find my award winning education series, Let's Learn Spanish with Frank & Paco, Volumes 1 and 2, on the shelf (in the education section) at Barnes & Noble stores or you can order them from 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. P.S. THEY MAKE TERRIFIC GIFTS!!!

AND MORE
New Poll
My new poll is about the economy...do you think it is really getting better? Only one answer is allowed. Thanks in advance for participating.

Meteorology Meeting in Houston
The Houston Chapter of the American Meteorological Society will have its monthly meeting on Monday, Jan. 31st at Saltgrass Steak House at 20241 Gulf Freeway in Webster. Dinner will be at 6:00 pm and the meeting will be at 7:00 pm. The topic will be "Hurricane Ike and Some Comparisons" presented by Lance Wood, Science and Operations Officer at the National Weather Service.

How to Find Out What It is Like to be a Sheriff
My buddy Leslie Williams, Houston Chronicle writer, sent me this link to one of her recent articles--it's about a program where kids can ride along and find out what it is like to be a sheriff. Here's the link and thanks Leslie!
http://ultimatecyfair.com/stories/228277-residents-invited-to-learn-what-it-s-like-to-be-a-sheriff-s-deputy

New Climate Outlooks and Drought Maps
I have posted at right the latest Feb. through April temperature and precipitation outlooks from the Climate Prediction Center. Much of the south is expected to have above normal temperatures with below normal precipitation. The west coast and western Alaska are supposed to have below normal temperatures. The Rockies and Great Lakes into Ohio Vally are supposed to be wetter than normal.

Drought is expected to persist for much of Texas and southern states. New drought will develop for a part of Nebraska and into northern Texas and westward to Arizona. Drought problems should improve in parts of Hawaii.

3rd Annual Groundhog Gala at Rice Hotel Feb. 2, 2011
It's almost time for the 3rd annual Groundhog Gala which will be held again at the Rice Hotel's crystal ballroom this Feb. 2nd. There is expected to be a huge crowd this year. So, it will be quite the event!

I'm Moving to Austin and Some Observations and Tips
My husband recently took early retirement. Congratulations Gordy!!! As he takes over a lot of our duties with Sarah, I have taken a full time position with Guaranty Bank. My brother is actually the one who pulled me in...I will be his Production Partner to get mortgages processed. Much of his business is through the Austin/San Antonio corridor and he has been super busy. I think it is because that is one of the economically healthier places in the country and a lot of people are moving there for that reason. Once we are settled, then Gordy is going to begin one of the new ventures he has been considering. BTW, if you know someone who loves variety and has good people and computer skills, they are looking to replace me. So let me know!

Being employed in the business sector is a natural for me. I am hoping that I will get to use some of what I learned from my MBA program. I have also worked in the business sector before--accounting firm, banking, and most recently as a law clerk. By the way, I want to thank my dear friend Marilyn for letting me work part time at Griffin and Griffin law firm. That has been a super fun job and I have learned so much!!! Gordy and I are very grateful for these last 2 years.

So, you can imagine that we have been very busy with trying to sell our house. And, it looks like we finally have. We have also purchased a home in the Austin area.

Our realtor, Susan Greer, with Coldwell Bankers has been phenomenal. She always uses a stager. So, after we thoroughly decluttered, the stager came in and made our house look like a model home. Gordy was amazing with painting and fixing up the house. It really did look brand new.

In the process of decluttering/staging, I learned the following:
-I took 7 large boxes of clothing out of our master closet. Neither Gordy nor I missed a thing. Obviously we had way more than we needed.
-We decided to move our bathing operations to a smaller secondary bath and leave the master bath clean and neat...this proved quite valuable when we were having to clean up and get out within 30 minutes
-Get some new range top burner trays and put those in for showings and use your old ones when cooking. It was an amazing face lift for the range top...looked brand new. When we did take the time to cook, I just put the old ones back in. That way I didn't have to worry about messing up. After dinner and dishes, I just popped the new ones back in.
-Eat dinner together at a table with the TV off. We had gotten into a terrible habit of eating in front of the TV. What a blessing it was to be forced to eat at the table. We sat and visited and rediscovered each other as a family. We have decided to keep this up after we move.

So, my dear friends, I am going to be very busy. But I will try to post as often as possible. I will also keep my ties with the American Meteorological Society and National Weather Association. I will always love meteorology.

Have a great week!
Cecilia Sinclair
Wonder Weather Woman

Heavy Rain Threat/Winter Weather/New Year's Resolutions

WEATHER

Good morning everyone! Sorry to be such a stranger, but we are in the middle of trying to sell our house, and between that, work, business and just life, I am struggling to keep up.

Big weather story for southeast Texas is the heavy rain expected overnight tonight and early Sunday and the potential for wintry weather (sleet/freezing rain/snow) for areas well north of Houston tonight and Sunday and then the slight possibility of some sleet/snow for Houston area mid-week.

A cold front is already affecting the Houston area and as an upper storm approaches today, skies will turn cloudy by late afternoon. Overnight and through early afternoon Sunday, there could be some very heavy rain (2 to 3 inches) and there is a slight possibility of some tornadoes due to turning in the atmosphere. There is not a tornado watch issued as I write this post, but just be aware that might be a possiblity. The biggest threat is the heavy rain which according to the National Weather Service, could cause some minor flooding. If you plan to drive north into northeast Texas (on I45 or Highway 59), be aware that you could run into some icey roads and nasty travel conditions. If you are driving up there during the day tomorrow, conditions should improve, but you might see some snow flurries as far south as Huntsville.

The other big story is the dramatic change in temperature. Highs on Sunday will not get out of the 40s and I think it is possible that much of the area will stay in the 30s. It is also going to be very windy and there could be some coastal flooding due to high surf. Monday, there will likely be some sunshine and slightly warmer conditions but then a reinforcing shot of cold air will bring temperatures back down for the rest of the week and there will be some persistent cloudiness mid-week into the end of the week with a slight chance of precipitation Wed/Thurs. With temperatures being so cold, I won't rule out some snow flurries mid-week, but the air will be very dry. So, anything that falls will likely evaporate before you even see it. But I will keep and eye on those developments.

So, to sum it up:
Overnight and into early Sunday, heavy rain and flooding for Houston and surrounding areas
Wintry travel weather north of Houston tonight and even Sunday as far south as College Station to Huntsville to Livingston

AND MORE
Just a quick mention that our New Year's Resolutions poll is closed. 0% said they kept their resolutions for an entire year. 16% said they kept for a few months. 16% said they kept for a few weeks. 0% said they kept for a few days. 16% said they kept for one day. And, 50% said they never start. Only one answer was allowed. Thanks to all who participated.

I'll try to have a new poll on my next poll.

Have a safe weekend everyone!

Cecilia Sinclair
Wonder Weather Woman

New Year's Eve forecast/New Year's Resolutions

A quick post this evening to let you know that the heavy rain for the Houston area is over. There is only a slight chance for showers on Thursday. On New Year's Eve, there will be some thunderstorms during the day as the next cold front approaches. There will mild weather until the front passes...then a cold front arrives by New Year's eve evening. The rain should be over in time for going out on New Year's Eve evening. Take a jacket because by midnight, temperatures will be in the 50s. New Year's Day will be dry and cool. For several days, lows will be in the 40s and highs in the 50s and 60s into the middle of the coming week.

Next rain for Houston will come in the middle of the coming week.

For nation, trough out west will be in place for the next week or so...that means it will be chilly over the Rockies and northern plains and much of the west for the next week or so. The northeast will also have rounds of cold weather. Thursday, there will be snow over the northern Rockies and northern plains. DC/New York/NJ will have highs in the 30s and 40s and no snow.

My poll on when Christmas gifts are opened is closed. I think I accidentally allowed more than one answer because the percentages added up to more than 100. 74% said they open all gifts on Christmas Day, 28% said they open on Christmas Eve and 14% said they open at all different times. No one said they don't open Christmas gifts, open over the 12 days of Christmas or a little each day until Christmas.

My new poll is about New Year's Resolutions. How long do you usually keep your's or do you even get started.

Happy New Year everyone!!!

Cecilia Sinclair
Wonder Weather Woman

A Wet Christmas Eve for Houston

Just a quick note this evening to let you know that there will be some storms--looks like from 5 pm to around 2 am Christmas morning. There could even be some thunderstorms in the mix. However, National Weather Service is not predicting severe storms. If you plan to go to church services Friday evening, take your umbrella...for Christmas morning, take a coat.

Much colder and windy on Saturday, Christmas Day--highs may not break 50. Sun should come out in the afternoon. Then chilly but not windy on Sunday with freezing outlying areas early Sunday morning. Also expect freezing for outlying areas early on Monday.

Expect rain to return mid-week with milder temperatures.

Merry Christmas everyone!

Cecilia Sinclair
Wonder Weather Woman

Christmas Week Forecast/Weather Travel Trouble Spots/Winter Begins

WEATHER
This weekend, the coldest air will be over the northern states. Highs will be in the teens for the northern plains and twenties for the Great Lakes and much of New England. Today (Saturday) look for snow over the Sierra Nevada and Intermountain Region as well as over the Great Lakes. On Sunday, there will be snow over Sierra Nevada into the Rockies.

Worst travel days this coming week will be over southern California, the Southwest and southern Rockies on Tuesday and Wednesday and and over the Ohio Valley on Christmas Eve into New York early on Christmas.

Houston, the weather this week will be very pleasant. Lows will be in the 40s and 30s for most of the week and highs will be in the 50s into the 70s. Another shot of cool air will arrive for Christmas Day making the lows in the 40s and highs in the 50s. Rain chances through the coming weekend are almost nil.

SPANISH WORD OF THE DAY
Let's do cold or frio, pronounced FREE-oh. It is going to be very frio in the northern states of the US this week.

Our Volume 3 DVD and Volumes 1 through 3 music review CD have arrived!!! We have 1000 copies of each. Within the next few days, our web site will have these available and if you buy Volumes 1 through 3, you will get the music review CD for free. In the meantime, you can find my award winning education series, Let's Learn Spanish with Frank & Paco, Volumes 1 and 2, 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. P.S. THEY MAKE TERRIFIC GIFTS!!!

AND MORE
New Poll
My poll on Christmas cards is closed. 100% of respondents said they send their Christmas cards via mail. No one said they send their's by email or combination or not at all. Only one answer was allowed. Thanks to all who participated.

My new poll is about when you open Christmas gifts...Christmas Eve, Christmas Day or some other combination. Only one answer is allowed. Thanks in advance for participating.

Storm Cheer Special Needs APEX Team Wows Crowds
Sarah's special needs cheerleading team had another exhibition last weekend at the United Cheer competition held at the Merrill Center in Katy, Texas. This was a really big event with competitors coming from as far as Lubbock, Texas. Sarah's team came out and gave a superb performance which prompted a standing ovation. As we looked around we saw tears streaming down the faces of the audience. Everyone was so gracious and so kind. It was truly a wonderful day! Special thanks to Storm Cheer for sponsoring this team! The coaches, Jennifer and Brian, have been particularly awesome!!!

Winter Officially Begins Tuesday Dec. 21st
According to the US Naval Observatory, the Winter Solstice ("shortest day of the year" and official start of Winter) will begin on Tuesday, the 21st at 6:38 pm. From there on, the amount of daylight will increase slightly each day (although early one the change will won't be very apparent).

New 3 Month Outlooks and Drought Outlook
The Climate Prediction Center has put out the January through March outlooks for temperature and precipitation. Looks like the south central US will have above normal temperatures while the west and northwest and Alaska will have below normal temperatures. The Ohio Valley and Northwest will have above normal precipitation with much of the south experiencing below normal precipitation chances. Drought- wise, Texas is developing drought again with either persistence or a worsening of conditions expected. There are many other areas increasing in drought--see figure at right.

Safe travels and Happy Holidays to all of you!
Cecilia Sinclair
Wonder Weather Woman

Cold Weather Returning/Very Special Cheerleading Team

WEATHER
Western ridge/eastern trough pattern continues into early next week. That will keep the really cold air riding up over the northern Rockies into the Midwest and southward to the eastern Gulf coastal states and into the northeast. It means over the weekend places like Montana and Minnesota will have areas where the high never gets above zero or the low single digits. It means snow for the Rockies, Great Lakes and northern New England this weekend. Meanwhile, much of the southwest will and southeast will enjoy mild afternoons.

Pattern starts changing early in the coming week as the western ridge flattens allowing the cold air to move further south--into the following weekend.

Houston, we'll get a glancing blow of colder air via a cold front on the backside of the eastern trough. This means chilly and windy weather for Sunday with some mid 20s lows for areas north of Houston Sunday night into Monday morning. Bottom line, if you don't like it cold, do your running around on Saturday.

SPANISH WORD OF THE DAY
Let's do team spirit or espíritu de equipo, pronounced ehs-PEE-ree-tu DAY eh-KEE-poh. To ready a beautiful story about espíritu de equipo, go to the AND MORE section.

Our Volume 3 DVD and Volumes 1 through 3 music review CD should be arriving this week. We have ordered 1000 copies of each. In the meantime, you can find my award winning education series, Let's Learn Spanish with Frank & Paco, Volumes 1 and 2, 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. P.S. THEY MAKE TERRIFIC GIFTS!!!

AND MORE
Storm Cheer Special Needs APEX Gets Standing Ovation at American Spirit Competition
Last Saturday, Sarah was part of a special performance at the American Spirit Cheerleading Competition held at Houston's Astro Arena. Storm Cheer has a special team called Apex, made of up of children with disabilities and volunteer high school cheerleaders. Sarah has a wonderful partner Lauren, who gives up her valuable time one day each week to help Sarah enjoy cheerleading. The team is also coached by Jennifer and Brian at Storm Cheer, whose enthusiasm is tremendously appreciated. The team made everyone proud as they did their sommersaults and pyramids. It was absolutely awesome!!! They have another exhibition this weekend. Go Storm Cheer Apex team!

Have a great weekend everyone!
Cecilia Sinclair
Wonder Weather Woman

Long Dry Spell/Recycling hazardous waste/Large Furniture Pickup and Tax Deduction

WEATHER
We are finished with the Atlantic basin hurricane season as of November 30th. So, until June 1, 2011, the start of the next hurricane season, this section will just be about non-tropical cyclone weather.

The US weather pattern is stuck in a rut with a persistent cold trough over the northeastern US and a part of a smaller trough over the eastern US. This also means that the wet weather will be riding over northern California and then up into the Rockies and through the Midwest and down to the Tennessee Valley and into the eastern seaboard for the next week of so. Just talked to my brother last night. He and his wife Wanda are back up at Mayo doing a followup to her thyroid removal for cancer. He said it was snowing like crazy and it was that really neat dry, powdery snow. Mayo Clinic is in Minnesota. Btw, Wanda is doing very well but is very tired as not being allowed to take hormones right now as part of the treatment. Please keep them in your prayers.

Anyway, it will be very cold over the western Great Lakes states and northeast on Sunday with highs in the teens and 30s. There will be snow over parts of the Great Lakes states. Meanwhile, dry and pleasant across the southwest and southern plains with highs in the 50s to 70s.

Houston, next week will be on the cool side with Sunday through Tuesday highs only in the 50s and lows in the 30s...bundle up Sunday as it will be breezy. Don't look for rain for at least 9 days...very dry pattern in place.


SPANISH WORD OF THE DAY
Let's do window blinds or persianas de la ventana, pronounced pair-see-ah-NAHS day lah vehn-TAH-na. Having a problem with your persianas de la ventana. Check the AND MORE section for the name of an excellent repair person.

Spoke to our CD production guy and he said they are printing the graphic inserts for the front covers of our new Volume 3 DVD and soon to be released music review CD. Very soon, we will have 1000 copies of our new Volume 3 DVD and Music CD for Volumes 1, 2 and 3. In the meantime, you can find my award winning education series, Let's Learn Spanish with Frank & Paco, Volumes 1 and 2, 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. P.S. THEY MAKE TERRIFIC GIFTS!!!

AND MORE
New Poll
My poll on method for gift shopping is closed. 100% of respondents said they are doing most of their shopping by Internet. No one said they were doing most of their shopping in person at stores, making homemade, by catalog or not giving gifts. Only one answer was allowed. Thanks to all who participated.

My new poll is about how you send Christmas or New Year's greetings--or do you do this at all? Only one answer is allowed. Thanks in advance for participating.

How to Get Window Blind Strings Repaired
We have lovely wide Levolor window blinds in our home. The problem is that they are fairly heavy and occasionally a string (used to adjust the blinds) breaks. It took me a while to find someone who wanted to work such a small job as fixing a broken string or pulley, but I have a great guy for this. He just fixed up two of our windows. His name is Larry Thomas and he is the owner of City Blind Repair 713-664-0444. Give him a call and get those windows working again!

Get rid of that heavy furniture and get a nice tax deduction
Gordy and I just got rid of a bunch of old furniture. One was a sectional sofa with sleeper sofa on one side. We didn't want to pay to have these carted off and we didn't have a truck we could use to move them. So, I contacted The Salvation Army at 713-869-3551. They will schedule large furniture pickups. If you call, make sure you tell them everything you want picked up. And don't expect to get any computer desks picked up. Apparently, they have had trouble getting rid of those and they end up costing them money to unload. You can also schedule the pickup online by emailing SAtruck.org. In Houston, the furniture is taken to a huge warehouse. There are 20 trucks running every day and they fill them up about twice a day. The proceeds go to Adult Rehabilitation Centers Comman. According to long time employee, David, the books are zeroed out each month. Any profit left over is given to the other efforts of the Salvation Army such as disaster relief.

Side note on the huge computer desk I no longer needed. We put it out with the garbage the night before the weekly large item garbage pickup and within 10 minutes, someone had taken it away. Glad someone found it useful!

Properly dispose of Hazardous Waste
While cleaning out junk in my home, I came across 5 portable DVD player batteries and an empty propane can. All said to dispose of properly and NOT put in the trash. Well Sugar Land and Missouri City had no place for dropping off this kind of waste. So I went to the City of Houston web site and they have 2 hazardous waste disposal centers. One is on the north side and one is at Highway 90 and Post Oak. That location takes waste from 9 am to 3 pm on Tuesday and Wednesday and they also have some Friday hours. It is super easy...you just drive through this long open warehouse. You stop at a designated point and they open your trunk and take the bad stuff away for proper disposal. They also take leftover paint. Certain days of the month they give the public the opportunity to take away any unused paint for personal use.

Here's to getting all those deductions by year end and reusing through recycling!

Cecilia Sinclair
Wonder Weather Woman

Thanksgiving Weekend Forecast/La Nina Winter Impact

WEATHER
The Atlantic basin hurricane season officially ends November 30th and currently Atlantic and Pacific are quiet.

Meanwhile a big winter storm is pushing into the western US and blizzard warnings and winter storm warnings have been issued for the Wasatch and Rocky Mountain ranges. Also, there are winter storm warnings for the Sierra Nevada. This storm system will make its way eastward over the first part of the holiday weekend, bringing some of the coldest temperatures so far this year to much of the country.

On Wednesday, look for winter travel troubles in the Rockies and Wasatch ranges as well as the Sierra Nevada. Also, there is a slight risk for severe storms for eastern Oklahoma, extreme southeastern Kansas, Missouri and Arkansas. Very cold for the northern Rockies and northern plains with highs in the single digits and teens. While it will be very warm across the south and southeast. The northeast will be chilly and windy with highs in the 30s and 40s.

On Thanksgiving Day, look for some snow for the western Great Lakes states and the Lakes into upstate New York. There will be some thunderstorms from Texas into the Ohio Valley.

Tuesday brought record tieing warm to Houston with a high of 85 (last time that warm this date was 1973). Houston will be warm, muggy and breezy on Wednesday through daytime Thursday. Cold front arrives Thursday evening. Look for some thunderstorms Thursday afternoon and evening. Starting out in the 40s on Friday morning...should be a dry and pleasantly cool shopping day--don't forget your jacket. Saturday morning will be coolest morning this season with some locations hitting the freezing mark. Average first freeze for Bush Airport is usually Dec. 1. So, we will be a little early this year. Outlying areas should plan to protect delicate plants on Friday evening. Then, a slight warmup through the weekend--should be really nice. Some showers Monday as next cold front arrives, bringing another drop in temperatures for the coming Tuesday.

SPANISH WORD OF THE DAY
Let's do thank you or gracias, pronounced grah-SEE-ahs. Don't forget to say gracias for all your many blessings this Thanksgiving Day.

And talk about grateful. I am so glad we have now shipped the master of our DVD and CD to our disk creation partner. In about 2 weeks, we should have 1000 copies of our new Volume 3 DVD and Music CD for Volumes 1, 2 and 3. In the meantime, you can find my award winning education series, Let's Learn Spanish with Frank & Paco, Volumes 1 and 2, 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. P.S. THEY MAKE TERRIFIC GIFTS!!!

AND MORE
La Nina and Information from Climate Prediction Center
Looks like we are having a moderate to strong La Nina episode this winter. La Nina is in essence the opposite of El Nino. Just like with El Nino, there can be extremes in weather conditions. This winter, the Climate Prediction Center is predicting above normal temperatures for the southern states and south central US with cooler than normal weather for the northwest. It also looks like it will be drier than normal over much of the south and that will aggravate drought conditions or at least cause persistence in drought.

I pulled the following regional impact discussion from the Climate Prediction Center's section on La Nina:

•Pacific Northwest: colder and wetter than average. La Niña often brings lower than average temperatures and increased mountain snow to the Pacific Northwest and western Montana during the winter months, which is good for the replenishment of water resources and winter recreation but can also lead to greater flooding and avalanche concerns;
•Southwest: warmer and drier than average. This will likely exacerbate drought conditions in these areas. All southern states are at risk of having above normal wildfire conditions starting this winter and lasting into the spring;
•Northern Plains: colder and wetter than average. Likely to see increased storminess and flooding;
•Southern Plains, Gulf Coast States & Southeast: warmer and drier than average. This will likely exacerbate drought conditions in these areas. All southern states are at risk of having above normal wildfire conditions starting this winter and lasting into the spring;
•Florida: drier than average, with an equal chance for above-, near-, or below-normal temperatures. Above normal wildfire conditions;
•Ohio and Tennessee Valleys: warmer and wetter than average. Likely to see increased storminess and flooding;
•Northeast and Mid-Atlantic: equal chances for above-, near-, or below-normal temperatures and precipitation. Winter weather for these regions is often driven not by La Niña but by weather patterns over the northern Atlantic Ocean and Arctic. These are often more short-term, and are generally predictable only a week or so in advance. If enough cold air and moisture are in place, areas north of the Ohio Valley and into the Northeast could see above-average snow;
•Central U.S.: equal chances of above-near-or below normal temperatures and precipitation;
•Hawaii: drier than normal through November, then wetter than normal December through February. Statewide, the current drought is expected to continue through the winter, with several locations remaining on track to become the driest year on record. Drought recovery is more likely on the smaller islands of Kauai and Molokai, and over the windward slopes of the Big Island and Maui;
•Alaska: odds favor colder than average temperatures with equal chances of above or below normal precipitation. The interior and southern portions of the state are currently drier than normal. A dry winter may set Alaska up for a greater chance of above normal wildfire conditions in the spring.


November 17th Has Been Designated Smith-Magenis Syndrome Awareness Day
Smith-Magenis Syndrome is an underdiagnosed syndrome characterized by a micro-deletion on the 17th chromosome or an RAI1 gene mutation on the 17th chromosome. My daughter, Sarah, has this syndrome. And because we were able to get this diagnosed early, we were able to find out about a serious ureter condition which might have led to the destruction of her kidneys. Early diagnosis prevented this dangerous development and we are so grateful. Of course there is much, much more to know about this syndrome...not only physical concerns but behavioral and cognitive as well. If you know someone who is dealing with a child who has been undiagnosed and possibly given a broad spectrum label like PDD or autism or as a baby has been thought to have Down Syndrome, please have them check out the following web site:
http://prisms.org/start.htm

November is National Adoption Month
Adoption is a loving choice and I can tell you first hand, its is the most worthwhile and joyful thing I have ever done. When I worked at FOX, I did a monthly feature on adoption working with DePelchin.org. What I learned is that many people want to adopt, but they fear the cost. What they don't realize is that for minorities and older children, there is often no cost and there are lots of financial incentives like paid college tuition for a Texas school. To learn more, go to DePelchin's web site:
http://www.depelchin.org/Home-1.html
Don't forget there is always a need for foster homes as well.

New Poll
My poll on selling your gold is closed. 40% said they had already sold their gold. 40% said they don't have any to sell. 20% said they are considering selling the gold they have. And 0% said they are definitely selling their gold. Thanks to all who participated.

My new poll is about holiday shopping. How do you do most of your shopping? Only one answer is allowed. Thanks in advance for participating.

Thanksgiving Reflection
Tomorrow, the 24th, would have been my Dad's 74th birthday. He died nine years ago, right before Sarah came into our life. I still think of my Dad almost every day. He taught me the old saying of "Life is Not Fair". This has been very helpful to me in times when well, things have just not been fair. I think if more people would think of this, they would stop walking around acting and feeling like victims and maybe concentrate more on their many blessings. This is not to say that they aren't suffering, but rather, that they are not wallowing in their suffering and choosing to concentrate on the positive.

And I am of course grateful for the other Dads in my life--my wonderful stepdad Gerry and father-in-law Dale...both whom I love dearly.

I am grateful for all of my family and friends, my faith (which I must never forget), and all of my countless blessings.

Wishing all of you a very happy, grateful, and safe Thanksgiving!

Cecilia Sinclair
Wonder Weather Woman

Clouds/Rain Returning/Sell Your Gold?/Special Work of Photographer

HURRICANES AND WEATHER
Sorry for the delay folks...have had so much going on--including working hard on the release of my next DVD.

There is an area of disturbed weather in the western Caribbean which the National Hurricane Center says has a 40% chance of developing into a tropical storm within the next 48 hours.

The tropical Pacific is quiet.

In the United States, some snow has been falling over the western Great Lakes states and there is are Winter Storm Warnings and Advisories for parts of Minnesota and Wisconsin. No thunderstorms are predicted for Sunday, but there could be snow around Minneapolis and some rain from the Great Lakes southward to the north central Gulf and south Texas.

In Houston, look for the clouds and even some rain to return by late afternoon. There will be some rain overnight Sunday into early Monday. Then look for sunshine to return by Tuesday with lows in the 40s and 50s and highs in the 60s into the coming weekend. There could be some showers the following Sunday/Monday time frame.

SPANISH WORD OF THE DAY
Let's go with gold or oro, pronounced OR-oh. Find out how much I got for the oro just sitting in my jewelry box.

Finally! This week we are submitting our order for Volume 3 of our award winning DVD series for children. And we got a large order from Barnes and Noble for their special holiday promotion. You can find my award winning education series, Let's Learn Spanish with Frank & Paco, Volumes 1 and 2, 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. P.S. THEY MAKE TERRIFIC GIFTS!!!

AND MORE
Fashion Photographer Celebrates Special Needs and Differences
Fashion Photographer Rick Guidotti of Positive Exposures and Dr. Lorraine Potocki, Baylor Geneticist, were special guests at the 7th annual Houston SMS picnic. Gray skies cleared quickly...giving way to perfect fall temperatures and beautiful blue skies. Rick whipped out his camera and started clicking aways as SMS children and their siblings went on a scavenger hunt, played picture bingo, sticker attack, cookie walk and yes, even jeopardy. We can't wait to see all the happy faces he caught. Rick is passionate about capturing all people as the vibrant individuals they are. Rick Guidotti of Positive Exposures will be in Houston on Friday Nov 12th and Saturday Nov 13th. Rick flew into Houston from NYC on Friday to give the Compassion and Art of Medicine Lecture called "The Spirit of Difference".

We sure enjoyed meeting Rick. When he wasn't capturing our families at play, he was busy trying to play himself. But I had to disqualify him from sticker attack--he tried to get credit for a page of stickers that had come straight from a book. Rick, you rascal. When I asked him if he had any children, he hugged Sarah and said, all of these kids are my children.

To see his work, go to: www.positiveexposure.org

Want Extra Cash--Sell Your Gold
A friend of mine had a show where many of her friends brought their line of products and sold them all at the same time. She had done this once before and I had missed the opportunity to sell my gold. Well, I had several pieces of gold jewelry which I never wear just collecting dust in my jewelry armoire. So, I pulled them out and gave them to my friend and she got them sold--$560 worth. Trust me folks--it wasn't much jewelry. They even popped out the gems for me and returned them. Then, the other day, I saw a business called We Buy Gold on FM1960 close to the intersection with Eldridge. A quick google revealed there are lots of places which will buy gold. And I even found a calculator which suggested I could sell one ounce of gold for $900. So with gold valued at an old time high (it least some time in the last few weeks), why not sell what you don't use? Like my investment manager said, you can't eat gold. Amen brother!

Polls
My poll on whether you think the holidays are coming too fast is closed. 100% answered yes. Thanks to all who participated.

My new poll is about your desire (or lack of desire to sell any gold you have). Only one answer is allowed. Thanks in advance for participating.

Have a wonderful weekend everyone!
Cecilia Sinclair
Wonder Weather Woman

Sunshine Returns/Tomas Trouble/Time Change

HURRICANES AND WEATHER
In the central Atlantic, Tomas had weakened but is now back to tropical storm status. It will like cross over Hispaniola in the next couple days bringing heavy rain, flooding, even mudslides to Haiti and the Dominican Republic. Then, it should cross the Bahamas and head out to sea.

Tropical Pacific is quiet.

On Thursday, there will be some showers and thunderstorms across the aoutheastern US. Cool spot in the nation will be the Northern Plains, Great Lakes and northern New England with highs in the 30s and 40s. Elsewhere, 50s up to 80s...very pleasant. Kind of windy though from Texas up to Chicago.

Houston, low pressure in western Gulf will lift out to the northeast on Thursday allowing the sunshine to return. Kind of breezy on Thursday but pleasantly cool. Chilly mornings Friday through Sunday with lows in the 50s. Highs will be in the 60s, 70s, 80s. Warmer and more humid early in the coming week with some thunderstorms possibly on the ocming Thursday.

SPANISH WORD OF THE DAY
Let's do gymnastics or gimnasia, pronounced heem-nah-SEE-ah. Find out about a special gimnasia program and the even more special girl who attends in the AND MORE section.

On Monday night, Sarah and I reviewed the nearly complete Volume 3 of our award winning DVD for children. She was mesmorized! So, now we just have to put on the finishing touches and then it is off to the editor. Teachers Discovery, one of my product purchasers, already gave me a PO to purchase the first batch of Volume 3. Woohoo!!! In the meantime, you can find my award winning education series, Let's Learn Spanish with Frank & Paco, Volumes 1 and 2, 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
Fall Back 1 Hour This Weekend

Daylight Saving Time Ends on Sunday morning Nov. 7 at 2 am. You will want to set your clocks back 1 hour (fall back 1 hour) before you go to bed on Saturday night. It will get light one hour earlier and get dark one hour earlier. I don't know about you but I don't like it when the Sun goes down so early. But it could be worse. When I was living in Connecticut, it got dark by 4 pm. Darkness comes earlier and earlier as you head further north.

Inspiration

I take Sarah to a cheerleading program especially designed for children with disabilities. She absolutely loves it and would like to go every day. Each child in the program is paired with a high school gymnastics team member. There are even "competitions" (purely exhibition) with each participating child getting a trophy.

Well tonight a little girl in a wheelchair arrived. She was the first one in a wheelchair to attend class. She had these amazing muscular arms but had no use of her legs. Well that little girl went into the gym and then popped out of her chair and used her arms and swinging her legs forward to move across the floor. She did everything the rest of the team did. She also walked around on her hands several times. She had the biggest smile on her face. I visited with her mom who is on oxygen due to a chronic ailment. She said her little girl (who is 8) has been begging to take gymnastics just like her friends at school. When the mom heard about this program (called Storm Cheer), she had to bring her. The mom also has 4 other children. She told me her daughter had been born with Spina Bifida and had had to endure many surgeries. I was just blown away by this little girl and her family...so determined to live life to the fullest.

Have a great week and weekend everyone!
Cecilia Sinclair
Wonder Weather Woman

Storms and Cooler Weather In Forecast/3 Month Temperature and Precipitation Outlooks

HURRICANES AND WEATHER
Tomas is weakening in the eastern Caribbean. The National Hurricane Center has it moving basically westward and then turning toward the northeast in about 4 to 5 days. This would take it over the Dominican Republic and Haiti.

On Monday, the coolest area of the country will be the northeast with highs in the 40s The rest of the northern 2/3rds of the country will have highs in the 50s and 60s. The west coast will have highs in the 50s, 60s and 70s. The southwest, south and southeast will have highs mainly in the 70s and 80s. There is a slight risk of severe storms in eastern Texas.

Houston, Monday will be warm and humid with a slight risk of severe storms (mainly in the late afternoon and evening). Cold front moves through early Tuesday, bringing less humid weather and cooler temperatures. The rest of the week into the weekend will be delightful with cool morning and mild sunny and dry afternoons.

SPANISH WORD OF THE DAY
Let's do palm tree or palmera, pronounced pahl-MAIR-ah. Could growing palmeras be the key to your retirement? See my idea in the AND MORE section.

Volume 3 of our award winning DVD for children is really close to being finished. Our editor just gave us the complete final draft (with all chaptes!!!). So, now we just have to put on the finishing touches and then it is off to the editor. Woohoo!!! In the meantime, you can find my award winning education series, Let's Learn Spanish with Frank & Paco, Volumes 1 and 2, 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

Palm Trees as An Investment
So I'm running on the treadmill and partaking of one of my guilty pleasures...watching HGTV when whom do I see? Why it's Vanilla Ice with his own show. Yes, that's right Vanilla Ice--remember "Ice, Ice Baby". Well apparently he is an expert on landscaping and that his is daytime job. He has this crew working on fixing up the landscaping on the property of a very expensive house which has been vacant for 2 years. He points out a rare palm tree...he says it takes a long time to grow and would cost thousands of dollars. So, I'm thinking. Wow! You could just grow a few of those bad boys, sell them and retire. Unfortunately, I did not catch the name of that particular palm. So, I did some research. Come to find out there are many rare and slow growing palms. One is the Canary Island Date palm. I found a smaller one on one web site for $1000. Another web site had a bunch of different palms for sale. Most of the starting prices were $300 or $400. Well, I have a 4 palms in my backyard that are getting big. If anyone wants to buy them for $300 or $400, let me know. Ha! Don't think our's are that rare. Anyway, here are the links, if you want to check it out.
http://www.horizontreeservices.com.au/gallery.html

http://www.junglemusic.net/Box%20Palms.htm

http://trees-for-sale.net/Trees/Palm-Trees

3 Month Temperature and Precipitation Outlooks
Just now getting these outlooks out to you. Looks like a warmer and drier than normal November through January on the way for the Houston area. In fact much of the southeast is supposed to be warmer than normal while the west coast and much of Alaska is supposed to be cooler than normal. There is a pocket of above normal precipitation chance for the Ohio Valley, but just to the south it looks drier than normal. That leads me to the drought situation. Eastern Texas is not in a drought again...with conditions expected to become even drier through January. See all figures at right.

New Poll
Gordy and I made the early voting by the skin of our teeth--on Friday. The polling place was busy and we actually waited in line a couple minutes. My poll on whether you will vote or not is closed. 83% said they will vote and the rest said they wouldn't. Thanks to all who participated.

My new poll is about the upcoming holiday season. Does it feel like it is coming fast? Thanks in advance for participating.

Have a safe Monday everyone.

Cecilia Sinclair
Wonder Weather Woman

Next Cold Front/Tropical Storm Richard/No Fire at this McDonald's

Good Morning All -
Attending the First Annual Flood Workshop in Houston...so I need to post and get going.

First of all, Richard has been downgraded to a tropical storm and is now weakening over Guatemala. It was a hurricane yesterday. National Hurricane Center forecast back takes it into the Gulf this week and has it decaying. Will keep an eye on it for you.

There is another area of disturbed weather way out in the Atlantic with only a minimal chance of developing in the next 48 hours. The Pacific is quiet this Monday.

There is a slight risk for severe storms this Monday from northeast Texas northward to Illinois and southward to the northern Gulf coast all the way eastward to Alabama. On Tuesday, there will be two slight risk areas, one over the Midwest and the other over the southeastern states. See figures at right.

Back to the National Flood Workshop being held here in Houston. I attended the short course on storm surge flooding yesterday. Some of the other course attendees including Houston Channel 11's Chief Meteorologist Gene Norman and Meteorologist Mario Gomez. Also in attendance was Meteorologist Anthony Yanez from Channel 2. There were 2 other short course being held at the same time, one on Hurricane Impacts for Inland Communities and one on Floodplain Management. The storm surge course I attended was given by Jamie Rhome of the National Hurricane Center. He works closely with National Hurricane Center director Bill Read. At the end of the course, we had an opportunity to discuss some of the problems with presenting storm surge information to the public. Jamie said that they are working closely with social sciences to learn how to better convey vital safety information to the public. Having been a broadcast meteorologist for years, I know this is a constant effort. Psychology plays a huge role in how the public responds. We also talked about how to most effectively disseminate the information. One of the attendees mentioned reverse 911...where people in critical areas are called via and automated system when they are threatened. We noted that the poor often don't have phones. So, reaching the poor continues to be a big problem. Jamie Rhome gave a fantastic talk--the 4 hours just flew by. By the way, he is the one who came up with the Graphical Tropical Weather Outlook (see figure at top right). He said it is probably the most popular figure provided on the National Hurricane Center's web site.

The remodeled McDonald's in Sugar Land opened this last week. But, I was a little disappointed. It did not have a faux fireplace like the one we saw last week in Round Rock (near Austin). We were there about a week ago visited my brother's family. We went to the McDonald's there and they had an electric fireplace...see photo of Gordy at right as he pretend warms his hands. I told my brother Sam that it was the fanciest McDonald's I had ever seen.

Houston, a cold front will arrive early Thursday, bringing the humidity down and the morning temperatures down into the 50s. It will be shortlived as higher humidity levels return on Saturday and into Sunday. Halloween will be mild with lows in the 60s and highs in the 80s. Only a slight chance for rain through early Thursday. Then, sunny and dry for the end of the week. And then only a slight chance for rain over the weekend.

Have a great week everyone!
Cecilia Sinclair
Wonder Weather Woman

Tropical Storm Richard Update/Weekend Forecast

Good Morning All -
Just a quick update this am as Tropical Storm Richard has formed in the western Caribbean. Latest forecast path from the National Hurricane Center takes the storm across the Yucatan late in the weekend and into early in the coming week.

For southeast Texas, approaching upper trough mid-week will probably push the storm northeastward in into the southeast US. Will of course keep an eye on this!

Weekend will be warm and muggy for Houston area with a few showers or thunderstorms mainly west.

Please keep my sister-in-law Wanda in your prayers as she is having her thyroid removed today.

Have a great weekend everyone!
Cecilia Sinclair
Wonder Weather Woman