WeatherBrains Episode 942 is now online (February 5th, 2024). If you are crazy about weather, this is THE podcast for you!

Tonight’s Guest WeatherBrain currently serves as the Director of the Global Water Security Center and at the Alabama Water Institute at the University of Alabama.  He focuses on providing decision-makers with reliable information and innovative research on water and environmental security.  He leads efforts to understand their impacts on society.  His career has spanned 27 years as a command meteorologist in the U. S. Air Force, where he provided critical weather forecasting and analysis.  Col. Mike Gremillion, welcome to WeatherBrains.

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

• National Weatherpersons Day 2024 (0:45)
• Applying military and scientific experience to managing water resources (08:00)
• National Water Center and Alabama Water Institute background explained (17:00)
• NOAA integration (19:30)
• Lessons learned from medical science communications applied to meteorology and hydrology (25:00)
• AI/emerging technologies and water management (33:00)
• Water supply vulnerability (38:30)
• Avoiding politics when establishing policy (57:00)
• Estimated rain totals from radar accuracy (01:00:00)
• Future/Vision of Global Water Security Center (01:04:45)
• The Astronomy Outlook with Tony Rice (01:09:33)
• This Week in Tornado History With Jen (01:12:52)
• National Weather Round-Up (01:14:55)
• E-Mail Segment (No segment this week)
• and more!

Web Sites from Episode 942:  

Alabama Water Institute

Global Water Security Center

Picks of the Week:

Mike Gremillion – Space Weather Prediction Center

James Aydelott – Big Bear Bald Eagle Live Nest

Jen Narramore – Out

Rick Smith – Out

Neil Jacobs – Out

Troy Kimmel – Potential Breach Emergency Status increased to **WATCH** at Arkabutla Dam

Kim Klockow-McClain – Out

Bill Murray – Out

James Spann – When the Storm Online Is Worse Than the One Outside

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

WeatherBrains Episode 941 is now online (January 29th, 2024). If you are crazy about weather, this is THE podcast for you!

Our episode tonight is all about the AMS Annual Meeting 2024 live from Baltimore.

First up from the Conference is Ryan Lagerquist, NOAA employee and is a Research Scientist at CIRA (Cooperative Institute for Research in the Atmosphere).  He is a meteorologist by training and is heavily involved in machine learning research.

Joining us next on the show is the Chair for Coastal Artificial Intelligence at Texas A@M University-Corpus Christi and a Co-PI for the National Science Foundation Artificial Intelligence Institute for Research on Trustworthy AI in Weather, Climate, and Coastal Oceanography, or AI2ES.  Dr. Phillipe Tissot, thanks for dropping by tonight.

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

• Early reflections on AMS Annual Meeting (13:15)
• AI and the future of meteorology in general (16:00)
• Broad overview of AI and NWS Operations/Numerical weather prediction models (24:00)
• Community modeling/EPIC/UFS (32:00)
• The Astronomy Outlook with Tony Rice (No segment this week)
• This Week in Tornado History With Jen (53:03)
• National Weather Round-Up (01:02:45)
• E-Mail Segment (55:00)
• and more!

Web Sites from Episode 941:

2024 AMS Annual Meeting

Picks of the Week:

James Aydelott – Brian Brettschneider on X: Fairbanks upper air sounding

Jen Narramore – Foghorn

Rick Smith – NWS SPC on X: 9 Years of SPC Outlooks

Neil Jacobs – Foghorn

Troy Kimmel – Foghorn

Kim Klockow-McClain – Foghorn

Bill Murray – Out

James Spann – A Change in the Weather: Understanding Public Usage of Weather Apps

James Spann – Kevin Kloesel on X: Rick Smith photo/meme

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

WeatherBrains Episode 940 is now online (January 22nd, 2024). If you are crazy about weather, this is THE podcast for you!

Tonight’s Guest WeatherBrain is a frequent contributor to the show and a friend of the podcast.  He’s a renowned expert in the field of hurricane tracking and reporting.  He’s known for his innovative use of technology and social media to deliver real time updates on storm developments.  He’s made significant contributions to hurricane awareness and safety.  His insights and expertise make him a valuable voice in understanding the complexities of these powerful storms.  Mark Sudduth, it’s wonderful having you on the show tonight.

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

• First ever hurricane chase online in 2005 (18:45)
• Cultivating sense of curiosity and fostering interests as a parent in the digital age (25:30)
• Preliminary thoughts on 2024 hurricane season (39:50)
• Preview of AMS 2024 Annual Meeting in Baltimore (55:45)
• Last week’s Deep Freeze (01:06:45)
• Storm phobia/calming fear from general public concerning severe weather (01:22:00)
• The Astronomy Outlook with Tony Rice (48:55)
• This Week in Tornado History With Jen (50:55)
• National Weather Round-Up
• E-Mail Segment (53:00)
• and more!

Web Sites from Episode 940:

Mark Sudduth on X

HurricaneTrack.com

Picks of the Week:

James Aydelott – Steve Piltz on X: Blow drying ice video

Jen Narramore – Woman scared of weather calls in fake burglary, police say

Rick Smith – Out

Neil Jacobs – Mesoscale Vortices Embedded within a Lake-Effect Shoreline Band

Troy Kimmel – Kalaloch WA Lodge Live Cam

Kim Klockow-McClain – Dr. Kim Klockow-McClain discusses connection between social science and weather

Bill Murray – Out

James Spann – James Spann on X: JeffCo Alabama winter weather fun with canoe

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

WeatherBrains Episode 939 is now online (January 16th, 2024). If you are crazy about weather, this is THE podcast for you!

Tonight’s Guest WeatherBrain is a veteran of the show.  He’s a renowned Professor in Geographical Sciences at Arizona State University.  He specializes in weather and climate studies and brings a wealth of experience to the field of meteorology.  He’s joining us tonight to discuss is new book.  Randy Cerveny, it’s an honor to have you on the show tonight.

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

• Longest duration lightning flash (15:00)
• Controversial records/highest temperature recorded on the planet (17:45)
• Hurricane Katrina misconceptions (29:45)
• Media portrayal of weather events/public perception (44:40)
• NWS co-op network (49:45)
• Celeste Saulo first female Secretary-General of World Meteorological Organization (55:00)
• The Astronomy Outlook with Tony Rice (01:02:00)
• This Week in Tornado History With Jen (01:04:06)
• National Weather Round-Up
• E-Mail Segment (01:05:55)
• and more!

Web Sites from Episode 939:

World Weather and Climate Extremes Archive

“Judging Extreme Weather: Climate Science in Action” by Randy Cerveny

Picks of the Week:

Randy Cerveny – NASA analysis confirms 2023 as warmest year on record

James Aydelott – James Aydelott on X: Where this current cold snap ranks

James Aydelott – James Aydelott on X: “Parents getting that text message that school is out again Wednesday” Meme

Jen Narramore – The South Frankfort to Stamping Ground, KY F4 Tornado and Downburst Disaster of April 3, 1974

Rick Smith – Out

Neil Jacobs – Out

Troy Kimmel – No joke: Feds banning humorous electronic messages on highways

Kim Klockow-McClain – Highway fatality signs may cause more car crashes

Bill Murray – Jason Goodson James Spann TikTok

James Spann – Rick Mitchell on X: Sunday Night Football cut-in issues

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

WeatherBrains Episode 938 is now online (January 8th, 2024). If you are crazy about weather, this is THE podcast for you!

Tonight’s Guest WeatherBrain is a researcher and trainer at the European Severe Storms Laboratory (ESSL).  They conduct research on severe convective storms across Europe, climatology, forecasting and remote sensing.  They gather reports of severe weather in the European severe weather database, organize conferences on severe storms, and facilitate the training of meteorologists on convective storm forecasting through courses and seminars.  Tonights’s Guest WeatherBrain also chases storms from time to time.  Tomas Pucik, welcome to WeatherBrains!

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

• ESSL background (05:45)
• Memorable recent European weather events (18:45)
• European damage surveys vs American/International Fujita scale (24:00)
• Highlighted European storm chasing locations (32:30)
• European warning dissemination process (49:00)
• FAR/POD numbers in Europe (01:04:00)
• Issues with social media hype/clickbait in Europe vs America (01:06:00)
• The Astronomy Outlook with Tony Rice (01:09:23)
• This Week in Tornado History With Jen (01:11:53)
• National Weather Round-Up (01:
• E-Mail Segment (01:14:18)
• and more!

Web Sites from Episode 938:

European Severe Storms Laboratory

Tomas Pucik on X

Picks of the Week:

James Aydelott – Ryan Hollister on X: Distant photo of Half Dome

Jen Narramore – WPC’s Short Range Public Discussion

Rick Smith – Probabilistic Winter Storm Severity Index

Neil Jacobs – Out

Troy Kimmel – Out

Kim Klockow-McClain – Out

Bill Murray – Foghorn

James Spann – United States Power Outage Map

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

WeatherBrains Episode 937 is now online (January 2nd, 2024). If you are crazy about weather, this is THE podcast for you!

Tonight’s show will be broken into two halves.

Our first Guest WeatherBrain is a retired Army noncommissioned officer with a background in special operations/weather.  He currently does some work for streaming service WeatherNation as a field meteorologist.  He’s also a part time police officer as well as Founder/Director of the National Storm Chaser Summit.  Erik Fox, it’s an honor to have you join us for this first show of 2024.

The 2nd half of our inaugural 2024 show focuses on auroras and features a professional aurora chaser.  He’s a photographer and a PhD student at the University of Alaska-Fairbanks.  He has a passion for space weather and shares his expertise through educational content and sharing his incredible aurora photography.  Vincent Ledvina, welcome to the show.

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

• Diving into WeatherNation (16:30)
• ChaserCon (19:00)
• Looking back at El Reno tornado (24:30)
• Dealing with problematic storm chasers on social media (41:30)
• Aurora science and key misconceptions (01:03:15)
• Factors contributing to 2024 auroras (01:06:00)
• How to start chasing auroras and tools needed (01:12:00)
• Upcoming equinox and improving aurora prospects (01:34:00)
• Polar stratospheric clouds (01:38:10)
• Farthest south for observable auroras (01:40:15)
• The Astronomy Outlook with Tony Rice (No segment this week)
• This Week in Tornado History With Jen (58:02)
• National Weather Round-Up (01:48:00)
• E-Mail Segment (01:45:00)
• and more!

Web Sites from Episode 937:

NSCS 2024

Erik Fox on X

Vincent Ledvina: The Aurora Guy on Facebook

NOAA/NWS Space Weather Prediction Center

Dr. Tamitha Skov on X

The Aurora Guy

Picks of the Week:

Vincent Ledvina – X5 Solar Flare Erupts from Sun

James Aydelott – Goodyear Blimp on X: Rose Bowl sunset view

Jen Narramore – Foghorn Wiki article

Rick Smith – Probabilistic Hazards Outlook

Neil Jacobs – Out

Troy Kimmel – Out

Kim Klockow-McClain – Out

Bill Murray – Foghorn

James Spann – Chris Vagasky on X: Snow Tornadoes

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

WeatherBrains Episode 936 is now online (December 25th, 2023). If you are crazy about weather, this is THE podcast for you!

Tonight’s show features a very special guest.  He’s been a beacon of knowledge and insight in the weather enterprise for decades.   His passion for meteorology has inspired countless people to pursue careers in the weather field.  He’s a household name and a trusted voice who recently announce his retirement.  He’s retiring after a 45 year career at WGN-TV in Chicago. Tom Skilling, welcome!

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

• AI and meteorology (20:30)
• Impacts of high latitude blocking on weather (41:00)
• Teaching patterns and storylines with the public/growing literacy in broadcast meteorology (42:00)
• Dealing with social media communications during active weather (47:30)
•  The importance of valuing viewers in broadcast meteorology (01:15:30)
• Historically challenging weather events to forecast (01:21:00)
• Filtering out and discerning misinformation online as a forecaster (01:27:00)
• Future of broadcast meteorology (01:34:30)
• The Astronomy Outlook with Tony Rice (01:42:03)
• This Week in Tornado History With Jen (No segment this week)
• National Weather Round-Up
• E-Mail Segment (01:45:40)
• and more!

Web Sites from Episode 936:

Greg Carbin on Facebook

45th Anniversary of Tom Skilling’s first day on WGN-TV

Picks of the Week:

James Aydelott – Kitten experiencing snow for first time, from Buitengebieden on X

Jen Narramore – Eight Minutes in August: The F5 Plainfield Tornado of 1990

Rick Smith – Out

Neil Jacobs – The Man Who Fell From Space

Troy Kimmel – Foghorn

Kim Klockow-McClain – High Rise Twice the Size of Devon Tower Could Make Its Way To OKC

Bill Murray – Foghorn

James Spann – Op Product Viewer

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

WeatherBrains Episode 935 is now online (December 18th, 2023). If you are crazy about weather, this is THE podcast for you!

Tonight’s show is our annual year-ender with show veteran and weather legend and WPC/NOAA boss Greg Carbin.  He’s now a 31 year veteran with NOAA, and it’s always an honor to have you join us.

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

• Difficult flooding event on Atlantic coast 12/15-17(05:45)
• La Niña winter/Pacific NW snowfall (10:30)
• Ft. Lauderdale April flash flooding event (18:00)
• Summer Canadian wildfires/ridge anomaly (22:30)
• Extreme summertime Gulf Coast heat/records broken (26:00)
• July Vermont flooding (32:15)
• Hawaii/Maui fires (38:45)
• Hurricane Hilary (40:30)
• Rolling Fork MS tornado (45:55)
• Mid-June MS hailstorm (50:15)
• 2023 Atlantic hurricane season analysis (01:13:45)
• January 12th Selma tornado (01:18:45)
• The Astronomy Outlook with Tony Rice (01:32:00)
• This Week in Tornado History With Jen (01:34:17)
• National Weather Round-Up
• E-Mail Segment (No segment this week)
• and more!

Web Sites from Episode 935:

Subseasonal Forecasts Columbia University

Greg Carbin on X

Picks of the Week:

Greg Carbin – U.S. Streaks

James Aydelott – Irish woman whose forecast saved D-Day dies at 100

Jen Narramore – WX History on X: 12/18/18 Washington State tornado

Rick Smith – Out

Neil Jacobs – Out

Troy Kimmel – SERCC

Kim Klockow-McClain – Out

Bill Murray – Foghorn

James Spann – Geology Professor Shawn Willsey’s Iceland Eruption Livestream

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

WeatherBrains Episode 934 is now online (December 11th, 2023). If you are crazy about weather, this is THE podcast for you!

Tonight’s show is heading across the pond to talk tornadoes in Great Britain and Ireland.  Also a hot topic is the severe weather event on 12/9 across the Southern U. S.

Our first Guest WeatherBrain is a damage site investigator for TORRO.  She’s been an active member of that organization for 17 years. TORRO’s most productive area of research involves members conducting tornado damage site investigations. Originally a satellite design engineer, she is an enthusiastic amateur meteorologist who tutors students in math for a living. Obsessed with both hiking and tornadoes, tornado site investigations provide an ideal opportunity to combine her interests. Although she lived in Ohio for 18 months as a teenager, she is yet to witness a tornado, though she did have practice in taking shelter in the basement when the tornado sirens went off.  She lives in Hampshire with her husband.  Sarah Horton, it’s an honor to have you on the show!

Tonight’s Second Guest WeatherBrain is a Senior Weather Risk Manager at DTN. He has worked in the organisation (formally MeteoGroup in Europe) for over 23 years, as both a shift forecaster and a line manager. Paul has been a member of both TORRO and the Royal Meteorological Society since the early 1990s, having been interested in weather since an early age. Paul is currently Head of TORRO – the Tornado and Storm Research Organisation. He has been storm chasing in the USA 19 times and has witnessed many severe storms and tornadoes. He lives in Reading with his partner Helen (also a meteorologist), and their young daughter, Alana. Paul is a Chartered Meteorologist, as awarded by the Royal Meteorological Society.  Paul Knightley, thanks so much for dropping by tonight.

Also joining us as Guest Panelist is show regular SOO Kevin Laws from the NWS Birmingham.  He’s been busy doing storm surveys the last couple of days after the weekend’s severe weather across the South.  It’s always a pleasure to have you stop by, Kevin.

Last but certainly not least, joining us tonight as Guest WeatherBrain No.3 is the long team lead forecaster at the NWS Nashville TN.  He’s warned there since 2011 and next year marks 20 years of service in the NWS.  He received his Bachelors Degree in Meteorology at Texas A&M and his Master’s Degree from Mississippi State.  He specializes in radar and warning operations.  Sam Shamburger, it’s an honor to have you on tonight!

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

• 12/9/23 Middle TN tornadoes/analysis (08:45)
• Components/comparison of a damage survey in US vs UK (21:00)
• 12/10/21 vs 12/9/23 (27:00)
• Why doesn’t the general public take Severe Thunderstorm Warnings seriously?  (38:00)
• What is TORRO?  (01:01:00)
• Differences in European tornadoes vs North America (01:02:00)
• Waterspout events in UK (01:14:45)
• Scale for tornadoes developed by TORRO/T-scale (01:20:00)
• Notable Great Britain/Ireland tornado events (01:23:00)
• What is the RMS and how can you get involved?  (01:39:30)
• The Astronomy Outlook with Tony Rice (01:43:58)
• This Week in Tornado History With Jen (01:46:16)
• National Weather Round-Up
• E-Mail Segment (No segment this week)
• and more!

Web Sites from Episode 934:

TORRO

Picks of the Week:

Paul Knightley – Archive – The International Journal of Meteorology

Sarah Horton – “Extreme Weather: Forty Years of the Tornado and Storm Research Organisation (TORRO)” by Robert K Doe

James Aydelott – Kyle Gillett on X: ACARS profile from BNA in Nashville on X

Jen Narramore – Roger Edwards on X: Tennessee tornado fireball videos/commentary

Rick Smith – 16 different videos of Hendersonville, TN EF2 tornado on X

Neil Jacobs – I Told him There Were GIANTS in This Canal! (Fly Fishing for Tarpon) – On YouTube

Troy Kimmel – Out

Kim Klockow-McClain – A Daily Cloud on Instagram

Bill Murray – Royal Meteorological Society

James Spann – Probability of a white Christmas in the Continental US (1991-2020)

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

WeatherBrains Episode 933 is now online (December 4th, 2023). If you are crazy about weather, this is THE podcast for you!

Tonight’s show is all about fire warnings and wildfire forecasting.

Our first Guest WeatherBrain is the Science and Operations Officer with the NWS Norman.  He’s previously worked in Amarillo, Lubbock, Midland and Tulsa NWS.  He recently received the Charles L Mitchell Award for his years of work in fire weather forecasting.  Todd Lindley, thanks for joining us tonight.

Second Guest WeatherBrain is the Deputy Fire Management Chief of the Oklahoma Forestry Services.  He’s responsible for both fighting fires on the ground as well as prescribed fire management.  He’s also part of the Northern Rockies Incident Management Team One.  Drew Daily, thanks for being a part of the show.

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

• What is a Deputy Fire Management Chief?  (09:10)
• NWS Fire Weather Program (13:30)
•  Current state of fire prediction (17:45)
• What are fuels and how do we acquire that information and account for it?  (23:00)
• Red Flag Thread Index (27:00)
• Role of media in wildfire preparation and awareness (36:00)
• Invasive species/Red Cedar and fire threat (40:00)
• Outside variables for controlled burns (45:30)
• Diurnal range of energy release component (58:00)
• Satellites and wildfire detection (01:02:00)
• What is column collapse?  (01:30:00)
• The Astronomy Outlook with Tony Rice (01:41:27)
• This Week in Tornado History With Jen (01:43:30)
• National Weather Round-Up (01:49:30)
• E-Mail Segment (01:45:30)
• and more!

Web Sites from Episode 933:

Northern Rockies Incident Management Team 1

Picks of the Week:

Drew Daily – Oklahoma Wildfire Situation Report

Todd Lindley – NOAA GSL Fire Weather Testbed

James Aydelott – Fire Mike Tomlin on X

Jen Narramore – The Immeasurable Cost of the December 10-11th 2021 Tornado Outbreak

Rick Smith – Wildfire Weather Safety

Neil Jacobs – Octopus tornado on YouTube

Troy Kimmel – NTSB Docket open on Feb 2023 FedEx/Southwest Airlines Near Miss at KAUS

Troy Kimmel – NYT Investigation of Air Traffic Controllers Pushed to the Brink

Kim Klockow-McClain – Mesonet OK-FIRE

Bill Murray – Foghorn

James Spann – National Reflectivity Mosaic

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