Severe Threat/Finger Nails Growth Rate/New NO2 Standard

WEATHER
On Thursday, bitterly cold for the northern plains and western Great Lakes states with highs in the single digits. Wintry weather will develop over north Texas and Oklahoma and locations even further east as the next storm system moves eastward. Many of these areas are under winter weather advisories (see figure at right). There is a slight risk for severe storms in central and southern Texas. The southern tier of states will have highs in the 60s. Elsewhere, highs will be in the 20s to 50s.

Houston, there will be rain by later in the day. Some severe weather will be possible overnight Thursday into Friday morning. Looks like most of the rain will fall Friday morning. Cold front arrives Friday morning and it will be a very chilly afternoon with temperatures in the 40s and windy conditions. Saturday and Sunday will be chilly with sunshine for at least some of the time...lows in the 30s and highs in the 50s. Next rain will be Tuesday.

SPANISH WORD OF THE DAY
Let's do big or grande, pronounced GRAHN-day. Find out about some grande boys I know.

Yay! Got another big order from my distributor today! And I have a way for you to help your children embrace Spanish while being entertained. Order my award winning DVD, Let's Learn Spanish with Frank & Paco. And, you'll feel good about purchasing it, knowing that it has won awards from Dr. Toy and homeschool.com as a best educational product. You can find Volumes 1 or 2 at 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
Finally, finally--I had all of my fingernails about the same length and was looking forward to getting them "done' when I broke of the end of my middle finger nail. I looked around on the NET and there does seem to be a consensus that fingernails grow about .1 mm per day...so in a week you would have just over half a millimeter of growth. Keep in mind that it takes about 25 mm to make an inch. I also read that fingernails grow faster than toenails and that the nail on the middle finger grows faster than the rest. So maybe I'll have a ltitle bit of nail by the time of the Groundhog Day weather gala this coming Tuesday, 2/2. Interestingly, finger nails grow faster than toe nails--hypothesis is that it has to do with more blood flow due to more activity. Dr. Steve Lyons (of the Weather Channel) will be honored as a weather hero. And, I might get to sit at his table. I've met Dr. Lyons on and off over the years. He is a super terrific person and very deserving of a weather hero award. Grow brokern nail, grow!

A big announcement by EPA on Monday 1/25. For the first time in 35 years, they have created a new health standard for nitrogen oxides (measured as nitrogen dioxide or NO2). the new standard is for a one hour time period and is 0.100 ppm or 100 ppb. The annual standard is 53 ppb and has been around a long time. All of the country is in compliance with the annual NO2 standard. But, it is likely that many places will have trouble making the new 1 hour standard. The reason for adding a one-hour standard is because many of serious health problems with NO2 could be prevented. High NO2 is believed to be a cause of enphysema and asthma in some individuals. New monitoring equipment will be taking measurements by Jan. 1, 2013 and then there will be 3 years to collect data so that all non-attainment areas can be designated. There is a chance that Houston will be non-attainment for the new standard. Interestingly, all of the US is in attainment for the annual standard of NO2.

Well, we have a house full of company right now. My nephew Taylor just started school to beome a diesel mechanic. He will be with us for a few months. Now, Taylor's mom and dad are also here. Charlie, Taylor's friend, is also with us for a couple nights. Now this Charlie is no small dude. he is a whopping 6'9". And his little brother is 6'5". This reminds me of my nephews Josh and Jacob who are brothers. They are 6'10" and 6'5" respectively. These gentlemen giants never complain that beds don't fit them. They just tower over me and smile. Back to Charlie...his Dad's company sells pipes and just finished a huge contract providing pipes for the Texas border dike. I remember shortly before Hurricane Dolly hearing a talk where the speaker said that the dike system in the valley was in very bad shape. They had some scares after last summer's Hurricane Dolly. Now, the border dike is almost done.

Don't forget to answer the poll on the most important aesthetic improvement in a home.
Have a great Thursday everyone!
Cecilia Sinclair
Wonder Weather Woman