WeatherBrains

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.

Tonight's Guest WeatherBrain is a legend in the Weather Enterprise and is the quintessential Tornado Master.   Dr. Howard Bluestein is a Professor Emeritus and George Lynn Cross Research Professor in the School of Meteorology at the University of Oklahoma.  He recently retired after spending more than 48 (WOW!) years as a meteorology professor at OU.  Dr. Bluestein remains active in research and storm chasing, and for decades he pioneered the use of advance mobile doppler radar systems to study severe storms and tornadoes.  He's also a renowned author and photographer, and some of his works have been placed in museums across the world.  Dr. Bluestein, welcome to WeatherBrains!
Our email officer Jen is continuing to handle the incoming messages from our listeners. Reach us here: [email protected].
How did Dr. Bluestein enter the field of meteorology?  (07:00)
Harold Edgerton 1957 photo of Milk Drop Coronet (18:00)
Waterspout chasing in airplanes (28:00)
GATE June-September 1974 (GARP Atlantic Tropical Experiment) (29:30)
Conditional Instability of the Second Kind (CISK) (33:00)
Using an optical theodolite to track storm soundings (50:30)
W-Band radar vs KA-Band radars (55:00)
Chasing 1984's Hurricane Diana (01:05:00)
Dr. Bluestein's phenomenology and key scientific breakthroughs through scanning technology and storm chasing (01:06:00)
Using RaxPol (Rapid X-band Polarimetric Radar) data to accurately rate tornadoes (01:14:00)
Mentorship of OU graduate students and lasting impacts of the program (01:18:30)
Boundary-layer physics: Is the problem of Tornadogenesis solved?  (01:27:30)
The Astronomy Outlook with Tony Rice (No segment this week - stay tuned!)
This Week in Tornado History With Jen (01:38:30)
E-Mail Segment (No segment this week - stay tuned!)
and more!
Web Sites from Episode 1054:  
"The Architecture of Clouds" by Dr. Howard B. Bluestein
Alabama Weather Network
Picks of the Week:
James Aydelott - Supercell Easter Egg Photo
Jen Narramore - Tupelo, MS F5 Tornado - April 5, 1936
Rick Smith - NOVA Tornado! Original Broadcast 1985
Troy Kimmel - Founding USA Today Editor Jack Williams passes away
Kim Klockow-McClain - NSSL VORTEX USA
John Gordon - Kona Storms Flood O'ahu
Bill Murray - Out
James Spann - Storm ready: NOAA's new mobile radar fleet bridges gap between research and weather safety
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 Guest WeatherBrain is the Director of the National Hurricane Center in Miami. He previously led its Hurricane Specialist Unit and served as a senior hurricane specialist, producing forecasts and warnings for tropical cyclones in the Atlantic and eastern Pacific.  His work focuses on improving hurricane track and intensity forecasts, integrating new data into models, and training meteorologists on forecasting and communication. Before joining NHC leadership, he was the Science and Operations Officer at the Weather Prediction Center, where he guided scientific practices and staff training.  He is active in the scientific community as a presenter, journal reviewer, and associate editor. He earned his bachelor's, master's, and Ph.D. in atmospheric sciences from North Carolina State University, with research focused on weather forecasting and meteorology in the eastern United States.  Dr. Michael Brennan, welcome to the show!
Our email officer Jen is continuing to handle the incoming messages from our listeners. Reach us here: [email protected].
Notable Virginia hurricanes  (12:00)
When can NOAA Hurricane Hunters fly into a developing tropical cyclone?  (15:00)
Extending tropical weather outlooks beyond a week?  (18:00)
Considering population density with regards to hurricane watches/warnings (25:00)
Operational tempo atNHC during 2025's Hurricane Melissa (35:30)
Receiving and analyzing real-time reports during landfalling tropical cyclones (46:00)
Behind the scenes:  a normal day at NHC vs active event protocol (49:45)
Dealing with the media as NHC Director (54:30)
Social media attacks and appropriate professional responses in the weather enterprise (01:13:00)
NHC seasonal outlooks and call to action (01:18:00)
The Astronomy Outlook with Tony Rice (01:27:00)
This Week in Tornado History With Jen (01:29:20)
E-Mail Segment (01:30:30)
and more!
Web Sites from Episode 1053:  
Alabama Weather Network
Picks of the Week:
Dr. Michael Brennan - NHC Tropical Cyclone Video Series
James Aydelott - Foghorn
Jen Narramore - Hurricane Gloria September 27th, 1985
Rick Smith - U.S. Drought Monitor Current Map
Troy Kimmel - NWS Houston/Galveston Hurricane Guide
Kim Klockow-McClain - The Fifth Hurricane Hazard: A Case Study of Heat Risks Faced by Disaster Relief Workers After Hurricane Beryl's Landfall
John Gordon - Kentucky Mesonet at WKU
Bill Murray - Out
James Spann - Conditional Warning Probabilities
James Spann - NOAA's NWS eyes the cloud for next-gen applications
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.