WeatherBrains

Guest WeatherBrain Jan Null joins us tonight on WeatherBrains.  Armed with over 50 years experience as a meteorologist, he earned his Bachelor of Science from UC-Davis and his Master's Degree from San Jose State University.  He's been an adjunct professor at San Francisco State University since 1987.  Jan, welcome!  University of South Alabama student Jackson Quinn also joins us tonight as Guest Panelist.  He serves as the 2026 AMS Student Chapter President.  We will be discussing heat risks for FIFA World Cup 2026 host cities, as well as other pressing topics in the world of weather.  It's great to have you on tonight, Jackson!
Our email officer Jen is continuing to handle the incoming messages from our listeners. Reach us here: [email protected].
Greensburg, KS EF5 anniversary (01:00)
Jan Null's meteorology background (09:45)
What is CWSU (Center Weather Service Unit Information)?  (12:00)
Biggest event Jan worked on the West Coast (15:30)
SeCAPS South Alabama student-run symposium (22:00)
3 broad categories of heat-related deaths of children in vehicles (31:30)
Heat-related data concerning people living in extended power outages (43:00)
Jackson's project at SeCAPS (49:30)
Compare/contract outcomes with other World Cups and similar events at locations with similar climatology (01:00:00)
Development of vehicle seat sensors (01:06:00)
NCAA college football games and their heat rules (01:09:00)
Deeper dive into pediatric vehicular heat stroke (01:12:30)
Summer of 1980 heatwave (01:14:00)
The Astronomy Outlook with Tony Rice (01:21:30)
This Week in Tornado History With Jen (01:23:15)
E-Mail Segment (01:25:30)
and more!
Web Sites from Episode 1059:  
No Heat Stroke
Alabama Weather Network
Picks of the Week:
Jan Null - National Meteorologists Day
Jackson Quinn - SeCAPS Home Page University of South Alabama Meteorology
James Aydelott - "The Formation and Early Evolution of the Greensburg, Kansas, Tornadic Supercell on 4 May 2007" by Howard B. Bluestein
James Aydelott - "Mobile, X-band, Polarimetric Doppler Radar Observations of the 4 May 2007 Greensburg, Kansas, Tornadic Supercell" by Robin L. Tanamachi, Howard B. Bluestein, Jana B. Houser, Stephen J. Frasier and Kery M. Hardwick
Jen Narramore - Bill Randby breaks down weather phenomenon that was caught on video during Creighton Prep soccer
Rick Smith - Everything Hikers Know About Lightning Safety is Wrong
Troy Kimmel - Golden Gate Weather Services
Kim Klockow-McClain - Lancet Countdown on Health and Climate Change data
John Gordon - WeatherNation on X: Rare "Ash Devil" spotted in Phelan, CA
Bill Murray - Out
James Spann - New Texas Hailstone Record Confirmed by NOAA and Partners
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.

Tonight is a homegrown show with our regular WeatherBrains panelists.  Tonight we mark the somber 15th anniversary of the April 27th, 2011 super outbreak.  So much has changed in the field of meteorology, in the field of technology/AI, and society in general since 2011.  Where do we go from here?  Also, the panel discusses the EF4 tornado that occurred in Oklahoma last week, as well as other hot topics in the field of weather.  Thanks for listening!
Our email officer Jen is continuing to handle the incoming messages from our listeners. Reach us here: [email protected].
Dangers of saying the wrong thing on social media (05:00)
Processing the April 27th, 2011 anniversary (10:45)
April 27th warning process:  What they got right and what they got wrong (17:00)
Origins of "Respect the Polygon" (22:00)
Improving False Alarm Ratio (FAR) (26:00)
Most stressful aspect of any significant severe weather event (31:00)
Rick's perspective of recent EF4 Enid OK tornado (36:00)
Weather-savvy nature of Oklahomans and people who live in tornado-prone areas (46:00)
Do NWS employees take any cues from broadcasters and make decisions based on streamers?  (52:30)
Increasing issue of wildfire threats and call to action (55:30)
The Astronomy Outlook with Tony Rice (01:09:00)
This Week in Tornado History With Jen (01:11:30)
E-Mail Segment (01:13:15)
and more!
Web Sites from Episode 1058:  
Alabama Weather Network
Picks of the Week:
James Aydelott - 4/26/26 James Aydelott tornado coverage
James Aydelott - Photo of 4/26/26 Oklahoma tornado on ground
James Aydelott - Photo of 4/26/26 James Aydelott coverage
Jen Narramore - Overview of the April 25-28, 2011 Super Outbreak
Rick Smith - Enid OK EF4 and Braman OK EF1 tornado paths
Troy Kimmel - Camp Mystic failed to train teenage counselors for floods, expert tells lawmakers
Kim Klockow-McClain - Out
John Gordon - Curiosity on X: Red Sprite photo
Bill Murray - Autumn Sky VWP Hodographs
James Spann - Spanning Alabama Episode 15: April 27, 2011
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.

We are excited to have retired National Hurricane Center (NHC) Bill Read on tonight's episode of WeatherBrains!  Bill was the Director of the National Hurricane Center from 2008-2012, and focused on improving storm surge forecasting accuracy and strengthening collaborations with emergency managers to better communicate risks. He advanced the use of social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter for real-time public outreach and feedback, notably during events such as Hurricane Irene in 2011, to refine messaging on inland flooding threats.  Bill was the first Meteorologist in Charge (MIC) at NWS Houston and led the office for 15 years.  He was also a Navy Hurricane Hunter on the P3 aircraft.  Bill, welcome to WeatherBrains!
Our email officer Jen is continuing to handle the incoming messages from our listeners. Reach us here: [email protected].
National Tropical Weather Conference (06:00)
Bill's entry in the NWS (22:45)
Looking back at 1978's Tropical Storm Amelia (25:00)
Who remembers teletypes?  (30:15)
Anniversary of 2010 Deepwater Horizon tragedy (38:30)
Experiences as NHC Director working Hurricane Ike (44:30)
Are there more landfalling US hurricanes at night or during the day? (53:00)
3 significant tools that have moved the meteorological industry forward (54:00)
NHC Director off-season duties (58:00)
Process of retiring a hurricane name (01:09:00)
Dr. Robert Simpson's legacy (01:20:00)
Issues with coordination between WFOs as NHC Director (01:21:00)
Best and worst forecasts as NHC Director over the years (01:22:00)
The Astronomy Outlook with Tony Rice (No segment this week - stay tuned!)
This Week in Tornado History With Jen (01:28:30)
E-Mail Segment (01:30:00)
and more!
Web Sites from Episode 1057:  
Alabama Weather Network
Picks of the Week:
Bill Read - Cade's Cast Weather on YouTube

James Aydelott - Reid Wiseman on X: Moon video
Jen Narramore - OTUS Project on X: Video INSIDE the Wyoming, IA tornado
Rick Smith - NIHHIS Heat Season Warm-Up Workshop
Troy Kimmel - Out
Kim Klockow-McClain - Iowa/Wisconsin tornado warnings 2026 vs 2025
John Gordon - Volcaholic on X: Video illustrating "Levante" phenomenon
Bill Murray - Out
James Spann - Roger Edwards on X: About Recent SPC Forecast Performance
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.

This week's episode of WeatherBrains is all about Colorado weather!
Tonight's show features Guest WeatherBrain and Colorado State Climatologist Dr. Russ Schumacher.  He's also a Professor at Colorado State University and is Director of the Colorado Climate Center.  He's been involved in extreme precipitation, weather prediction, and is the guru of Colorado weather.  Dr. Schumaker, welcome to the show!
Second Guest WeatherBrain is the project manager of CoCoRaHS (Community Collaborative Rain, Hail, and Snow Network).  He is the CoCoRaHS East Central Region Illinois State Coordinator and has been an active observer in Illinois for over 19 years.  He retired as the director of the MRCC and is a big fan of winter weather.  Steve Hilberg, thanks for joining us tonight!
Third Guest WeatherBrain Noah Newman is a Research Associate with the Colorado Climate Center at Colorado State University.  He's been the Education Coordinator at CoCoRaHS since 2008, and has teaching experience from astronomy to rocketry to various Earth sciences.  Noah, welcome to WeatherBrains!
Our email officer Jen is continuing to handle the incoming messages from our listeners. Reach us here: [email protected].
Upper Midwest severe weather event (03:00)
What is it like to be a State Climatologist?  (07:00)
2019 Colorado hail record (14:30)
How did Noah get into meteorology?  (24:30)
Deep dive into CoCoRaHS (Community Collaborative Rain, Hail, and Snow Network) (27:00)
Snowfall vs snow depth and the confusion between them (41:00)
CoCoRaHS Significant Weather Reports (48:45)
Moderate risk busts vs overachieving conditional systems (57:00)
Dr. Schumacher's current research in Colorado (01:05:00)
Process to get involved at CoCoRaHS (01:10:00)
The Astronomy Outlook with Tony Rice (01:15:30)
This Week in Tornado History With Jen (01:18:15)
E-Mail Segment (01:20:00)
and more!
Web Sites from Episode 1056:  
CoCoRaHS
Alabama Weather Network
Picks of the Week:
Steve Hilberg - Ag Weather
Noah Newman - CoCoRaHS Data Explorer
Dr. Russ Schumacher - CoCoRaHS All About Hail
James Aydelott - NWS Norman Observed Sounding
Jen Narramore - County Road 69 Tornado April 15th, 2011
Rick Smith - Out
Troy Kimmel - Out
Kim Klockow-McClain - Reed Timmer tornado video
John Gordon - NWS Louisville Shareholders Report 2025
Bill Murray - Out
James Spann - James Spann on X: Emmetsburg, IA tornado video
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.

Tonight's show is all about Tampa Bay and the west central gulf coast of Florida.  We are excited to have Chief Meteorologist Mike Clay from Spectrum Bay News 9 and Brian LaMarre former NWS MIC from Tampa Bay for many years!
This is second of many upcoming WeatherBrains episodes focusing on various media weather markets around the country.  On Episode 1030 last October we focused on Kansas City with Bryan Busby and Joe Lauria.  On June 15, we will have a show dedicated to the Dallas Fort Worth metroplex weather enterprise.
Mike and Brian will discuss forecasting sea breezes, marine weather, Tampa Bay tropical cyclone challenges and much more.  Mike and Brian, welcome to WeatherBrains!
Our email officer Jen is continuing to handle the incoming messages from our listeners. Reach us here: [email protected].
Origins of Inspire Weather (11:30)
Prolific Florida lightning shows (20:00)
Magnetrons vs Klystrons explained (22:30)
Relationship between media and NWS in various TV markets (25:00)
Origins of NWS chat (29:30)
 Tampa's hurricane close calls (32:30)
1985's Hurricane Elena bizarre track (46:00)
Non-tropical Florida tornado outbreaks (53:30)
What is Florida red tide? (01:07:00)
1993 Storm of the Century and its impact on the State of Florida (01:11:00)
The Astronomy Outlook with Tony Rice (01:32:00)
This Week in Tornado History With Jen (01:35:30)
E-Mail Segment (01:37:00)
and more!
Web Sites from Episode 1055:  
Inspire Weather
Tampa Bay Florida Local Weather Bay News 9
Alabama Weather Network
Picks of the Week:
Mike Clay - Florida Thunderstorm Season
Brian LaMarre - El Niño Modoki vs Traditional El Niño
James Aydelott - Artemis astronauts propose naming moon feature after Mission Commander Reid Wiseman's late wife
Jen Narramore - Nelson Tucker on X: Barrel white wall cloud and meson of Morton, TX EF2
Rick Smith - Out
Troy Kimmel - Foghorn
Kim Klockow-McClain - Highlights from Artemis II's History Journey Around the Moon
John Gordon - Jaden Pappenheim on X: Michigan flooding videos
Bill Murray - Out
James Spann - ENSO: Recent Evolution, Current Status and Predictions
James Spann - WeatherBrains 91: A Chat With Roy Leep
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.