Hot Weather/BP Oil Spill/Music as Language

WEATHER
On Tuesday, cool spot will be in the Pacific Northwest with highs in the 30s and 40s. There could be some severe weather in Wisconsin. Scattered showers and thunderstorms are possible in the areas to the right of the lines with arrow (see figure at right). 90s for highs in the desert southwest and southern plains.

Houston, the mercury soared to 92 on Monday...one degree from the record. An upper low will spin some clouds across northeast Texas, but Houston should not be affected. Look for the weather to stay fairly dry through the middle of the coming week. It will be cool in mornings and very warm in the afternoons. No rain is likely until the middle of the coming week.

SPANISH WORD OF THE DAY
Let's do joy or alegría, ah-lay-GREE-ah. There was much alegría in our household this weekend. See why in the And More section.

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

AND MORE
What a wonderful weekend! Sarah celebrated her First Communion and she was surrounded by family and friends. Sarah has worked hard to prepare and we are very proud of her!

Cousin Sophia was one of Sarah's special visitors over the weekend. And, the girls had so much fun going swimming as the community pools had just opened. I thought the water would be freezing but it was actually tepid.

Friday, the Weather Museum had its annual Golf Classic at Wildcat Golf Course. KSEV went live from Wildcat and they let me sit in on a few conversations. As always, we had a blast. This is the 4th time I've had the privilege of broadcasting with these fellas. They are all super neat and the museum if very grateful to KSEV for going to so much trouble. The tournament benefitted the education programs provided by the museum.

Are you wanting to know as much as possible about the BP Oil Spill. Well, this might be the link for you:
http://www.epa.gov/bpspill/
The EPA has set up the site to help people not only obtain information but also to request information.

Is music a language? I have heard a couple people say this recently. So, I decided to do some investigating. There is no doubt that learning music is very beneficial to the function and development of the brain (a fact well documented in teh research literature). Here is a link to an interesting article that came up on the web. I think it might be someone's research paper:
http://graham.main.nc.us/~bhammel/MUSIC/muslang.html

I personally don't think of it as a language because it can not give certain kinds of information--like "don't forget your doctor's appointment is tomorrow). But, I will say that music can affect my moods. It can be used to manipulate--case in point movie music like that found in Jaws--would the movie have been as memorable without it? Just some food for thought.

Have a terrific Tuesday everyone!
Cecilia Sinclair
Wonder Weather Woman

Houston Friday Morning 4/30 Weather Update

Hello all -
Okay...here's the deal...big lid on thunderstorm development over most of Houston area...looks like the fun stuff will be north of Houston today. Still some rain around...but mostly just light stuff.

Upper trough will swing a "cold" front through early Sunday. There will be some showers and thunderstorms swinging through with it late Saturday into early Sunday. Right now, still not clear how long it will take the upper trough itself to move through. If it hangs to our west, we will have clouds and even some light rain on Sunday. If it gets going and pushes eastward, then our skies will clear on Sunday. Either way, humidity will be lower on Sunday. Yay! If it is cloudy Sunday, then highs will only be in the upper 70s. Otherwise with clearing skies, highs will reach upper 80s on Sunday.

Low humidity weather through Thursday with cool morning (50s starting Monday) and warm afternoons (mostly upper 80s).

Storms Returning to Houston area

Just a brief update this evening as I am preparing for a large celebration for Sarah's 1st Communion this weekend. Also, I am getting ready for Friday's (tomorrow's) Weather Classic at the Wildcat Golf Club (shotgun start 1 pm and I hope to see you there).

So, you can be sure I am really checking the weather carefully.

For Houston, very muggy and windy weather has returned. Upper disturbance will trigger some storms on Friday, potentially severe (mainly north of Houston). The timing will be during the afternoon.

Saturday there will likely be some more showers and thunderstorms as the next front approaches...I am thinking late Saturday into early Sunday. A weak cold front moves through but the final thrust of dry air does not arrive until Tuesday. Should be a lovely week after that. Afternoon highs will climb to near 90 late in the week.

Have a great weekend everyone!

Cecilia Sinclair
Wonder Weather Woman

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Bottom line, sea salt is not lower in sodium.

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

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

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

Have a terrific Tuesday everyone!
Cecilia Sinclair
Wonder Weather Woman

Severe Threat/Cecilia Goes Live 4-30/Cheerleading for Special Needs

WEATHER
Moderate potential for severe weather tonight and Saturday for the central US. On Thursday (up until 6 am today) there were 40 tornadoes from the panhandle of Texas into Colorado. This evening, there has been a report (so far) of 2 tornadoes and tennis ball sized hail near Cameron, Texas.

This all has to do with a storm system that will bring severe storms through north and eastern Texas tonight among other locations. On Saturday, the focal point for severe weather will be further east--Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee, Kentucky, Arkansas. But, surrounding states will also be at a slight risk for severe storms.

Houston, the rain will be over by 8 am Saturday and it will end up being a sunny and very pleasant weekend with lows in the 50s and highs in the 80s. Enjoy!

SPANISH WORD FOR THE DAY
Let's do cheerleader or porrista, pronounced pour-REE-stah. Do you know someone who has a special needs child. Find out how they can become a porrista in the AND MORE section.

Right now I am waiting for Sarah to finish her hip-hop class and I asked the parents of a nearby bilingual child for the word for cheerleader. Their 3 year daughter is fully bilingual and I am so happy for her because she will enjoy the advantages of learning more than one language--including improved cognitive development. You too can expose your children to more than one language. Order our award winning DVDs, Let's Learn Spanish with Frank & Paco. They are on the shelf (in the education section) at Barnes & Noble stores or you can order them from http://www.frankandpaco.com, http://www.amazon.com, http://www.bn.com, http://www.bestbuy.com, or http://www.ebay.com/. Our ESL (English as a Second Language) version can be found at http://www.frankypaco.com

AND MORE
On Friday, April 30th, the Weather Museum will have its annual golf tournament benefitting their education programs. Many local weather celebrities will be on hand to meet and greet and even play. I will be there before the shotgun start at 1 pm. Then at 4 pm, we'll go live with KSEV's 3 Amigos and if I'm really good, they might let me sit in for a few minutes. I got to do this 2 years ago and it was so much fun...I used the picture from that live broadcast for my photo on Facebook. To learn more, here is the link:
http://www.wxresearch.org/
Just go to the bottom and click on the link for the golf tournament (and while you're there, check out all the other cool things going on at the weather museum.)

If you know someone who has a special needs child who would enjoy cheerleading, you might want to check out the following information, forwarded by Cheryl Sewell of the ARC of Fort Bend County.

My name is Jennifer Wells and I am one of the owners of STORM CHEER in Sugar Land. I was given your email information from Cindy Villarreal.

The reason for me contacting you is because we will be starting an INCLUSIVE Cheer team at our gym and were told by several people you were the one to contact to help us get the information out to the athletes and their parents.

Here is the information we have so far:
- We will be forming this team at the end of May, first of June.
- The athletes will practice one time per week (more than likely on Wednesday) for an hour and a half.
- The cost is $65.00 per month
- There will also be competition fees but I am not sure yet what those will be
- There is also a uniform for this team but the cost for this is minimal if anything at all

Each team member will be paired up with another one of our STORM athletes and will practice and compete together as one team.

We are VERY excited about this and would love any information or help trying to get the word out to help build this team. I will actually be one of the coaches for the team and will also be your point of contact if you think you will be able to help us.

I can also be reached on my cell phone at 281-808-7650 but email is the very BEST way to contact me.

Thank you in advance for any help you can give us on this! We really appreciate it!
Sincerely,
Jennifer Wells
STORM CHEER
www.stormcheer.com

It's me gain...I am definitely going to check into this for Sarah.

Have a wonderful weekend everyone!
Cecilia Sinclair
Wonder Weather Woman

Brief Friday Morning Weather Update

Hello all -
I've have a longer post later today.

Just wanted to let you know that today in Houston, there will be some showers and possibly some thunderstorms--rain will end early Saturday (by 8 am). Then it looks like a beautiful weekend...sunshine and low humidity--highs in the low 80s and Sunday morning lows in the 50s. Enjoy!!!

Cecilia Sinclair
Wonder Weather Woman

Week's Weather/Eyjafjallajökull Volcano Impact/Satellite News

WEATHER
Very mild weather across the country on Monday with the cool spot being northern New England with highs in the 50s. Elsewhere, look for highs in the 60s, 70s and 80s. There will be some thunderstorms in Florida and along the Rockies and central plains and in the northwest. As I write this blog post this evening, there is a Winter Storm Watch for the Sierra Nevada.

Houston should be dry on Monday with lows in the 50s and highs in the 70s. Still...a lot of clouds hanging around...a few showers on Tuesday (still mild) and warmer for the middle of the week through the weekend with highs in the low 80s. Look for some showers on Thursday and Friday.

SPANISH WORD OF THE DAY
Let's do volcano or volcán, pronounce vohl-CAHN. What do you think of the Eyjafjallajökull volcán? See a complete discussion in the AND MORE section.

People who learn more than one language, one average, make more money as adults. Get going...help your children learn to love languages. Order our award winning DVDs, Let's Learn Spanish with Frank & Paco. They are on the shelf (in the education section) at Barnes & Noble stores or you can order them from http://www.frankandpaco.com, http://www.amazon.com, http://www.bn.com, http://www.bestbuy.com, or http://www.ebay.com/. Our ESL (English as a Second Language) version can be found at http://www.frankypaco.com

AND MORE
Now let's see...a volcanic eruption and not so recently two serious earthquakes and of course who can forget all of the hurricanes. These natural disasters frighten us. But which one frightens you the most? Put in your vote in my new poll. Only onc answer is allowed. Thanks in advance for participating.

The ongoing eruptions of Eyjafjallajökull volcano in Iceland has the world's attention. As I called my niece Sophia to wish her a happy 6th birthday, she got busy telling me all about it. Yes. I would say she was quite concerned about it. I have been reading several blogs devoted to volcanic eruptions and it got me thinking about the El Chichón eruption back in 1982. (By the way, Chichón basically means the bump). I was in the Rio Grande Valley (extreme south Texas) at the time and we got a layer of ash from it, even though the eruptions occurred hundreds of miles to the south. It was a nuisance and made breathing difficult for many. I remember being quite astounded but also intrigued.

Now with the Iceland volcano's eruptions, there is much frustration due to cancelled air flights and thus interruption of vital commerce, political and personal activities. But you can be sure I am quite interested in the global impact. After reading up on several well-known volcanoes I learned that it really is not so much the ash that affects the global climate but the sulfur content and duration of eruptions. Volcanoes with higher sulfur content have been linked to a bigger decrease in global temperature. Sulfur based aerosols can get into the stratosphere, the stable layer above the troposphere, the layer closest to the earth and the one where the mixing and thus our weather occur. Because the stratosphere has temperatures which increase with height (i.e. it has the coolest air at the bottom and warmest at the top), there is very little mixing and so it takes a long time for particles to mix out of it--as long as three years. And thus, there is the impact of global cooling. Some volcanoes have been attributed with lowering global temperatures up to 1 degree Celcius. Now that may not seem like much, but there have historically been dramatically cool seasons following volcanic eruptions. Now, what about this time around? Well, I read with great interest Dr. Jeff Master's blog which you can find in The Weather Underground. He pointed out that all the volcanics which have been linked to large drops in global temperature have been volcanoes which have erupted in the tropics. It has to do with the atmospheric circulations at these southern latitudes versus those in northern latitudes. What has caught my attention more is what happened with another well known Icelandic eruption. I pulled the following excerpt from the NOVA website:

"In June 1783, a 16-mile-long fissure began opening up across the flanks of the Laki mountain ridge in southern Iceland. The fissure, marked by 300-foot cones of ash and debris, spewed out vast quantities of lava for months. Ultimately, about three and a half cubic miles of lava gushed from the fissure and spread across 200 square miles, burying farms and churches in the sparsely populated countryside. More lava poured onto Earth's surface than in any other eruption in recorded history. No one died directly from the lava flows, but the volcanic gases released at Laki had devastating consequences. A bizarre blue fog, made of sulfuric acid aerosols, hovered over Iceland for weeks and even wafted to Europe. Toxic gases and altered weather patterns caused the greatest famine in Iceland's history, known as the "Haze Famine."

I would expect that starvation would not be a repeat tragedy...given what I hope would be a huge outpouring of humanity.

On April 16th, the GOES 13 satellite took over for GOES 12. It will keep an eye on the Tropical Atlantic and eastern US, just in time for hurricane season. GOES 12 will now be deployed to monitor South America. GOES 11 stays in place over the western U.S. For the complete story from NOAA, here is the link:
http://www.noaanews.noaa.gov/stories2010/20100414_goes13.html

The Dream League is playing ball(again)!. This is the 4th season and Sarah is loving it. On Saturday evening, FOX 26's Ned Hibberd did a special story about the league which offers special needs kids a chance to enjoy the fun and thrill of the game (in a low pressure environment). Here is the link to the script on the myfoxhouston.com web site. Great job Ned and photographer Raymond Ramirez.

http://www.myfoxhouston.com/dpp/news/local/100418-baseball-no-rules-just-right

That story made my week and I hope you will have a great week too!
Cecilia Sinclair
Wonder Weather Woman