Icey roadways possible this afternoon through Thurs. morning

A dicey situation today, Wed. 2/9 as light freezing rain is falling (as I write this post) at locations as close in to Houston as Tomball.

Winter Weather Advisory remains in effect this afternoon. If you are driving anywhere this afternoon, except the immediate coast, be especially careful about driving over bridges and overpasses. Pay attention as temperatures will continue to drop as cold air filters into the area with a cold front. At the same time, a drying trend will begin with rain/sleet ending area wide by 6 pm.

Problems to watch out for overnight and early Thursday are any locations which have ice remaining. Temperatures will fall into the mid to upper 20s across most of the area tonight.

So, take side roads if needed and if possible, just stay home.

Cecilia Sinclair
Wonder Weather Woman

Week's Weather/Winter Storm Photos/Favorite Super Bowl Snack

WEATHER
Very cold start to the week for the northern plains and Great Lakes with highs near zero in North Dakota and single digits to teens elsewhere in the area. Look for snow around the Great Lakes and southward to Cincinnati. Also some snow showers around Boise Idaho. Some thunderstorms are possible from New Orleans into Florida. Pleasant for California and the southwest with highs in the 60s and 70s (except New Mexico will be in the 30s and 40s). The southeast and southern plains will have highs mainly in the 50s while the Pacific Northwest will have highs in the 40s and the Rockies will be mainly in the 30s. The Northeast will have highs in the 20s and 30s while the East Coast will have highs in the 40s and 50s. The Midwest and Ohio Valley will have highs in the 20s and 30s.

Nice warmup this Sunday in Houston. But a new cold front arrives in a few hours. Might get a sprinkle or too. Today was the first day in 5 days that the low was not in the 20s. Low at Bush IAH airport this morning was a balmy 32. Cooler on Monday. Then a slight warmup Tuesday before another cold front arrives Wednesday into Thursday. Look for some showers on Wednesday. But, it does not look like there will be an ice storm.

SPANISH WORD OF THE DAY
Let's do snack or merienda, pronounced mare-ee-EHN-dah. What is your favorite Super Bowl merienda? I love guacomole!

We have released our Volume 3 DVD and Volumes 1 through 3 music review CD for Let's Learn Spanish with Frank & Paco. We have a special at our web site. Buy the bundle--Volumes 1 through 3 and get the music review CD for FREE!!! To take advantage of that offer, go to our web site:

http://www.frankandpaco.com

You can also find my award winning education series, Let's Learn Spanish with Frank & Paco, Volumes 1 and 2, on the shelf (in the education section) at Barnes & Noble stores or you can order them from 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. P.S. THEY MAKE TERRIFIC GIFTS!!!

AND MORE
Friday's ice storm in Houston just shows that it doesn't take much ice to make a big mess. Most precipitation amounts in the area were less than 1/10 of an inch. Snow did not materialize around Houston...just too warm aloft. But as we saw, it was plenty cold at the surface to freeze the rain on contact with the ground. Hope you enjoy the photos at right.

My poll on whether you think the economy is rebounding is closed. 50% of you said they think it is. 25% said they don't think it is. And 25% said they are not sure. Only one answer was allowed. Thanks to all who participated.

My new poll is about the recent winter storms that hit much of the nation. Did you enjoy getting a day off from work or school. Or did you get a day off? I realize that many of you may have had several days off. So, please excuse the fact that I said day off instead of day(s) off. Only one answer is allowed. Thanks in advance for particpating.

Hope you enjoyed the Super Bowl. Have a great week everyone!

Cecilia Sinclair
Wonder Weather Woman

What winter weather to expect through Fri. 2/4/11

Hello everyone -
The National Weather Service has issued a Winter Storm Warning for southeast Texas effective from noon today through noon Friday.

The warning means that dangerous winter weather like ice is expected.

I think the timing of the worst of the weather will be from 9 pm tonight through 6 am Friday. Problem is that even if the precpitation stops at 6 am, there will be a lot of icey roads. So, I wouldn't be surprised if there are lots and lots of school and even business cancellations. Conditions should be vastly improved by Friday afternoon.

Snow is possible (several inches), especially for area north of the 59 corridor. But the biggest concern is ice. The 1000-500 mb thicknesses south of the 59 corridor may not ever be low enough for snow production. But, the low level temperatures will be below freezing for a good portion of the area. And, that means that if cold rain falls, it has a good chance of turning into ice, especially for exposed bridges and overpasses.

Be safe everyone!
Cecilia Sinclair
Wonder Weather Woman