Fun with KSEV Radio - 3 Amigos

This is a quick update to share photos from the KSEV Radio show today. I got to work with 4 amigos and they called me their amiga. Paul and Ben had just returned from The Republican National Convention. Poor Eric was surrounded! But, he was a good sport and wore the McCain shirt they brought him. I got a cool pink McCain hat. Had a great time! We even talked a little weather. Have a wonderful weekend everyone!

Cecilia Sinclair
Wonder Weather Woman

Ike More Worrisome, Cecilia to speak about McCain and Sarah Palin

HURRICANES AND WEATHER
Please pray for the folks in Haiti. Many are cut off from help, even though rescue efforts have been tried. Families including children have been hungry and thirsty for days. The situation is very dire. Hanna dumped a lot of rain there!

Hanna is the most immediate concern now because of its proximity to land and anticipated landfall on the southern North Carolina coast late today/early Saturday. It does look better organized but so far no intensification. So, the east coast will have a tropical storm to deal with for the first 2/3rds of the weekend. It's going to be a fast mover.

Ike has been weakening some due to shear. But strengthening is likely after a day or so. The big shakeup today is that the storm looks like it will take a more westerly track than previously anticipated. And that means it could get into the eastern Gulf on Tuesday and threaten Florida and/or the northeastern Gulf coast. So far this year, GFDL has been doing fairly well (at least compared to most of the other models). And it is one of the models sending Ike into the eastern Gulf. This is still not a concern for Houston.

Josephine is struggling but will probably stay a minimal tropical storm, far away from land, for the next 5 days.

Enjoyed a nice walk this am. Humidity was still comfortable but it is going to get hot in the afternoons. Should be a nice weekend for the pool or beach. Next shot at rain will be end of the coming week with the approach of the next cold front.

SPANISH WORD OF THE DAY
Yesterday I introduced you to one of my favorites, temperatura. I should have told you that the ending is pronounced ahhhhhhhh, not uh. So please file away that clarification.

Today's word is estacionamiento, which means parking lot. I just love that word! The Cecilia pronunciation guide is s-stah-see-oh-nah-me-n-tow. This will serve you well as you drive to the airport and look for a place to park, especially if you are at an airport in a spanish speaking country. Yes. You are so welcome.

To learn Spanish and help your kids reap the rewards of early language learning, order my award winning DVD, Let's Learn Spanish with Frank & Paco from from http://www.frankandpaco.com/, Ventura's Educational Supply, Dolo Publications, Carlex Inc., The Curious Mind Store, amazon.com, bestbuy.com, and barnesandnoble.com.

ANDMORE
I have been invited to be a commentator on KSEV radio Friday afternoon drive home from 4 to 6 pm today. You can catch it on 700 on the am dial. I have some things to share about my feelings about the upcoming election. If you have any special thoughts, please include them as a comment. I will take them all into consideration.

Have a great weekend everyone and be safe!
Cecilia Sinclair
Wonder Weather Woman

Hint of Fall, Palin, Ike, Josephine, Spanish word of the Day

Well, it occurred to me that I wasn't really delivering on my title and I should have made it WeatherSpanishandMore. Hurricane season won't last forever. So, if you read it here...come the end of hurricane activity, I'll switch to just non-tropical weather. But, I'm also going to add something new starting today...the spanish word of the day, and something more.

First of all -
WEATHER
Walking Sarah to school this am, oooohhhhh, ahhhhhh. Comfortable humidity and a pleasant northerly breeze. The cold front has arrived. And I won't call it a "cool" front...technically there is no such thing. The lower humidity will be with us for a few days so enjoy!

Hanna is struggling...still looks like North Carolina, timing early Saturday. It will probably be a tropical storm at landfall. Then it races up the coast. Still might move through eastern Connnecticut, Rhode Island and eastern Massachusetts.

Ike became a major hurricane Wednesday. Early today it weakened slightly but it is still a Category 4 storm. Long range predictions all now agree with a turn which will not allow it to enter the Gulf. Only one model shows it hitting Cuba but it still turns. We'll see if it misses the east coast.

Josephine is struggling but will probably stay a tropical storm over the next few days. This one really isn't a concern at all. Really keep an eye on it.

SPANISH
Today's Spanish word is one of my favorites: temperatura meaning temperature. I know...that isn't very hard. But I love the way it is pronounced. Now, I will give you the Cecilia key to how to pronounce it. Note this is not standard phonetics. Say tim-pair-uh-too-ruh. Practice it several times to impress your friends. Oh and to hear it in action, watch a Spanish weathercast. Love it!

ANDMORE
Watched Sarah Palin last night. Let's talk about the hair. Loved the do. Wish I had hair like her's. I know, I have hair issues. But the bangs started to bug me. They were slipping lower and lower on that one side. My advice next time...maybe a little trim and one more shot of hair spray.

Remember that your kids can reap so many benefits from early language learning and my award winning DVD is just the tool they need! Order your copy from www.frankandpaco.com, Ventura's Educational Supply, Dolo Publications, Carlex Inc., The Curious Mind Store, amazon.com, bestbuy.com, and barnesandnoble.com.

More to come.
Cecilia Sinclair
Wonder Weather Woman

No New Names - But a Change in the Weather

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh! A hint of fall...now look, I don't want any skepticism or criticism. Just look how happy my hair is today. Oh yeah, you can't see me.

Well, my hair knows when the humidity drops. Incidentally, I am a real blonde (with assistance at this late date). And blonde hair is especially sensitive to humidity...so much so that it can extend 3% in length with high moisture in the air. Well, we have plenty of that in the Houston area. Blonde hair used to be used in the old style hygrometers (instruments used to measure humidity levels). I know...fascinating.

Well, it is more comfortable, even though yes, it's still hot. But the humidity is slightly lower and we have a northwest breeze. This will be around for a couple days...so enjoy!

Some encouraging developments in the tropics. First of all, Hanna not getting super strong but likely will be a hurricane before landfall end of the week. Now, it is looking like North Carolina but remember lots of error this far out. I'm reminded of the 1938 storm...(in a way)...before satellite unfortunately for folks on eastern Long Island and in eastern Connecticut and Rhode Island. The storm was supposed to curve and head out to sea after brushing by the outer banks of North Carolina. Well, history tells us otherwise. A lot of unsuspecting folks were killed by the storm surge. And actress Katharine Hepburn barely escaped her family's decades old home. Interestingly, because of the damage done to traditional transportation routes, air traffic between Boston and New York and other locales tripled (out of necessity). It was a definite shot in the arm for the airline industry. You can read all about it in the fascinating book Sudden Sea (lots of heartbreaking stories in there...so brace yourself).

Some long range hope with Ike...developing ridge in western Atlantic by week's end likely will steer the storm northwestward (away from the Gulf). Unfortunately, Ike is now the 5th hurricane of the season and it looks like it is going to have conditions favorable for quite a bit of strengthening in the next few days.

Josephine is weakening and might die altogether. It's in and inhospitable area and should remain so.

With our newly "crisp" air, I know my mind is turning to thoughts of the holidays and other celebrations. My children's DVD, Let's Learn Spanish with Frank & Paco has just been selected a Top 10 educational product of 2008 by Dr. Toy!!! This product will be offered in the January 2009 Teachers Discovery catalog. So tell all your teaching friends. Early language learning provides many benefits including increased brain cell density in the area associated with language, improved cognitive development and higher scores on standardized math and science tests. I like that science part especially! Order your copy from www.frankandpaco.com, Ventura's Educational Supply, Dolo Publications, Carlex Inc., The Curious Mind Store, amazon.com, bestbuy.com, and barnesandnoble.com.

Take care everyone and be safe.
More to come.
Cecilia Sinclair
Wonder Weather Woman

Now I know my ABCs -- Gustav, Ike, Josephine what's next?

The next one will be Kyle and there is an area over West Africe with potential.

But back to what is close at hand. Bands of rain swirling around the remnant Gustav moved through extreme southeast Texas...golden triangle...Orange, Beaumont, Port Arthur. West of there, temperatures soared. The dew points were down a bit...so I'm going to say it was a dry heat...okay, okay a drier heat...let's call it searing. Sugar Land got up to 98. That's sidewalk egg cooking temperatures.

Anyway, guess what...we might just get an early cold front late Wednesday. Not every model agrees but I think it probably will happen thinks to the boosting push provided by what is left of Gustav. So expect slightly lower temperatures early Wednesday and a more pleasant day.

Hanna is struggling this evening but still forecast to strengthen to a hurricane by landfall on South Carolina late Friday. GFDL brings Ike into Caribbean on Sunday. And, today's new storm, Josephine is looking healthy too...don't think this will be a concern for the Houston area. Keep an eye on that Ike though.

Let's Learn Spanish with Frank & Paco has been awarded top 10 educational products of 2008!!! Get your copy of this valuable and fun children's DVD from my web site: www.frankandpaco.com, bestbuy.com, barnesandnoble.com or amazon.com.

Stay cool and be safe.

More to come!
Cecilia Sinclair
Wonder Weather Woman

Busy Tropics - Gustav, Hanna, Ike and almost Josephine

September 2nd and it's hopping in the tropics...lots of things to watch. Be sure to look to the right for all the latest stats on every area of interest.

Some of southeast Texas's top focal points include Gustav. For the Houston area, the rain potential is almost gone. In fact, we're enjoying some drier air and a nice northerly breeze. Elsewhere, Gustav not so kind...outer bands especially east of the storm all the way to Florida spinning down funnels and even tornadoes. Looking less and less like a Trinity, San Jacinto watershed problem but it's not over till its over.

So, enjoy the break from the heat. But keep those eyes open. Ike is still forecast to strengthen and head toward the Gulf by week's end. And now there is newly formed Tropical Depression #10 just off the coast of West Africa. This one should become Tropical Storm Josephine today.

A lot of people wonder about the names for the storms. The modern naming effort for our area of the world began in 1955. In 1973, the woman said "hey, you need women's names on that list!". So began the pattern of alternating male and female names. The World Meteorological Organization comes up with the names...they have 6 year's worth and if a storm is particularly bad, it's name gets retired (just like a baseball jersey number). The names are drawn from the cultures represented in the Atlantic basin...Spanish, French and English type names. And I am not on the naming committee. Go figure!

Looking for a neat place to check out hurricanes and everything to do with meteorological, head to The John C. Freeman at 5104 Caroline Street (in the Houston Museum District). It is the only weather museum in the United States! For more info., go to wxresearch.org.

Let's Learn Spanish with Frank & Paco is now on Dr. Toy's top 100 products of 2008. You and your friends can get your copy at www.frankandpaco.com, bestbuy.com, amazon.com and barnesandnoble.com. There are so many benefits to your youngsters from early language learning. Get your copy today!!!

More to come! Enjoy the break from summer heat. It is still officially summer after all.

Cecilia Sinclair
Wonder Weather Woman

Gustav Weakening...Hanna and Ike Threatening

Gustav is now a tropical storm. More than a dozen tornadoes so far and more still possible as it spins northwestward into Texas. Hopefully it won't move too slowly. Model runs showing a slightly better scenario than before.

It was actually kind of nice in Houston today--nice overcast and northerly flow. Enjoyed the poole with daughter and her friend. Got the radish seeds and peas in the ground. Said in a previous post that the radishes would be ready around Halloween...no that would be the peas. The radishes will be ready in about 22 days.

Back to the tropics. Most models track Ike westward this week. Could get into the Gulf. Hanna which is a hurricane now will threaten the east coast late this week. Latest projection has landfall in South Carolina on Friday.

So bottom line--all those supplies you purchased for Gustav...hang onto them. Hurricane season isn't over yet! The latest a hurricane has hit hit Texas was Jerry on October 15, 1989. So, we aren't done yet. Besides, records are made to broken. Usually storms don't get to Texas later in the season (which officially ends November 30th) because of upper troughs and their associated surface cold fronts.

Now that you are relaxing a bit, relax even more by purchasing some Christmas gifts early. BIG ANNOUNCEMENT. We just found out that we won the 2008 Top 100 award designation from Dr. Toy!!! Yay! Press release will go out in a couple days. You can order your copy from www.frankandpaco.com, Bestbuy.com, Amazon.com, BarnesandNoble.com.

More to come! Have a great week everyone and be safe!
Cecilia Sinclair
Wonder Weather Woman