Tropical Wave More Active/Back To School Memories/This Week's Forecast

HURRICANES AND WEATHER
As I write this, Bill is a low end Category 1 hurricane. It is now losing its tropical characteristics but still packing a wallop--lots of rough surf for coastal Maine, Nova Scotia and next in line is Newfoundland. Then it is forecast to move across the Atlantic and pass over the northern U.K. as a tropical depression strength storm.

Meanwhile, the tropical wave I mentioned on Friday, has become re-invigorated. The National Hurricane Center says there is less than a 30% chance of it becoming a tropical storm within 2 days. Shear is low in the area and the forecast shear looks mostly favorable. So, we shall see.

In the eastern Pacific, there is an area of disturbed weather which will likely become a tropical depression very soon. Further west, in the central Atlantic is Tropical Storm Hilda. Its forecast path is westerly, well south of Hawaii.

In the south central US and southwest, highs on Monday will be in the 90s and 100s. It will be warm and muggy across most of the US as the jet stream is way north. Highs will be in the 70s along coastal California and along the northern tier of states. There will be thunderstorms in the southwest and eastern US.

In Houston, highs will be in the middle 90s all week. There is a chance of isolated shower or thunderstorm each day (mainly in the late afternoon and evening).

SPANISH WORD OF THE DAY
Let's do excited, entusiasmado or entusiasmada, pronounced ehn-too-see-ahs-MAH-doh or ehn-too-see-ahs-MAH-dah. A lot of kids are entusiasmado and entusiasmada this evening with school starting tomorrow.

Well, it's back to learning and what better way to help your kids with cognitive development than language learning. Research shows there are all kindsof benefits including improved math and science scores on standardized tests. Get them started by ordering our award winning Let's Learn Spanish with Frank & Paco, Volume 1. Order from www.frankandpaco.com/. You can also order from http://www.venturaes.com/, http://www.dololanguages.com/, http://www.carlexonline.com,www.thecuriousmindstore.com/, http://www.amazon.com/, http://www.bestbuy.com/, and http://www.barnesandnoble.com/. For our English as a Second Language (ESL) version, go to http://www.frankypaco.com/.

AND MORE
Sarah starts 2nd grade on Monday. I remember when I started second grade. I got to school and as I was waiting to go into class, I saw this nun with boogley eyes and I remember thinking to myself, thank goodness I don't have that lady as my teacher. It was one of those "it can't happen to me" moments. Well, you figured it out, she was my teacher!!! Her name was Sister Anna and she ended up being one of my favorite teachers of all time. After a while, I didn't notice her boogley eyes at all. Definitely a lesson in don't judge a book by its cover!!!

To all of our kids starting school soon, have a wonderful first day!!!
Cecilia Sinclair
Wonder Weather Woman

Up Next in the Tropics/Positively Houston/Saving Money at Grocery

HURRICANES AND WEATHER
Hurricane Bill is weaker this evening (than it was last evening at this time). It is going through a cycle of reorganizing and possibly restrengthening (but not for long) as it heads to cooler waters. It is looking very likely that Bermuda will be spared a hit.

Meanwhile, a new tropical wave in the eastern Atlantic becomes the new focus of scrutiny. So far, it is not very impressive and conditions are not exactly hospitable. But that could change in a couple days. So, I'll keep you posted.

In the Pacific, there are 3 areas being watched. The most western one will probably become a tropical depression soon. Right now, it looks like it will travel south of southern Hawaii. But I'll keep watching it.

Trough/Ridge/Trough pattern will keep things cooler west and east and hot in the central part of the country. On Saturday and Sunday, highs will be in the 90s in Texas and th desert Southwest. It will be mild along the west coast of California, the Pacific Northwest and the northeast. There will be thunderstorms in many places but right not the Storm Prediction Center is not specifying any severe risk areas.

Houston hit 100 on Friday. The combination of heat and humidity and a shortwave traveling southward in the upper flow, ignited some severe storms in the Houston area Friday evening. Heat advisory is in effect through 8 pm Saturday. Look for some scattered storms Saturday and some isolated ones on Sunday--hot and humid it will be through the weekend.

SPANISH WORD OF THE DAY
Let's do grocery store or tienda, pronounced tee-EHN-dah. How do you save money at the tienda? Answer our new poll. For details, see the AND MORE section.

Well here's a good deal...30 minutes of entertainment and learning that you can access over and over and all for the price of a DVD...buy it today, our award winning Let's Learn Spanish with Frank & Paco, Volume 1. Order from www.frankandpaco.com/. You can also order from http://www.venturaes.com/, http://www.dololanguages.com/, http://www.carlexonline.com,www.thecuriousmindstore.com/, http://www.amazon.com/, http://www.bestbuy.com/, and http://www.barnesandnoble.com/. For our English as a Second Language (ESL) version, go to http://www.frankypaco.com/.

AND MORE
I am super excited because I have been invited to help make a pilot for a show called Positively Houston. A good friend, Christina Maxwell, has been working on this project for 4 years. The idea is to create a show that highlights the good news about Houston. If it all works out, this could become a weekly offering. Will keep you posted.

Our poll on the best aspect of children going back to school is closed. 57% said it is the more steady routine. 14% said they are tired of keeping the kids busy, 14% said the kids will be able to reconnect with friends and 14% said that the kids are bored. 0% said they will spend less money because of it and 0% said it will make their work schedule easier. Thanks to all who participated.

Our new poll is about saving money at the grocery store. How do you try to save money or do you even try? More than one answer is allowed. Thanks in advance for participating.

By the way, HEB a delicious store brand of fig newtons that is close to $1 a package. Regular few newtons are about 3 times the cost, and I don't think they taste as good.

Have a wonderful weekend!
Cecilia Sinclair
Wonder Weather Woman

Hurricane Bill Amazing but not too threatening

Hello all -
I'm super late with this blog...so I am going to just update you on the weather. On my next post, I'll have a new poll and more.

First of all, its good that it doesn't look like Hurricane Bill will directly strike any land area at it's current intensity. Sure has made a pretty satellite picture! It will probably graze Nova Scotia and New Brunswick in about 3 days with reduced intensity. In the meantime, all of the eastern seaboard will have to deal with rough surf--dangerous rip currents.

Otherwise, there is nothing else in the Atlantic tropics. Ana remnants essentially gone. Long range models show something developing in western Atlantic next week. Most threatened location will be Bermuda. In the Pacific, there is one little area that has less than a 30% chance to develop.

In the continental US, the pattern looks fairly steady for about a week. Ridge over central part of country with troughiness west and east. On Friday, the eastern trough is not quite to the east coast (thus the likelihood of severe storms in the northeast). Highs will be in the 90s and 100s over the southern plains and southwest and there will be some 90s along the east coast. Highs will be in the 60s and 70s west coast, northern states and Great Lakes.

Houston will continue to be like a sauna with mainly afternoon and early evening showers and thunderstorms. There will be at least a slight chance for rain until Sunday.

Happy TGIF!
Cecilia Sinclair
Wonder Weather Woman

Bill a Major Hurricane/Ana Remnants/Buying Store Brands

HURRICANES AND WEATHER
Bill is now a major hurricane (with 125 mph winds as I write this). The biggest concern is for Bermuda which is within the National Hurricane Center's cone of uncertainty. The remnants of Ana are now over Florida and will continue westward into the Gulf. Chances are very low that it will redevelop. But I will keep a close eye on it. In the Pacific, Guillermo is way north of Hawaii.

Trough is over the north central part of the country allowing ridging west and east. By the end of the weekend, everything shifts east and then the trough is over the east and the ridge builds back over the central part of the country. That will cool things down in the east.

Highs in the south and southwest are in the 90s and 100s. In the north central part of the country, highs will be in the 60s and 70s and on the west coast. Look for some severe weather central to midwest.

Houston will be hot and humid with more cooling thunderstorms. Look for this pattern to continue through Saturday.

SPANISH WORD OF THE DAY
Let's do shop or comprar, pronounced cohm-PRAR. When you shop, do you buy generic or storebrand items? See discussion in the AND MORE section.

Got the final draft of Volume 2. I am checking it one more time (going over it with a fine tooth comb). In the meantime, you can order our award winning Let's Learn Spanish with Frank & Paco, Volume 1...from www.frankandpaco.com/. You can also order from http://www.venturaes.com/, http://www.dololanguages.com/, http://www.carlexonline.com,www.thecuriousmindstore.com/, http://www.amazon.com/, http://www.bestbuy.com/, and http://www.barnesandnoble.com/. For our English as a Second Language (ESL) version, go to http://www.frankypaco.com/.

AND MORE
Do you buy generic items? I have been testing out various generic or storebrand items--trying to save those grocery dollars. I have been pleasantly surprised at how good everything is. There is one big exception--the generic noodles from HEB...yuck!!! The generic veges at HEB are very good--you can get the no salt added ones...1/10 the sodium of regular canned veges. HEB has some fantastic tears for eyes which are about a 1/2 the cost of the more expensive eye drops. HEB's store brand cereals are all excellent. I have tried several varieties...from cheerios equivalent to cinnamon toast crunch equivalent. Also their Lubriderm equivalent is very good. Target has some excellent store brand products. Their pancake mix is very good. They also have Viactiv calcium chew equivalents that are about 2/3 the cost. Walgreen's has a generic undereye cream (like the Aveeno cream) which is about 60% of the cost.

By buying this way, I have been able to cut my grocery bills by 25% on average. That is really adding up.

Here's to more money in our wallets.

Cecilia Sinclair
Wonder Weather Woman

Tropical Update/Prospect for Storms/La Cucaracha Visits the Wiggles

HURRICANES AND WEATHER
Claudette made landfall early this morning. Meanwhile, Ana is now just an open tropical wave near the Dominican Republic. National Hurricane Center says that it has less than a 30% chance of redeveloping in the next 2 days. Will keep an eye on it. Bill has become the first hurricane of the season and could pass by Bermuda as a major hurricane on Friday.

In the central Pacific, Guillermo has weakened to a tropical storm and is not a threat to Hawaii.

In the US on Tuesday, look for some severe storms in the south central US. Ridge over eastern ridge will shift eastward with a trough moving in from the west over the next few days. In the meantime, it will be very hot and humid over the eastern US. Look for mild weather along the west coast of California and the north central plains. Highs will be in the 90s in the south and in the 100s in the southwest.

Houston will be hot and humid on Tuesday with scattered showers and thunderstorms mainly in the afternoon.

SPANISH WORD OF THE DAY
Let's do cockroach or cucaracha, pronounced coo-cah-RAH-chah. I recently heard someone sing a song called La Cucaracha...find out about it in the AND MORE section.

The animal we have in our award winning Let's Learn Spanish with Frank & Paco, Volume 1, is a dog named Max. You can see him and the 45 kids in the video by ordering your own copy today...from www.frankandpaco.com/. You can also order from http://www.venturaes.com/, http://www.dololanguages.com/, http://www.carlexonline.com,www.thecuriousmindstore.com/, http://www.amazon.com/, http://www.bestbuy.com/, and http://www.barnesandnoble.com/. For our English as a Second Language (ESL) version, go to http://www.frankypaco.com/.

AND MORE
August 18th is the anniversary of the last major hurricane to hit Houston (Alicia back in 1983). Remember that Ike was not officially a "major" hurricane with the wind officially set at 110 mph at landfall (1 mph short of major status). Anyway, Alicia was much smaller in size than Ike, but it's path across downtown Houston caused plenty of damage--thousands of downtown windows were broken and thousands of trees were knocked down.

When we saw The Wiggles show 2 weeks ago, I was perplexed when a performer named Fernando was invited to come on stage and sing La Cucharacha. He and his family were sitting in the front seat. I finally figured out that this is Fernando Moguels, who had a part in The Woogles DVD Hoop-Dee-Do. La Cucharacha means cockroach and I ran into a very active one in the garage last night. I was dancing La Cucharacha and then some, trying to get away from it. Sarah asked me if it was dead and I said, no honey, it is anything but. To myself I said, the only good roach is a dead roach. Eeeekkkk....they creep me out.

On that skin crawling note, I'll say goodnight. Have a terrific Tuesday!
Cecilia Sinclair
Wonder Weather Woman

Claudette forms in Gulf!/I was a Hurricane Hunter/This Week's Weather

HURRICANES AND WEATHER
Wow! There is not a dull moment lately. While Ana weakened and became a tropical depression today, the system in the eastern Gulf got its act together and at 11 am, the National Hurricane Center announced that Tropical Storm Claudette had formed! Don't forget that we also have Bill out in the Atlantic and it will likely become a hurricane tonight.

First of all, Ana has a tough road ahead because its path will be primarily over islands such as Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic and Cuba. If it holds together, it will emerge in the southeastern Gulf around Thursday and probably be in the central Gulf end of the week. So, we need to watch it carefully. My gut is that it won't head toward Houston because of the steering pattern around the Bermuda High. But it is way too soon to tell. And strength-wise, again, it may not even survive moving over so much land. But I'll keep a close eye on it. This is a good time to revisit your supplies and preparedness plans.

Looks like Bill is going to stay away from the US. By Wednesday, it could be a major hurricane (Category 3 or stronger) with Bermuda being most threatened.

Claudette should make landfall Sunday night along the northeastern Gulf (Florida panhandle) and then bring rain to the southeast US.

I haven't forgotten about Hurricane Guillermo in the eastern Pacific. It will weaken as it moves over cooler water and it looks like Hawaii will be spared a hit.

On Monday, eastern ridge has flattened a bit but it is still most pronounced southcentral and eastern US. Trough is over north central US and that is where the highs in the 70s will be. Highs will also be in the 70s along coastal California. The Pacific Northwest will be in the 70s and 80s. Highs will be in the 100s in the desert southwest. Look for 90s from Texas to Boston. Look for some severe storms from Colorado to Illinois.

Houston continues hot and humid...there will be more of that this week with scattered showers and thunderstorms (some with heavy downpours) on Monday and Tuesday.

SPANISH WORD OF THE DAY
Let's do hunter or cazador, pronounced cah-zah-DOOR. I am a cazador...to find out what I have hunted, read the And More section.

I was at the editor's this afternoon. We were finishing up some final edits of Volume 2 of our DVD series for children, Let's Learn Spanish with Frank & Paco. It's almost done and I am super excited about how nice it looks. Until it is ready, you can purchase our winning Volume 1 DVD, Let's Learn Spanish with Frank & Paco from the shelves of many Barnes & Noble stores throught the US. If not there, you can also order your copy from www.frankandpaco.com/. You can also order from http://www.venturaes.com/, http://www.dololanguages.com/, http://www.carlexonline.com,www.thecuriousmindstore.com/, http://www.amazon.com/, http://www.bestbuy.com/, and http://www.barnesandnoble.com/. For our English as a Second Language (ESL) version, go to http://www.frankypaco.com/.

AND MORE
Seeing Claudette form today reminded of the last Claudette--the one I flew through!!! It was in July of 2003 that Hurricane Claudette hit the upper Texas coast as a Category 1 hurricane. Because of where it came in and the forward speed, it actually caused a Category 3 type storm surge in a small area of coastal Brazoria and Matagorda counties. In Houston, it mostly brought some sporadic heavy rain and some gusty winds. When the storm was first moving into the Gulf, I flew through it. The flight took about 10 hours and was quite memorable. I thought I was doing so well. But when they kept making passes through the center over and over, (I think on the 10th pass), I lost it...and I think you know what I mean. I had been on the headsets talking to the crew. They wondered how I was doing and kind of laughed and joked around. After I got sick, I felt so foolish. But later, they told me that even those of them who had flown thousands of missions got sick a lot, because your inner ear just can't get used to that. The aircraft was a very well maintained WC-130...been around since the 50s I think. When it got dark, there was no way to get your bearings...can't see the horizon and the few windows they have where you sit in the cargo hold are really small and high. So, you just get sick.

Anyway, they gave me a nice certificate to help me remember the adventure and here is what it said.
"Honorary Hurricane Hunter
Let it be known to the world that Cecilia Sinclair did, with great skill and remarkable airmanship, penetrate for the first time the eyewall of a fully-developed hurricane [PLEASE NOTE IT WAS NOT YET A HURRICANE WHEN I FLEW THROUGH IT BUT IT WAS BUMPY ENOUGH-BELIEVE ME!]. This individual's undaunted dedication and fearless devotion to duties, while being bounced, rocked, rolled and slammed about the aircraft interior reflect great credit, luck and a high threshold for personal injury. In testimony thereof, this certificate is awarded to this "Hurricane Hunter" for meritorious achievement while participating in the penetration of Tropical Storm Claudette aboard a WC-130 Hercules Aircraft given under my hand at Keesler AFB, Mississippi this 11th day of July 2003."
And it was signed by Brigadier General Rick Ethredge, Commander, 403rd Wing.

I'll tell you more war stories later. But I also want to tell you about Tropical Storm Claudette of 1979 which dumped extremely heavy rain south of Houston. In Alvin, it dropped a total of 45" of rain (43 of those inches in 24 hours). That 43 was never made official--but if it was--that would be the all time greatest 24 hour rainfall in all of North America--and that was right here in our own backyard!!! Even 2001's Allison did not come close to that total. That one did have some 20" in 10 hours east of Houston and it was so devastating because highly populated areas were hit hard.

I'll keep an eye on all of those storms for you whether it be a Claudette, Ana or something else.

Have a great week!
Cecilia Sinclair
Wonder Weather Woman

Tropical Storm Bill forms! Watching low pressure in eastern Gulf!

Quick update this evening to tell you that Tropical Storm Bill formed today (east of Tropical Storm Ana). The forecast is for Bill to become a hurricane but not make it into the Gulf. Ana is forecast to stay a tropical storm and probably make it into the Gulf. Also watching area of low pressure in the eastern Gulf which should move northwest toward the north central Gulf coast. National Hurricane Center says that it is not expected to become a tropical storm in the next 48 hours. More to come!

Cecilia Sinclair
Wonder Weather Woman