WeatherBrains

• WeatherBrains 996: Pull the METARs

  Tonight's Guest WeatherBrain is a seasoned broadcast meteorologist and weather anchor at KGW-TV in Portland, Oregon.  He brings a wealth of knowledge and a passion for weather to his viewers daily.  His forecasting career has spanned nearly 30 years, taking him from the hurricanes of south Texas to the lake effect snows of Michigan, the tornadoes of the Ohio valley and yes, the hard to predict weather of the Pacific Northwest.  Rod grew up in Missouri and graduated from Mizzou. He later earned his certificate of broadcast meteorology from Mississippi State. Soon after, Rod earned the seal of approval from the American Meteorological Society and the National Weather Association. He later served on the NWA certification board for more than five years.  Rod Hill, it's great to see you and thanks for joining us! Also, Bruce Jones joins us to discuss the importance of NOAA Weather Radio and its integration in order to save lives.  Welcome back, Bruce! Our email officer Jen is continuing to handle the incoming messages from our listeners. Reach us here: [email protected]. Figuring out the puzzle as a synoptic weather forecaster (18:30) Advice for TV meteorologists with job security concerns (25:30) Uncertainty for the future in operational meteorology (28:00) Where will traditional television stations be a decade from now?  (37:00) Current morale and level of fear and uncertainty in the NWS offices (53:00) Complexities of Pacific Northwest weather (01:02:30) Social media strategies (01:09:45) The Astronomy Outlook with Tony Rice (01:16:03) This Week in Tornado History With Jen (01:19:50) E-Mail Segment (No segment this week) National Weather Round-Up and more! Web Sites from Episode 996: Midland Weather Radio Portland Weather - Rod Hill on YouTube Portland Weather Picks of the Week: Bruce Jones - Mount Washington Observatory records more than 160 mph wind gusts James Aydelott - Okie J's snowshoes on Facebook Jen Narramore - Out Rick Smith - NOAA: Meeting the Moment Neil Jacobs - Out Troy Kimmel - Foghorn Kim Klockow-McClain - Pillow Shaker for Weather and Emergency Radios - SHKR100 Bill Murray - Natural Disaster Survey Report - Mississippi Delta Tornadoes of February 21, 1971 James Spann - New Study Exposes Gap in TV Station Online Weather Coverage Strategy 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.

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• WeatherBrains 995: I'm The Girl They Didn't Like

  Tonight's Guest WeatherBrain is an Atmospheric Scientist and a Research Meteorologist and Managing Director of the FARM (Flexible Array of Radars and Mesonets).  With a passion for fieldwork, she's collected data from over 100 tornadoes and 9 hurricanes.  Karen Kosiba, thanks for joining us. Our email officer Jen is continuing to handle the incoming messages from our listeners. Reach us here: [email protected]. Active weather pattern ahead for Southeast (01:45) Increasing attention on hail production (19:00) The importance of field research for the emerging generation (20:30) Vortex 2 Project (24:30) Steps forward in understanding tornadogenesis (27:00) Next big steps in the warning process (41:00) Significance of cold pools (01:04:45) Real time upper air data in the future? (01:06:30) The Astronomy Outlook with Tony Rice (No segment this week) This Week in Tornado History With Jen (01:13:42) E-Mail Segment (01:15:20) National Weather Round-Up and more! Web Sites from Episode 995: Karen Kosiba FARM: Home Picks of the Week: James Aydelott - James Aydelott on X: Close call for ice in Tulsa Jen Narramore - Morgan County, TN EF-2 damage drone footage Rick Smith - Out Neil Jacobs - The Propagation, Evolution, and Rotation in Linear Storms (PERiLS) Project Troy Kimmel - NWS Weather Forecast Offices Kim Klockow-McClain - Foghorn Bill Murray - Foghorn James Spann - James Spann WO4W: The Future of Severe Weather Communications | Rocket City Weather Fest 2025 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.

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• WeatherBrains 994: Disregard Everything I Said

  Angela Mason, author of Death Rides The Sky, The Story Of The 1925 Tri-State Tornado, is our guest this week! Next month is the 100th anniversary of the deadly tornado that killed almost 700 people.

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  1:59:04
• WeatherBrains 993: Friends In Strange Places

  Tonight's Guest WeatherBrain is a storm chaser, and is the driver and equipment technician for storm chaser Brett Adair.  He has over twelve years of experience, and he's chased 22 tornadoes and 9 hurricanes across 39 states.  He's a Pell City, AL native.  Heath Lollar, welcome to the show! Our Second Guest WeatherBrain is a WeatherBrains veteran and the founder of Girls Who Chase, a movement empowering women in storm chasing.  A self taught chaser and forecaster, she has been chasing since 2018.  Jen Walton, thanks for joining us! Our email officer Jen is continuing to handle the incoming messages from our listeners. Reach us here: [email protected]. January snow on the beach (01:30) Close to 8 inches of snow fell on New Orleans on Jan 21st (05:30) Rating a tornado based on wind speed/Explaining EF-Scale (19:00) Learning lessons from getting too close when storm chasing (35:00) Dealing with devastating/violent scenes when storm chasing (36:30) Pets and other animals after destructive tornadoes (51:00) Psychological shock/Acute stress reaction for extended periods after a violent severe weather event (01:04:00) Girls Who Chase and what they stands for (01:07:50) Going through phases in storm chasing (01:30:45) Storm chasing ethics (01:45:10) The Astronomy Outlook with Tony Rice (No segment this week) This Week in Tornado History With Jen (01:35:43) E-Mail Segment (No segment this week) National Weather Round-Up and more! Web Sites from Episode 993: Girls Who Chase Picks of the Week: Jen Walton - Fire tornadoes a risk under California extreme wildfire conditions James Aydelott - James Aydelott on X: "It's an oldie, but a reminder...Spring is just around the corner" Jen Narramore - Ohio Genealogical Society Rick Smith - SPC Mesoscale Discussion 36/Western North Florida Neil Jacobs - Foghorn Troy Kimmel - Foghorn Kim Klockow-McClain - Where Have the EF5s Gone? A Closer Look at the "Drought" of the Most Violent Tornadoes in the United States Bill Murray - NOAA Snowfall Extremes James Spann - Gulf Shores, Alabama 01/22/2025 Snow on the beach just before sunrise 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.

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  1:55:57
• WeatherBrains 992: Bozos On The Bus

  It's a somber episode tonight as we look back on the life and legacy of a legend in the field of meteorology, Dr. Chuck Doswell. We look back at Dr. Doswell's career and his impact on the science today.  Our Guest WeatherBrain is a Senior Scientist in the Forecast Research and Development Division  at the National Severe Storms Laboratory (NSSL) and a prior veteran of the show.  Dr Harold Brooks, welcome to the show. Our email officer Jen is continuing to handle the incoming messages from our listeners. Reach us here: [email protected]. Remembering Dr. Doswell (03:30) Multiple layoffs in TV meteorology and looking forward from here (09:27) Changing business model in modern radio (21:00) The Early Life of Dr. Doswell (30:00) How Dr. Doswell elevated the field of meteorology (42:00) Looking back at a 2009 WeatherBrains appearance (01:02:25) What is the role of a human being in forecasting?  (01:09:00) Riding the coattails of past generations in this science (01:24:30) The Astronomy Outlook with Tony Rice (No Segment This Week) This Week in Tornado History With Jen (01:36:48) E-Mail Segment (01:38:15) National Weather Round-Up (01:40:30) and more! Web Sites from Episode 992: Dr. Harold Brooks on X Picks of the Week: Harold Brooks - Flash Flood Forecasting: An Ingredients-Based Methodology Harold Brooks - Case Analysis of a Historic Killer Tornado Event in Kansas On 10 June 1938 James Aydelott - Pet Peeves of Chuck Doswell Jen Narramore - Foghorn Rick Smith - Out Neil Jacobs - Out Troy Kimmel - First-ever Meteorite Crash Caught On Camera With Sound In Canada Kim Klockow-McClain - Dr. Doswell Remembrance (01:45:00) Bill Murray - Chuck's Chatter James Spann - WeatherBrains 509 - October 19th, 2015 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.

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