WeatherBrains

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WeatherBrains 1029: The Guy That Looks Like Big Bird Oct 07, 2025

Show notes

Tonight's Guest WeatherBrain is Illinois Congressman Eric Sorensen. He last joined the WeatherBrains panel in 2022 when he was first running for office. He is now in his second term in Congress and is a meteorologist who has represented Illinois's 17th congressional district since 2023, covering much of western and central Illinois, including Moline, Rock Island, parts of Peoria, Rockford, and the Illinois side of the Quad Cities. Congressman, we are honored to have you join us tonight!

Our email officer Jen is continuing to handle the incoming messages from our listeners. Reach us here: email@weatherbrains.com.

Update on Dr. Jacobs (0:45)
June 20th, 2025 North Dakota EF5 (02:45)
Meteorologists in Congress (09:00)
Weather and politics (17:00)
Bipartisan SST Committee (18:00)
U.S. Government shutdown and how it has affected the weather community (21:30)
Science-focused legislators (29:00)
Learning to admit you can be wrong and don't know (45:00)
Social media reaction to the end of the EF5 drought (46:00)
Ted Fujita's tornado scale was created in 1973 (53:00)
Is the door open to change ratings of long-past tornadoes and hurricanes? (56:00)
Tornado damage vs straight-line wind damage (01:08:00)
Inaction during Severe Thunderstorm Warnings (01:12:00)
The Astronomy Outlook with Tony Rice (No segment this week - stay tuned!)
This Week in Tornado History With Jen (01:13:30)
E-Mail Segment (01:15:20)
Tropics discussion (01:19:00)
and more!

Web Sites from Episode 1029:

Alabama Weather Network

Congressman Eric Sorensen on X

Picks of the Week:

James Aydelott - EF5 tornado drought is over

Jen Narramore - Helpful tornado technology created by MU meteorology student

Rick Smith - New study reveals potential cause of a 'drought' in violent EF5 tornadoes

Troy Kimmel - Delta Flight Museum

Kim Klockow-McClain - Foghorn

John Gordon - Rain, snow and a double rainbow in Laramie, Wyoming

Bill Murray - Out

James Spann - Tim Marshall: We have an EF5 tornado in North Dakota!

The WeatherBrains crew includes your host, James Spann, plus other notable geeks like Troy Kimmel, Bill Murray, Rick Smith, James Aydelott, Jen Narramore, John Gordon, and Dr. Kim Klockow-McClain. They bring together a wealth of weather knowledge and experience for another fascinating podcast about weather.

WeatherBrains 1028: Spanking Going On Sep 30, 2025

Show notes

Tonight's Guest WeatherBrain is a Professor of Meteorology at Penn State University. He's a former Weather Channel Storm Analyst and co-author of "Philadelphia Area Weather Book". Dr. Jon Nese, it's great to have you back on the show tonight.

Our second Guest WeatherBrain is the author of "Gettysburg's Lost Love Story: The Ill-Fated Romance of General John Reynolds and Kate Hewitt" and has over three decades of experience working with naval intelligence. Jeffrey Harding, welcome to WeatherBrains!

Our email officer Jen is continuing to handle the incoming messages from our listeners. Reach us here: email@weatherbrains.com.

"Second Summer" vs "Indian Summer" (05:00)
Extreme hardships of Civil War soldiers (12:00)
NOAA reanalysis capability regarding the Gettysburg Campaign (15:00)
Weather observations available to Civil War-era professionals in early 1860s (21:30)
When the reanalysis data disagreed with the soldier's diaries (25:30)
1863's meteorological impacts and the turning point of the Civil War (32:00)
Temperature difference between gray and blue uniforms while in blazing heat (37:00)
Wet bulb globe temperature guidelines (49:45)
Flash flooding and Lee's retreat after Battle of Gettysburg (53:00)
Greg Forbes and his involvement in the Gettysburg book (01:02:00)
The Astronomy Outlook with Tony Rice (No segment this week - stay tuned!)
This Week in Tornado History With Jen (01:21:20)
E-Mail Segment (01:22:45)
and more!

Web Sites from Episode 1028:

Alabama Weather Network

"The Philadelphia Area Weather Book" by Jon Nese, Glenn Schwartz and Edward Rendell

"Gettysburg's Lost Love Story: The Ill-Fated Romance of General John Reynolds and Kate Hewitt" by Jeffrey J Harding

Picks of the Week:

James Aydelott - Okie J in front of funnel cake stand

Jen Narramore - Tornado Talk Podcast: September 30th, 1959 Ivy-Mechums River, VA F3 Tornado

Rick Smith - Out

Troy Kimmel - Two hunters die after being struck by lightning while hunting in Florida flatlands

Troy Kimmel - Young elk hunting friends who vanished in Colorado wilderness were both killed by lightning strike

Kim Klockow-McClain - Fujiwhara typologies discussion

John Gordon - What is a sting jet?

Bill Murray - Spanning Alabama Ep. 3 - Rickwood Field (YouTube)

James Spann - 403rd Wing on X: Lightning Cockpit Video

WeatherBrains 1027: Toilets Were Overflowing Sep 23, 2025

Show notes

Tonight's Guest WeatherBrain comes to us by way of a suggestion from friend of the podcast and WeatherBrains veteran Kevin Laws. Randy Bowers currently serves as the Severe Weather Program Lead at the National Weather Service, a role that involves strategic planning, technical execution, and maintaining operational consistency across all severe weather services. Before this position, he worked in forecast operations at offices in Indianapolis, Norman (OK), Amarillo (TX), and others. His primary interests lie in mesoscale meteorology and radar, and he has participated in several testbeds aimed at advancing forecasting techniques and technologies. Randy, we're delighted to have you with us tonight.

Our email officer Jen is continuing to handle the incoming messages from our listeners. Reach us here: email@weatherbrains.com.

Nashville April 16th, 1998 tornado (10:30)
April 8th, 1998 Birmingham, AL F5 and complications with nighttime tornadoes (13:30)
Randy's A Day In The Life (23:30)
Ongoing major projects at the NWS (25:00)
Moving forward with weather apps in the future (29:00)
"Do No Harm" standard with new weather technology (31:00)
Indefinite holding pattern with NWS app timeline (40:00)
Household penetration of weather radios (44:30)
Twelve minute lead time is not sufficient to move patients to safety in a hospital/Manufactured home residents (56:00)
Remote mesoanalysis program (58:30)
FAR/Excessive severe thunderstorm warnings (01:01:00)
The Astronomy Outlook with Tony Rice (01:23:50)
This Week in Tornado History With Jen (01:26:00)
E-Mail Segment (No segment this week - stay tuned!)
and more!

Web Sites from Episode 1027:

Alabama Weather Network

Picks of the Week:

Randy Bowers - NSSL Warn-On Forecast

Kevin Laws - Texas Tech University Dr. Ted Fujita Archival Records

James Aydelott - James Aydelott on Facebook: Snowplow photo

Jen Narramore - Foghorn

Rick Smith - Weather Safety Information For Deaf and Hard of Hearing

Troy Kimmel - WPC Experimental Urban Rain Rate Dashboard (URRD)

Kim Klockow-McClain - U.S. Senate: Nominations Confirmed (Civilian)

John Gordon - UPS Fog Technique

Bill Murray - Foghorn

James Spann - Experienced hunters found dead in Conejos County last week were struck by lightning, authorities say

WeatherBrains 1026: Together Is The Best Way Sep 16, 2025

Show notes

Our Guest WeatherBrain for this week's episode is Melissa Marcelloni, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Brownsville, Texas. Melissa has worked a variety of high-impact events, including hurricanes, microbursts, and flooding, and she's also an experienced storm chaser. Before joining the NWS, she served as a catastrophe claim specialist, giving her a unique perspective on the intersection of meteorology, disaster impacts, and community recovery. Melissa, welcome to WeatherBrains!

Tonight's Guest Panelist is Chris White — a proud Virginia Tech alumnus and a retired federal government meteorologist. He's well-known in the weather community as a storm chaser for @WDBJ7Weather and @MLseverewxcon, where he also serves as founder and coordinator. In addition, Chris is a dedicated weather blogger, sharing his passion for severe weather with the public and the storm chasing community. Chris, thanks for joining us tonight.

Our email officer Jen is continuing to handle the incoming messages from our listeners. Reach us here: email@weatherbrains.com.

Hot air balloons and meteorology (16:00)
Melissa's educational journey (18:00)
Diversification is key (21:30)
Melissa's transition from working in insurance into the NWS (24:00)
Defining core partners in the aftermath of major weather disasters (31:00)
Historical hurricanes (34:30)
Outreach efforts to the community in order to help them prepare for major weather events (36:30)
Toughest weather to forecast in south Texas/Airmass thunderstorms (41:00)
Issues with microbursts in south Texas (43:30)
Challenges with rip current risk, and what those in the community should/shouldn't do to mitigate risk (49:00)
Storm chasing experiences and notable storms (51:30)
Frustrating storm chasing days (01:05:00)
National Storm Chasers Summit (01:08:00)
The Astronomy Outlook with Tony Rice (01:14:20)
This Week in Tornado History With Jen (01:17:15)
E-Mail Segment (01:18:15)
and more!

Web Sites from Episode 1026:

Alabama Weather Network

Chris White on X

Melissa Marcelloni on Instagram

Picks of the Week:

Melissa Marcelloni - Tornadoes destroy multiple homes in Utah

Chris White - Sterling, VA September 17th, 2004 tornadoes

James Aydelott - An incredible tornado intercept in Caragabal, NSW, Australia

Jen Narramore - Aaron Rigsby on X: Tornado video in Dakotas

Rick Smith - Out

Troy Kimmel - Helene in Southern Appalachia story map

Kim Klockow-McClain - Foghorn

John Gordon - Mark Gray on X: Saturday splashes at sunset in Bonavista NL

John Gordon - Gord Follett Photography on X: Unique coastline photo near Madrock Bay Roberts Newfoundland

Bill Murray - Foghorn

James Spann - PolarWx

WeatherBrains 1025: Back Of A Caged Patrol Car Sep 09, 2025

Show notes

Tonight's show comes to you from the 2025 NWA Annual Meeting in Huntsville at the Von Braun Civic Center.

Janice Bunting is the Executive Director of the NWA stops by first to talk to the panel. She's pulled off an amazing event this year under trying circumstances. Throughout the evening, other notable leaders in the weather industry will also stop by to chat with our panel about this year's meeting — sharing their insights, highlights, and what it all means for the future of meteorology.

Our email officer Jen is continuing to handle the incoming messages from our listeners. Reach us here: email@weatherbrains.com.

Bob Baron and other sponsors of the Annual Meeting (04:20)
Roadmap for the NWA going forward (07:30)
Louis Uccellini talks about the initial NWA in the early days of the organization (27:00)
Force multiplier nature of social media (45:00)
Panel discussion with industry's leading digital meteorologists (59:00)
Hand-drawn animations for the conference (01:06:00)
Goals for the upcoming year in NWA (01:10:00)
Cooperation with AMS (01:14:00)
Nate Johnson discusses student support within the organization (01:26:00)
Nate's IWT (Integrated Warning Team) takeaways (01:30:30)
Dr. Chuck Graves stops by to chat with the panel (01:48:00)
The Astronomy Outlook with Tony Rice (01:54:55)
This Week in Tornado History With Jen (01:57:05)
E-Mail Segment (No segment this week - STAY TUNED!)
and more!

Web Sites from Episode 1025:

Alabama Weather Network

Picks of the Week:

James Aydelott - James Aydelott photographed in back of patrol car

Jen Narramore - Foghorn

Rick Smith - Out

Troy Kimmel - Foghorn

Kim Klockow-McClain - Foghorn

John Gordon - A New Spin On Waterspout Forecasting (Published August 2014)

John Gordon - A Waterspout Forecasting Technique

Bill Murray - Foghorn

James Spann - FCC Proposes Modernization of the Nation's Alerting Systems

WeatherBrains 1024: Tokin' On A Number Sep 03, 2025

Show notes

Tonight's Guest WeatherBrain is a meteorologist, climatologist, instructor, and now author. She has a brand new book just released titled "Wilder Weather: What Laura Ingalls Wilder Teaches Us About Weather, Climate, And Protecting What We Cherish". In her book, she digs deep into Wilder's depictions of weather events and helps readers connect past weather to present weather. She's worked at NOAA for over 23 years. Dr. Barbara Boustead, it's great to have you on the show!

Our email officer Jen is continuing to handle the incoming messages from our listeners. Reach us here: email@weatherbrains.com.

Introduction to Laura Ingalls Wilder and he r background (13:00)
Entire Little House on the Prairie series (14:45)
Analyzing 1880s weather records in Dakota Territory (19:00)
Laurapalooza Conference (21:45)
Weather in Wilder's other works (24:15)
Further examples of Wilder's writings about weather events (34:30)
Today's different climate from the era of authors like Charles Dickens (44:00)
Climate is the past, present, and future (50:00)
Encouraging teachers to use "Wilder Weather" in lesson plans (58:30)
Weather folklore (01:00:00)
Where can you order "Wilder Weather"? (01:10:00)
Tips for aspiring authors (01:24:00)
The Astronomy Outlook with Tony Rice (01:11:20)
This Week in Tornado History With Jen (01:12:50)
E-Mail Segment (01:14:05)
and more!

Web Sites from Episode 1024:

Alabama Weather Network

Wilder Weather

"Wilder Weather: What Laura Ingalls Wilder Teaches Us About the Weather, Climate, and Protecting What We Cherish" by Dr. Barbara Boustead

Picks of the Week:

Dr. Barbara Boustead - "The Beautiful Snow" by Cindy Wilson

James Aydelott - Meteogram for Camargo, OK/90+mph winds

Jen Narramore - Merry violent phenomenon in Morbihan on 2 September

Rick Smith - Here's one of the first photos of a tornado ever

Troy Kimmel - Out

Kim Klockow-McClain - NWA 50th Annual Meeting in Huntsville, AL

John Gordon - ATR-72 nearly flipped over from 99 mph winds in Corsica

John Gordon - Reagan's near-death experience in 1983

Bill Murray - "The Weather Gods Curse the Gettysburg Campaign" by Jon M. Nese and Jeffrey Harding

James Spann - Sandblasted to Death: 1935 Labor Day Hurricane

WeatherBrains 1023B: Me And 8 Million Bags Aug 26, 2025

Show notes

WeatherBrains Episode 1023B is a deep dive into 2005's Hurricane Katrina. It's hard to believe, but the tragedy is approaching its 20th anniversary.

Tonight's Guest WeatherBrain for this somber episode is the Curator of the Ground Zero Museum in Waveland, Mississippi. She's a retired RN and was a former Nurse Administrator in New Orleans, LA. Bernie Cullen, thanks for joining us.

Guest Panelist and show veteran Mark Sudduth "The Hurricane Tracker" joins the panel's discussion by looking back at such a significant historical event, the technological challenges of twenty years ago, and looking ahead to the future. He's a well known storm chaser and weather documentarian. Thanks for your valuable insight on tonight's episode, Mark!

Our email officer Jen is continuing to handle the incoming messages from our listeners. Reach us here: email@weatherbrains.com.

Robert Ricks and his pre-landfall Katrina doomsday forecast (04:00)
Tropical Storm Katrina forms on August 23rd, 2005 (08:30)
2005 tech available to hurricane chasers vs today (08:45)
Katrina's Fort Lauderdale, Florida landfall (11:00)
Early Katrina prep in New Orleans (17:00)
1992's Hurricane Andrew and it's forgotten second landfall in Louisiana (29:30)
Lack of accurate storm surge forecasting 20 years ago (40:00)
Parallels with 1969's Hurricane Camille and its change of forecasted landfall point (53:00)
Katrina vs Camille wind fields (58:30)
Ground Zero Museum - contents, purpose and history (01:20:00)
More TikTok nonsense (01:47:30)
The Astronomy Outlook with Tony Rice (01:48:50)
This Week in Tornado History With Jen (01:50:35)
E-Mail Segment (No segment this week - stay tuned!)
and more!

Web Sites from Episode 1023B:

Waveland's Ground Zero Museum

Alabama Weather Network

Picks of the Week:

James Aydelott - Ray Caldwell, pitching for Cleveland Indians, struck by lightning on pitchers mound - 1919

Jen Narramore - Alabama Weather Network Daily Briefing!

Rick Smith - Out

Troy Kimmel - Foghorn

Kim Klockow-McClain - "Children of Katrina (The Katrina Bookshelf)" by Alice Fothergill and Lori Peek

John Gordon - Michelle Cowbourne on X

Bill Murray - Katrina: South Mississippi's Story (Full Documentary on YouTube)

James Spann - Robert Ricks - On The Ground During Katrina (YouTube)

WeatherBrains 1023A: NWA 2025 Preview Aug 26, 2025

Show notes

WeatherBrains Episode 1023A is a preview of the upcoming 2025 NWA Annual Meeting in Huntsville, AL. The meeting is only two weeks away from the date of recording (August 25th, 2025).

Show veteran Kevin Laws joins us to dive into the upcoming NWA Annual Meeting in Huntsville. He currently serves as the SOO (Science and Operations Officer) of the Birmingham, AL NWS office. Kevin, it's great to see you again.

David from the Texas Storm Chasers also drops in to chat with the panel about what to expect at the meeting.

Our email officer Jen is continuing to handle the incoming messages from our listeners. Reach us here: email@weatherbrains.com.

Tropics remain quiet (02:45)
Starting the dialogue of a changing business model (07:55)
Baby steps toward progress in the field starting over 15 years ago (11:00)
Gatekeeping and resentment among various sectors in meteorology (12:00)
Objectives of the upcoming Annual Meeting (23:00)
The outdated concept of TV market boundaries (36:00)
NWA registration procedures (44:00)
How do we define expertise in 2025? (48:30)
What will the broadcast transition look like moving forward? (50:45)
The Astronomy Outlook with Tony Rice (No segment for this episode)
This Week in Tornado History With Jen (No segment for this episode)
E-Mail Segment (No segment for this episode)
and more!

Web Sites from Episode 1023A:

2025 NWA Annual Meeting September 6-10th, 2025 Huntsville AL

Alabama Weather Network

Alabama Weather Network on Facebook

Picks of the Week:

James Aydelott - Cool noon temperatures in Oklahoma

Jen Narramore - Out

Rick Smith - The OCS/Mesonet Ticker

Troy Kimmel - Foghorn

Kim Klockow-McClain - Foghorn

John Gordon - Out

Bill Murray - Out

James Spann - Foghorn

WeatherBrains 1022: Tighter Than A Tick's Butt Aug 19, 2025

Show notes

Tonight's Guest WeatherBrain is a professor of mechanical engineering and applied mathematics at the University of Pennsylvania. He previously served as a principal scientist at Microsoft Research, where he led the development of Aurora. This was the groundbreaking AI foundation model for earth system forecasting. Dr. Paris Perdikaris, welcome to WeatherBrains!

Our email officer Jen is continuing to handle the incoming messages from our listeners. Reach us here: email@weatherbrains.com.

What is Aurora and the motivation for the program? (08:15)
Practical experience and forecasting with tropical forecasting with Aurora (12:30)
Success stories with Aurora (14:00)
Convection-allowing models (CAMS) (17:15)
Convective feedback problems with models (18:45)
Emergence of the Google DeepMind ensemble and other AI models (20:00)
Aurora's hardware architecture and its importance (23:30)
Continuing need of physics-based models in the age of AI (28:00)
Ethical considerations and biases in model training data (33:30)
Role of US agencies and potential loss of funding (37:55)
Communicating AI forecasts to the public and the ensuing ethical issues (42:30)
Broad risks of using AI (44:30)
Aurora business model (58:45)
The Astronomy Outlook with Tony Rice (01:05:25)
This Week in Tornado History With Jen (01:07:25)
E-Mail Segment (01:09:30)
and more!

Web Sites from Episode 1022:

Penn's Predictive Intelligence Lab

Alabama Weather Network on Facebook

Picks of the Week:

James Aydelott - Dr. Cameron Nixon on YouTube: Cell Mergers and Nudgers

Jen Narramore - "Significant Tornadoes 1680-1991" by Thomas Grazulis

Rick Smith - USA Jobs

Troy Kimmel - Foghorn

Kim Klockow-McClain - Out

John Gordon - Live Recon in the Atlantic Basin

Bill Murray - Foghorn

James Spann - Weather Lab: Cyclones

WeatherBrains 1021: I'm Glad You Wear Pants Now Aug 12, 2025

Show notes

Tonight's First Guest WeatherBrain is a meteorologist and veteran storm chaser who has documented tornadoes, hurricanes and supercells across the United States since 2015. He has degrees from Arizona State University and the University of Oklahoma, where he operated a mobile radar under tornado research pioneer Dr. Howie Bluestein. Trey Greenwood, welcome to the show!

Our Second Guest WeatherBrain is a professional broadcaster and CEO of storm chaser Coaching, hosting over 200 episodes of the Chaser Chat Podcast since 2020. He leads the company's mission to centralize storm chasing education through structured courses and a long-term membership model connecting learners with experienced coaches. Gabriel Harber, thank you for joining us tonight.

WeatherBrains veteran Sandy LaCorte also joins the panel to discuss the upcoming NWA Meeting 2025. It's great to see you again, Sandy.

Our email officer Jen is continuing to handle the incoming messages from our listeners. Reach us here: email@weatherbrains.com.