Thanksgiving Weather/New Moon/Weather Outlook December-February

HURRICANES AND WEATHER
The official end of hurricane season is November 30th, but I went ahead and took off the Atlantic and Pacific figures. If something pops up, I will put them back on. But for now, all is quiet.

Trough will dip south over the western US on Monday and that will cause some thunderstorms to develop over the eastern part of the central plains into the western midwest. There will also be a few storms in Florida. Highs will generally be in the 40s and 50s across the northern 2/3 of the country with 60s and 70s across the southern 1/3.

For Houston, Dense Fog Advisory is in effect until 9 am Monday. It will be a mild day after a cool morning. Then on Tuesday, look for some showers and thunderstorms in the morning as the next cold front arrives. Lows will be in the 40s for several days with highs in the 70s....very nice even into the long holiday weekend. Enjoy!!!

SPANISH WORD OF THE DAY
Let's do moon or luna, pronounced LOO-nah. Have you seen new luna (I mean the movie).

Let's Learn Spanish with Frank & Paco is now available in 2 volumes...just in time for the holidays. Order the award winning Volume 1 DVD (home/eating/drinking/play) or the newly released Voluem 2 DVD (my day/my body/my feelings) from www.frankypaco.com, www.amazon.com, www.ebay.com, www.barnesandnoble.com, www.bestbuy.com.

AND MORE
Climate Prediction Center has released its 3 month outlook for temperature and precipitation for the months December, January and February. (see figures at right). After such a chilly summer, I'm sure many folks in the Midwest will be pleased to see that above normal temperatures are expected. Alaska should also be above normal. But, for most of us in Texas, we can expect below normal temperatures. Rain chances are above normal in south Texas, especially for those areas still suffering the most from drought. All of the southern states are expecting above normal precipitation chances.

The John C. Freeman Weather Museum had a special end of hurricane season clean out your pantry recognition day on Friday. Some of the attendees included myself and Gene Norman of Channel 11 KHOU in Houston. Jill Hasling, museum director, gave a presentation on the Weather Research Center's outlooks for the next several hurricane seasons. Texas has one of the lowest chances of getting hit in 2010 but one of the highest in 2011. For more on the Weather Museum and The Weather Research Center, go to www.wxresearch.org and don't forget that the Groundhog Day Gala is coming up on February. Seats are still available. Speaking of the gala, I had the honor of notifying Dr. Steve Lyons of the Weather Channel that he will be honored as a weather hero at this year's gala. So, you can see...there are going to be some big names there. Get your seats now!!!

On Thursday, Megan went to Tyler and saw the midnight showing of New Moon (2nd installment in the Twilight Series). She has some good friends up there and they all headed to the theater at 9 pm (having purchased their tickets the day before). She said they were showing the movie in every theater in the place. I thought that was amazing until I talked to my nephew Taylor's girlfriend Heather. They both live in College Station. She said they had the same thing there (and she was one of the ones who went to a midnight showing), but then when they came out, there were throngs of people there to see a 3 am showing. Yes folks! This movie and series is very popular with the young people.

Have a great week everyone!
Cecilia Sinclair
Wonder Weather Woman

Flash Flood Watch and Coastal Flood Warning

Hello everyone -
I am deviating from my usual format because of the weather concerns for southeast TX for the end of this week.

Low pressure off the Texas coast and an upper storm system moving in from the west are going to cause heavy rain to fall in southeast Texas on Friday, including in and around the Houston area. The found out about the following two advisories from the National Weather Service.

A COASTAL FLOOD WARNING is in effect because of strong onshore winds that cause tides to run up to 2 feet above normal. According to the National Weather Service, worst flooding should occur late Friday. Highway 87 and other coastal flood prone areas are at risk.

A FLASH FLOOD WATCH is in effect Friday for southeast Texas. And average of 2 to 4 inches of rain could fall across the area with isolated totals of 5 to 7 inches.

Looking at the latest data, heavy rain could start by daybreak Friday and occur into late Friday evening. Please be extra cautious and remember the rule of thumb of "Turn Around Don't Drown" if you encounter a flooded roadway either in a vehicle or on foot.

I'll get back to my usual format in my next post.

Have a safe weekend everyone!
Cecilia Sinclair
Wonder Weather Woman

More Wet Weather Coming/Drought Update/Favorite Thanksgiving Food

HURRICANES AND WEATHER
All is quiet in the tropical Atlantic and Pacific.

Upper low is lifting eastward from the central US to the Ohio Valley. This means that on Wednesday, there will be rain from the Ohio Valley to the east coast Carolinas. Also, look for some showers in the Pacific Northwest. Chilly for much of the country with highs only in the 40s for the northern Rockies and much of the midwest and northern New England. 70s across the southern states except 80s in Florida. Elsewhere highs will be in the 50s and 60s.

Houston is in line for another sunny, pleasant day. Tuesday morning was the chilliest so far this fall with lows of 39 in Sugar Land, Tomball, and Conroe...even colder in Angleton and Huntsville. There will be some more 30s early Wednesday with highs near 70. Slightly warmer and more humid on Thursday with rain Friday into Saturday. We'll have to keep an eye on the Trinity River...still has Flood Warnings and particularly troublesome are the problem areas near Liberty and Moss Bluff. This rain will be a combination of low pressure (not tropical) in the western Gulf and approaching upper trough. Could get 1 to 2 inches with some higher totals possible...especially coastal and southern counties. A cool and mostly cloudy Saturday with some sunshine Sunday. More rain returns on Tuesday.

SPANISH WORD OF THE DAY
Let's do food or comida, pronounced coh-MEE-dah. What is your favorite Thanksgiving comida? Voice your opinion in my new poll.

Food is a fascination for children and that is why in our award winning Volume 1 DVD of Let's Learn Spanish with Frank & Paco, we made sure to include a chapter about eating and drinking. There are also terms for family and home and play. We also recently released Volume 2 and that covers a child's day, body, and feelings. Order these 2 DVDs for Christmas gifts...they'll be entertained and educated. You can get them from www.frankandpaco.com, www.amazon.com, www.barnesandnoble.com (and in some Barnes and Noble stores), www.bestbuy.com and www.ebay.com.

AND MORE
My poll on favorite Sesame Street Characters is closed. Only one answer was allowed. Cookie Monster was the hands down favorite with 44% of the vote. Grover, Oscar, Big Bird, Snuffleupagus, and Ernie each came in with 11% of the vote. No one voted for Elmo, Bert, The Count or other. Only one vote was allowed. Thanks for participating.

By the way, I decided that Ernie is my favorite...love the way he gives Bert a hard time. But I give runner-up to Grover who was pushed aside when Elmo came along. Love that sophisticated humor with good ole Grover. And hey, does anyone remember Kermit being on Sesame Street? I do! What happened to poor Kermit?

Well, on to the next poll. This one is about your favorite Thanksgiving food...what is it? I hope I included your favorite on the list...if not, there are a couple options for other. Only one answer is allowed. Thanks in advance for participating.

The latest Drought report is good for most of Texas. Notice that while the Coastal Bend still has exceptional drought, the Drought Outlook calls for improvement into January of the new year. So, we shall see. Houston has definitely gotten out of drought mode. Now, if we can just avoid swinging the pendulum too far the other way.

Well, in the interim, enjoy Wednesday's beautiful weather!
Cecilia Sinclair
Wonder Weather Woman

Weather This Week/2012 The Movie/Food Drive/Global Warming Talk

HURRICANES AND WEATHER

Tropical Atlantic and Pacific are quiet.



Cutoff low spinning over central US is bringing wintry weather to the nation's mid-section. There are winter storm warnings and advisories in effect this evening for portions Kansas, Nebraska and Iowa.



On Monday, highs will be in the 30s and 40s for the northwest, central and northern plains, parts of the midwest and northeast. Ahead of the front, highs will be in the 50s to 70s. California will be in the 50s and 60s. There will be some storms from Texas to Mississippi. Look for some cold rain in the northwest and Missouri.



Houston, there will be some showers and thunderstorms in the morning. Then it will be dry and pleasant for a few days....lows in the 40s and highs in the low 70s. Tuesday and Wednesday mornings will be in the low 40s in spots...coolest so far this fall. Another round of showers and thunderstorms next Sunday.



SPANISH WORD OF THE DAY

Let's do cookie or galleta, pronounced gah-YEH-tah. The galleta is his favorite treat. Find out who in the AND MORE section.


Make your Christmas gift buying easy and take care of it from the comfort of your home by purchasing our affordable, award winning Let's Learn Spanish with Frank & Paco DVDs. You can order Volumes 1 or 2 from our web site http://www.frankandpaco.com, or from www.amazon.com, www.bestbuy.com, www.barnesandnoble.com.




AND MORE

Only one more day to answer my poll...who is your favorite Sesame Street character...right now Cookie Monster has a strong lead.



Megan and I went to see 2012. Even one of our priests, Fr. Reggie, said he wanted to see it...but he was careful to point out it was because he heard the special effects were so amazing. And, they were!!! It was a very intense and entertaining and at times a thought provoking movie...but for me it was not because of the Mayan prophecy. Plot was very similar to the apocolyptic movies along the order of Meteor, Day After Tomorrow etc. I loved that John Cusack was the lead. I have always liked him. The movie was entertaining and worth seeing for fun. Now here is Megan's review: awesome, loved the special effects, loved John Cusack's character in the movie--he was funny in some parts, loved who played the mom, very touching, loved the scientist/president's daughter's love interest and his moral speech, loved how it it concluded.



Hurricane Season in our part of the world officially ends November 30th. So, what should do with all of those unused items you stocked up on? Give them to a food drive...a special one that runs from November 21 through 30th at The John C. Freeman Weather Museum here in Houston at 5401 Caroline St. In exchange for each item donated, you get a free admission to the museum. So, when you are looking for something to do with the kids during the Thanksgiving break, you can head to the museum, have a cleaned out pantry and entertain/educate the kids for free!!! What a great deal! For more information, go to: http://www.wxresearch.org/.



Don't miss a special meeting of the Houston Chapter of the American Meteorological Society this Thursday, Nov. 19th, dinner at 6 pm, meeting at 7 pm at the Canyon Cafe at 5000 Westheimer, Suite 250. Dr. Gerald North of Texas A & M University will talk about "Global Warming, Lone Star Impacts". You do not have to be a member or a meteorologist to attend. Don't miss it! Should be quite a talk!!!



Have a great week everyone!

Cecilia Sinclair

Wonder Weather Woman

Coolest Fall Day Yet Coming Soon/It Flew On Board the Shuttle/Honest NTB

HURRICANES AND WEATHER
Tropical Atlantic and Pacific are quiet.

Beautiful fall weather for much of the country. However, there are winter weather warnings and watches for the Rockies as I write this post this evening. Along the eastern seaboard, bands of what is left of Ida are hammering away, causing heavy rain and rough surf.

The good news is that on Friday, it will be quieter in the east. There could be some thunderstorms from Arizona to Nebraska. Chilliest area will be the northwest and Rockies with highs in the 40s (colder in the higher elevations). The northeast, midwest, Ohio Valley and Great Lakes will be in the 40s and 50s. The rest of the country will be in the 60s to 80s.

Houston, another beautiful fall day is on the way for Friday with highs in the 70s. More humid over the weekend and highs in the low 80s both Saturday and Sunday. A few showers are possible Sunday. Look for thunderstorms on Monday as cutoff low spins a cold front through the area by midday. Tuesday will be the coolest day so far this fall with lows in the 40s and highs only in the low 60s. More cool weather through the week with another week front and some showers toward the end of the week.

SPANISH WORD OF THE DAY
Let's do flag or bandera, pronounced bahn-DAIR-ah. The U.S. bandera is always special, but this one is extra special. Find out more in the AND MORE section.

Let's Learn Spanish with Frank & Paco might be taking off...we got another big order from our distributor today. Woohoo!!! Don't miss out! Get your copy of Volumes 1 and/or 2 from our web site http://www.frankandpaco.com/ or at http://www.amazon.com/. You can also find these at www.barnesandnoble.com and www.bestbuy.com. Some Barnes and Noble stores also have it on their shelves. Volume 1 has three chapters about Home, Family, Eating/Drinking and Play. Volume 2 has three chapters (and about 50 words/phrases) My Day, My Body, My Feelings.

AND MORE
Very nice surprise from the folks at NTB (National Tire & Battery). I was hearing squeaking noises from what I thought were my rear brakes. It just so happens that I had purchased an NTB coupon card from HEB a few months ago. It cost $39.95 and had 4 coupons for free oil changes along with reduced prices for brake work etc., free inspection of belts and fluids, tire rotation and alignment. So that is a pretty good deal. So I thought, why not see what they have to say about the brakes. The attendant said she thought we would have to replace the rear "shoes" but then later she said that they had found a fistfull of dust in each one and there was still half the pad left. So, I didn't need to replace them yet. Well, I was thrilled!!! The cost--$0. They could have replaced them and I would never have known any better but they were honest. I might add that I had already taken the car in late August for an oil change and they had not come up with anything to fix...the cost $0. It's nice to know they are so honest.

The photo at right is another of my "prized" possessions. I'm not a big material thing kind of person, but this one really is special. In June of 2003, I gave a hurricane talk to several hundred NASA employees. At the end, six time shuttle commander Jim Weatherbee made a special presentation to me of one of 200 flags which had ridden aboard the Space Shuttle Endeavor. They also gave me a Certificate of Authenticity to prove it is "real". It says:

This American Flas was flown aboard the United States Space Shuttle, ENDEAVOUR, which was launched at 7:49 pm., November 23, 2002, from the Kennedy Space Center, Florida. For 6 days, 22 hours ENDEAVOUR remained docked with the International Space Station, ALPHA. At 2:37 pm, December 7, 2002, after 216 Earth orbits, ENDEAVOUR landed on runway 33 at the Shuttle Landing Facility, Florida.

There also some notes as follows: Maximum Altitude 249 miles, Maximum Speed 17,085 mph, Distance 5,670,000 miles.

Notice that the flag is beautifully framed along with a certificate of presentation to Cecilia Sinclair for her presentation as well as some gorgeous shuttle photos.

Well, I have to tell you that I had no idea that they would give me such a thing--in fact I expected nothing. I asked the commander, are you sure you want to give me this...it's so very special. And, also, as you might recall, this was not long after the shuttle Columbia explosion of Feburary 1, 2003. No one knew if there would ever be another shuttle flight again.

So, that is my special story. Hope you enjoyed it!

Have a fantastic Friday everyone!
Cecilia Sinclair
Wonder Weather Woman

Forecast/My Piece of Berlin Wall/New Poll about Sesame Street

HURRICANES AND WEATHER
As of this evening, the National Hurricane Center has issued the last advisory on Ida, now bringing heavy rain to the southeastern US. The storm made 2 landfalls early this morning with the last being southern Alabama. The storm will now be followed by the Hydrometeorological Prediction Center and is expected to move off the eastern US coast by early Thursday and reorganize as it lifts northward. It will cause rough surf and heavy rain for the east and southeast. There is also a new area of non-tropical low pressure with less than a 30% chance of developing.

The tropical Pacific is quiet.

Chilly in the Pacific Northwest with highs in the 40s and some rain for the coastline. Most of the northern two tiers of states will have highs in the 40s and 50s. Mild for the rest of the country with highs in the 60s to 80s. Look for heavy rain and thunderstorms in the southeast and along the mid-Atlantic.

Houston will be mild and sunny on Wednesday. Humidity increases Thursday with winds out of the southeast. There will be a few showers over the weekend (but it won't be a dealbreaker). Next weak front moves through early next week.

SPANISH WORD OF THE DAY
Let's do wall or muro, pronounced MOO-row. Can you believe it has been 20 years since the Berlin muro fell? See the AND MORE section for more.

Please help get the buzz going on Volume 2 of Let's Learn Spanish with Frank & Paco on Amazon.com. We need some reviews and purchases. People don't know it's there. I remember the slow start we had with Volume 1. Once people starting voicing their opinions, sales picked up. Either volume makes a great gift. You can order Volume 1 or Volume 2 from web site http://www.frankandpaco.com/ or at http://www.amazon.com/. Volume 1 has three chapters about Home, Family, Eating/Drinking and Play. Volume 2 has three chapters (and about 50 words/phrases) My Day, My Body, My Feelings.

AND MORE
Our poll on the Obama Administration and FOX News is closed. 16% said they felt President Obama had voiced valid concerns. 16% said they felt that Obama Administration members had voiced valid concerns. 16% said FOX News should be worried. 33% said FOX News had valid concerns. 50% said FOX News is enjoying the publicity. 50% said that freedom of the press is in danger. 66% said that freedom of the press had been violated. 16% felt that censorship of FOX News is appropriate. More than one answer was allowed. Thanks to all who participated.

Our new poll allows only one answer and in light of it being Sesame Street's 40th anniversary, it is one that has been on the minds of many. Just who is your favorite Sesame Street character? Thanks in advance for participating.

Gordy and I love Sesame Street. We think the production values are very high and it is loaded with educational information. Sesame Street went on the air when I was a little girl and I remember that it was one show my mother was happy for me to watch. They still use some of the skits and animations from my childhood. Now, that's timeless. Happy Anniversary Sesame Street!

Well here's something that caught my attention the other day as I collected my mail. A neighbor had their blinds open and inside their house was a lit-up Christmas tree. A friend of mine thought maybe they have to travel over the holidays and wanted to just enjoy the heck out of Christmas while they are at home. Sure hope it is artificial (Gordy came up with that one).

Speaking of anniversaries...wow! has it really been 20 years since the Berlin Wall came down?! I remember where I was. It so happened that I was taking a math course at U of H and my professor was from Germany. He came into class with his eyes so wide and his jaw dropping. He was very happy about it and talked to us about it for nearly the whole class.

Then, I went to Berlin in June of 1994. I was getting my international business credits as I finished up my MBA. It was amazing to see the stark difference between east and west Berlin. The one still dreary and underdeveloped while the other was vibrant and bursting with culture and color. The east side was struggling to rebuild. But, it was going to take a lot of money to undo decades of neglect. While I was there, I bought a baggie of pieces of the Berlin Wall. All of my group was in awe. We had heard so much about the Berlin wall growing up. We just couldn't believe it was down (even nearly 5 years later). I wonder how many of our new generation even get the significance. Just a few days ago I heard a radio host carefully explaining what the Berlin wall was all about. Has everyone already forgotten?!

Well, anyway, I gave all but one of the pieces away. I checked Ebay to see just how much pieces of the wall are going for. I saw anywhere from $5.50 to over $100. Well they can't have mine...I consider it priceless.

On my next blog I'll tell you about another "priceless" object I have.

Happy Wednesday everyone!
Cecilia Sinclair
Wonder Weather Woman

Hurricane Ida Update/Baylor Medical Students Babysit Our Kids/Weather this Week

HURRICANES AND WEATHER

As I write this post, Ida is a hurricane with 105 mph winds (that's a healthy Category 2). It looks like it will strike the northern Gulf coast somewhere between Lousiana and the Florida panhandle very early on Tuesday as a low end Category 1 hurricane. A Hurricane Warning has just been issued for a portion of the Missippi coast to a portion of the Florida coast with a Watch extended further west and east on both sides.

In the Pacific, all is quiet.


For the US, highs will be in the 70s to 80s from the southwest to the northeast (except New England where highs will be in the 50s and 60s). Highs will be in the 50s and 60s out west and north behind an eastward moving cold front and associated upper trough.


For Houston, Monday will be less humid. Cold front arrives overnight Sunday into Monday with rain as it passes. There is a coastal flood warning in effect but this actually has to do with a trough in the western Gulf. After Monday, there will be several days of fair, pleasant fall weather (like last week) and then some showers over the coming weekend.

SPANISH WORD OF THE DAY

Let's do picnic or picnic, pronounced peek-NEEK. Find out about a special picnic Gordy and I hosted in the AND MORE section.

Spanish is a fun language to learn. Help your kids enjoy it while being entertained and educated through out award winning DVD, Let's Learn Spanish with Frank & Paco. Volumes 1 and 2 are now available at www.frankandpaco.com, www.amazon.com, www.bestbuy.com, www.ebay.com, www.barnesandnoble.com. We also have an ESL version and a special web site, www.frankypaco.com.

AND MORE

On Friday night, for the 5th year in a row, Dr. Lorraine Potocki in the Baylor College of Medicine at Texas Children's Hospital and the Baylor Medical Students took care of Smith-Magenis Syndrome and Down Syndrome children so that their parents could have a night out. This year, they really did it up big with Sesame Street characters like Bert and Ernie, unicycle performances, Gymboree entertainment and great food provided by Chick-Fil-A. Each child was paired with at least one medical student partner. Sarah had two helpers, Nina and Zena. Joey and Zara were busy checking in each child. Thank you so much!!!


That night, our group of parents of children with Smith-Magenis Syndrome headed to D'Amico's Italian Restaurant in Rice Village. It is crazy, busy around there on a Friday night, but they cleared a space for us. The food was fantastic and the wait staff excellent.


This year, in our home, we hosted Randy and Mary Beall (president and wife of the president of Parents and Researchers Interested in Smith-Magenis Syndrome). They brought along their 24 year old daughter Laura who has SMS. They also brought another little girl with SMS whose family was busy at a tournament for her sister. We had a great, albeit intense time. You see, people with SMS have a huge zest for life and a persistence to get what they need which I would venture to guess is second to none. Saturday morning, before the picnic, I am making breakfast in the kitchen and at times, I had all three of the girls right on top of me. They were all wonderful of course. But, I must say, it was quite comical at times. We all had a good laugh about it. We also enjoyed seeing the similarities and differences. Such an experience sheds a lot of light on what we deal with day to day, because you see behaviors that they all have in common.

The picnic was wonderful. First of all, it was on Saturday, when the weather was gorgeous! The only problem was that a full bottle of sugary soda got spilled and the bees came in a throng. We finally had to remove the most sticky cooler to a location beyond the children. I washed it off and that helped. The bees weren't mean but they sure knew what they wanted. Last year we had a cotton candy machine. Well, the bees had gone crazy hovering around. One bee landed in a little girl's hand and she started messing with it and it stung her. So, we didn't do the cotton candy this year. We had a scavenger hunt, played fall bingo, did a cookie walk, played a new game called sticker attack, bounced in the moonwalk, and enjoyed favorite songs. Thanks Megan for providing the outstanding selection of music. We had sensory nook with a big tub of bird seed which the kids enjoyed shoveling and digging in (and sometimes sitting in). And there was a reading nook with all kinds of kids books. We also were treated to a wonderful hamburger/hot dog lunch with Gordy and Keith doing the cooking. Everyone brought something and we thank them all for that. Our most distant family came all the way from Mexico City. And, we had several families from the San Antonio area. We look forward to seeing everyone again next year.

Well, you can imagine that we are pretty pooped. So, that's all for now.

Have a great week everyone!

Cecilia Sinclair
Wonder Weather Woman