Groundhog Gala Recap/Weekend Forecast

WEATHER
Winter Storm Warnings cover much of New Mexico this evening and there are watches and advisories for much of the south and southeast. Low pressure moving northward from south Texas is bringing moisture into the southern and central US and with cold temperatures in place, this means frozen precipitation.

On Thursday, there will be snow showers in the central and northern Plains, northern Rockies, Midwest and western Great Lakes. Coldest spot will be Maine with highs in the teens. There will be 20s and 30s for the northern tier of states except for the Pacific Northwest which will be in the 50s. Highs will be in the 60s and 70s Florida and 60s for southern California and Arizona. Central US will be chilly with highs in the 30s and 40s. Look for some rain in Gulf Coast states, Tennessee Valley and southeast.

On Thursday, Houston will have rain...especially early. It will be a cold day with highs in the 40s. Some sun peeks out on Friday and Saturday and then clouding up again on Sunday with rain returning Monday. Highs will be in the 50s through the weekend.

SPANISH WORD OF THE DAY
Let's do dessert or postre, pronounced POHS-tray. The postre at the Groundhog Day Gala was unique and delicious...find out all about it in the AND MORE section.

I ran into a woman at the grocery store speaking Spanish and English to her children. We got to talking about the benefits of language learning and I told her, don't stop...you are helping your child's cognitive development so much. How do I know that? Well, I have read the research...study after study show benefits. Help your children develop an interest in another language. Order my special language videos for children...volumes one and two of DVDs, Let's Learn Spanish with Frank & Paco 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
Went to The Groundhog Day Gala last night. The gala benefitted the education programs provided by The John C. Freeman Weather Museum. The event was held in the Crystal Ballroom at downtown's Rice Hotel. Carol Barndollar spearheaded a team of gala planners who threw the most lovely party I have ever attended. The centerpieces were amazing...yellow with a bit of black...a bouquet of flowers and then on a pole above it a small arrangement with a stuffed groundhog and a yellow umbrella. The food was to die for. The salad had a poached pear on a spring mix of lettuce with a delicious dressing. The main course was both beef and chicken...and both tender enough to cut with a fork, accompanied by asparagus, mashed potatoes and rolls. The dessert was the most amazing part of all. A triangular shaped cake with an umbrella made of white chocolate. Ooh la la. Guests were greeted by a musical medley performed by Cherish the Music (my mom and stepdad Gerry). Then, there was more live music following dinner. Special guests and honorees (weather heroes) included Dr. Steve Lyons, hurricane expert from The Weather Channel. His folks live here in the Houston area and his sister lives in Rockport. So, he was thrilled to not only get an award but also to spend time with his family. Other special guests included Gene Norman, Dr. Jim Siebert, John Dawson, Keith Monahan (see photo), Kristy Powers, Travis Herzog, and Anthony Yanez. Hope I didn't forget anyone. Another group of weather heroes was the 2nd grade teachers at The Kinkaid School for their special weather education program for 2nd graders. Gordy and I interviewed the teachers and students and created a video celebrating their accomplishments. The video played on a special plasma TV at the rear of the Crystal Ballroom. Guests also got to take fun photos in front of a chromakey wall (green screen) with the option of choosing different fun weather backgrounds. The most popular one was a tornado--fun poses with people posing as if they were terrified or running or getting blown about.

Well, it was back to business today. But I am so glad the gala was a success.

My nephew Taylor and I were discussing redundant phrases and he asked me...why to they call it a hot water heater. After all, it is simply a water heater. Hmmmm...

Don't forget to vote in the poll about your favorite place to get weather information. Poll closes on Thursday.

Stay dry everyone!
Cecilia Sinclair
Wonder Weather Woman