WeatherBrains

• WeatherBrains 1033: Maximum Hemorrhoid Outage

  Tonight's Guest WeatherBrain is a meteorologist and trader focused on weather risk management, currently with Munich Re Trading LLC. His career includes experience with the National Weather Service, energy trading, and weather derivatives—blending forecasting expertise with financial market knowledge. Welcome, Tom Paylor! Our email officer Jen is continuing to handle the incoming messages from our listeners. Reach us here: [email protected]. Correct weather ballon launch procedures (25:00) What are weather derivatives?  (35:30) What is a weather derivative sales group?  (40:00) Weather/Power price triggers (44:15) AI implementation (01:22:15) The Astronomy Outlook with Tony Rice (01:23:55) This Week in Tornado History With Jen (No segment this week) E-Mail Segment (01:26:30) and more! Web Sites from Episode 1033: Alabama Weather Network Picks of the Week: Tom Paylor - Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD) has reached a new record weekly negative value James Aydelott - Nick Gilby on X: Large hail photo in Ingleside, Texas Jen Narramore - Out Rick Smith - Out Troy Kimmel - NWS Atlanta weather observation comment controversy Kim Klockow-McClain - Why Counting Disaster Deaths Is Complicated and How NORC Is Helping Get It Right John Gordon - Ben Noll on X: Record-setting water vapor pulsing across Earth's skies Bill Murray - Foghorn James Spann - iCyclone Facebook page 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.

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• WeatherBrains 1032: Wasteland of Nothing

  Tonight's guest is Dr. Jerry Brotzge, Kentucky State Climatologist and Director of the Kentucky Climate Center and Mesonet. The discussion focuses on climatology, observational data, and building a mesonet network. Dr. Brotzge earned his Bachelor's degree from the University of St. Louis and his Master's and Ph.D. from the University of Oklahoma.  Dr. Brotzge, welcome to WeatherBrains! Our second Guest WeatherBrain is Dr. Stu Foster.  He is the former head of the Kentucky Climate Center.  He built the mesonet in the state of Kentucky and earned his PhD from Ohio State University.  Welcome to the show, Dr. Foster! Guest Panelist for tonight's episode is the former chief meteorologist for WBKO-TV.  Shane Holinde is the Outreach Manager for the Kentucky mesonet and the Kentucky climate center.  Thanks for joining us tonight! Our email officer Jen is continuing to handle the incoming messages from our listeners. Reach us here: [email protected]. Category 5 Melissa aims for Jamaica (05:30) December 11th, 2021 Bowling Green, KY tornadoes (08:00) What exactly does a State Climatologist do?  (08:45) Seeds of the Kentucky mesonet (12:00) What is a mesonet?  (13:30) Mesonet station offers in very unlikely/ineffective locations (26:00) Major challenges of building the mesonet network in Kentucky (29:30) Decisions made based on precise mesonet data (43:30) Critical importance of NWS wind tables (50:30) Equipment damage due to nature/critters (01:16:30) Representativeness error issue in mesonet data (01:19:20) The Astronomy Outlook with Tony Rice (01:37:00) This Week in Tornado History With Jen (01:38:15) E-Mail Segment (01:39:15) and more! Web Sites from Episode 1032: Alabama Weather Network Shane Holinde on X Picks of the Week: Dr. Jerry Brotzge - Kentucky Mesonet at WKU James Aydelott - No Thunderstorm Forecast from SPC on Wednesday Jen Narramore - Roger Hill on X: June 23rd, 2002 tornado video Rick Smith - Storm Front Freaks final episode Troy Kimmel - Out Kim Klockow-McClain - "On the Economic Nature of Crop Production Decisions Using the Oklahoma Mesonet" by Dr. Kim Klockow-McClain John Gordon - AF Reserve Hurricane Hunters on Facebook John Gordon - Hunter Live Reconnaissance Bill Murray - Out James Spann - Third pass through Melissa 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.

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• WeatherBrains 1031: Date With A Razor

  Tonight's Guest WeatherBrain is Jen Carfagno, co-host of America's Morning Headquarters and the Weather Geeks podcast on The Weather Channel. A Penn State meteorology graduate with over 25 years of experience, she has covered major weather events like hurricanes, tornadoes, and blizzards, helping audiences understand storm science. Starting behind the scenes before becoming an on-air meteorologist, she earned an Emmy Award for her coverage of Hurricane Helene in 2024. Known as the "Dewpoint Diva," Jen is recognized for her expertise and enthusiasm in meteorology.  Jen, thanks for joining us tonight! Our email officer Jen is continuing to handle the incoming messages from our listeners. Reach us here: [email protected]. Origin of "Dewpoint Diva" (12:00) Handling demands of the digital world with time constraints in the weather business (20:00) Dealing with negativity and harassment online (22:00) Innovations/major changes in recent years in the weather business (26:00) Support staff at TWC (33:30) TWC providing local forecasts for Allen Media Stations?  (38:00) Reporting in the field vs in studio (49:00) Communication difficulties during major events like Helene and Harvey (56:30) Importance of recognizing past impactful weather events and learning from them (01:01:00) Does the public understand what a wind advisory is and are those warnings heeded?  (01:11:00) Jen Carfagno as a guest DJ (01:18:00) Fox Weather vs TWC (01:26:00) The Astronomy Outlook with Tony Rice (01:29:00) This Week in Tornado History With Jen (01:31:00) E-Mail Segment (No segment this week - stay tuned!) and more! Web Sites from Episode 1031: Alabama Weather Network Jen Carfagno on X Picks of the Week: Jen Carfagno - Everything Weather App James Aydelott - Ermont, France tornado Jen Narramore - Violent tornado in France Rick Smith - Out Troy Kimmel - Out Kim Klockow-McClain - Weather Star 4000+ John Gordon - Beach umbrellas go flying in the wind at Florida beach Bill Murray - Out James Spann - Lightning strike kills teenage hunter during weekend storms 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.

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• WeatherBrains 1030: Bad Hombre Not Far Away

  Tonight's Guest WeatherBrains are two Kansas City meteorologists who both went to St. Louis for meteorology and both have had incredibly long and storied careers.  They are also unlikely close friends behind camera.  Bryan and Joe, it's great to have you both on the show tonight! Bryan Busby, Chief Meteorologist at KMBC 9 News since 1985, is one of Kansas City's most respected and recognized meteorologists.  Known for his innovative weather programs such as "Guaranteed Weather" and "Instant Weather Network" (for which he holds a U.S. patent), Busby has also served as Chief Meteorologist for the Chiefs Fox Football Radio Network and appears on KMBZ Radio.  Nationally acclaimed, he chaired the American Meteorological Society's Board of Broadcast Meteorologists, was featured by The Weather Channel, and was elected to the National Weather Association's Board of Directors in 2021.  His honors include the AMS Award for Broadcast Meteorology (2010) and lifetime AMS Fellowship (2023). Joe Lauria is an award-winning meteorologist who has delivered nightly forecasts on FOX 4 since 1995.  A New York native fascinated by weather since childhood, he previously served as Chief Meteorologist in Texas, Florida, and Illinois, earning honors such as Texas AP Weathercaster of the Year and multiple Best Weathercast awards in Missouri and Kansas.  A Certified Broadcast Meteorologist and longtime leader in the American Meteorological Society's Kansas City chapter, Lauria is known for educating viewers beyond what apps provide and giving weather talks to the community.  A St. Louis University graduate, he lives in Olathe, Kansas, with his wife and two cats and enjoys golf, travel, and Kansas City's Italian restaurants. Our email officer Jen is continuing to handle the incoming messages from our listeners. Reach us here: [email protected]. What is a Billiken?  (15:30) Today's expectations in TV meteorology vs workload of earlier decades (23:00) Streaming is the new frontier (26:30) Model data and graphics technological improvements over the last few decades (30:00) May 4th, 2003 Kansas City High risk (44:00) Relationship issues among TV meteorologists (51:00) IWT/NWS relationships (54:30) Confusion over Areal Flood Advisories (01:01:00) Broadcast meteorologists vs Social Media-0logists (01:09:00) Mentoring young people in the weather enterprise and its impacts (01:23:00) SLU dropping its meteorology program in 2029 (01:25:30) Georgie Global cartoon (01:29:30) Dr. Neil Jacobs confirmed by Senate as NOAA Administrator (01:30:00) The Astronomy Outlook with Tony Rice (01:32:00) This Week in Tornado History With Jen (01:34:20) E-Mail Segment (01:35:35) and more! Web Sites from Episode 1030: Bryan Busby on X Fox 4 Weather KC on X Alabama Weather Network Picks of the Week: Joe Lauria - Winter Storm Warning as 3 feet of snow to hit central California Bryan Busby - SPC Day 4-8 U.S. Convective Outlook James Aydelott - James Aydelot on Facebook: Arizona Dryline Photo Jen Narramore - PSU Electronic Map Wall Rick Smith - Durham's Neil Jacobs confirmed by Senate as NOAA chief Troy Kimmel - Weather Wednesday: Building a better Guam, one can at a time Kim Klockow-McClain - Center for Sportfishing Policy on X: Congratulations to Dr. Neil Jacobs as NOAA Administrator John Gordon - "Dragon's Tail" powerful tidal bore in China's Qiantang River Bill Murray - Foghorn James Spann - Powerful microburst devastates Tempe as Monday storms pushed through 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.

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• WeatherBrains 1029: The Guy That Looks Like Big Bird

  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 protected]. 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.

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