WeatherBrains
The Official Netcast For People Who Love Weather
Updated: 19 min 25 sec ago
Win A James Spann Bobble Head Doll!
Yep, you can have a chance to win the 2.0 version of the James Spann Bobble Head Doll by entering Kevin Selle’s contest…
Submit screen captures of your smart phone’s home screen, and weather folder (if you have one). Send the images an an attachment to…
We will announce the winner on next week’s show!
Categories: Weather
WeatherBrains 381: Hanging Out With Babes
WeatherBrains Episode 381 is now online (May 13, 2013). If you are crazy about weather, this is THE netcast audio program for you!
We might have found a guest WeatherBrain who does more in less time than James Spann!
Dr. Kim Elmore is a research scientist with CIMMS, Cooperative Institute for Mesoscale Meteorological Studies, and adjunct associate professor of Meteorology at OU. He was part of the VORTEX2 project on the SR2 mobile radar team. Prior to that, he was an associate scientist with the RAP at NCAR. His current project is known by its very onomatopoeic name, “mPING” – the mobile Precipitation Identification Near the Ground project. They’ve just released a new mobile app. When he’s not at work, he’s a husband, father, runner, a single/multiple-engine and glider-rated pilot, an extra-class amateur radio operator, and – as if that wasn’t enough – violinist with the National Weather Center’s new performing ensemble, “Helical Flow.”
Other discussions in this weekly podcast include topics like:
Our email bag officer is continuing to handle the incoming messages from our listeners.
From The Weather Center:
WeatherBrains 101: As we approach the summer season which includes an uptick in lightning occurrences, the 101 segment takes a look at a little of the history of lightning research. Did you know that lightning research actually netted one person a Nobel prize? All the details in this episode.
TWIWH: Bill Murray looks back at the week of May 13th.
Listener Surveys: Okay, we continue to drive this topic into the ground, but we really do like to hear from you. Many thanks to everyone who has taken the time to fill out the Listener Survey. The survey takes just a minute or two to complete and provides us with an opportunity to learn where you are and hear your thoughts and comments on the show. Click here to take the survey.
Web Sites from Episode 381:
Contest: Send your home screen capture to myapps at weatherbrains dot com. The prize is a James Spann Bobblehead Doll 2.0.
The Drink of Nate Johnson, Cheerwine!
Picks of the Week:
JB Elliott – Lightning pic from the rim of the Grand Canyon
Nate Johnson – Time Lapse of World Change
Bill Murray – Rarity: Tornado Drought or Tornado Surplus
Brian Peters – Gets the Fog Horn!!
Kevin Selle – Mount Washington Observatory
James Spann – Forecast for the Future
The WeatherBrains crew includes your host, James Spann, plus other notable geeks like JB Elliott, Nate Johnson, Bill Murray, Kevin Selle, and Brian Peters. They bring together a wealth of weather knowledge and experience for another fascinating netcast about weather.
Categories: Weather
WeatherBrains 380: 4 Bottles Short of a 6 Pack
WeatherBrains Episode 380 is now online (May 5, 2013). If you are crazy about weather, this is THE netcast audio program for you!
Our guest WeatherBrain was supposed to be Tim Ballisty, Editorial Meteorologist for The Weather Channel. However, due to technical difficulties, we were unable to connect with Tim via Google+.
The result is an open show with lots of banter among the WeatherBrains gang! And on a variety of topics in the field of meteorology.
Other discussions in this weekly podcast include topics like:
Our email bag officer is continuing to handle the incoming messages from our listeners.
From The Weather Center:
WeatherBrains 101: We’re coming up on the start of a couple of different weather season. June first is the start of the hurricane season for the Atlantic Basin. And with the start of the summer months, we also enter the primary lightning season. So this week we take a look at an often studied, fascinating aspect of nature – lightning.
Listener Surveys: Okay, we continue to drive this topic into the ground, but we really do like to hear from you. Many thanks to everyone who has taken the time to fill out the Listener Survey. The survey takes just a minute or two to complete and provides us with an opportunity to learn where you are and hear your thoughts and comments on the show. Click here to take the survey.
Web Sites from Episode 380:
National Weather Service Employees Organization release about furloughs in NWS
Picks of the Week:
Nate Johnson – Precipitable Water Plots
Brian Peters – National Lightning Safety Institute
Kevin Selle – Italian tornado video
James Spann – Spann’s pictures
The WeatherBrains crew includes your host, James Spann, plus other notable geeks like JB Elliott, Nate Johnson, Bill Murray, Kevin Selle, and Brian Peters. They bring together a wealth of weather knowledge and experience for another fascinating netcast about weather.
Categories: Weather
WeatherBrains 379: It’s All in the Sizzle Sauce!!
WeatherBrains Episode 379 is now online (April 29, 2013). If you are crazy about weather, this is THE best netcast audio program for you! And it even comes in a video version!
Listener Mike Toliver of Harrisonburg, VA, recommended tonight’s guest WeatherBrain. Aubrey Urbanowicz is the 5 pm meteorologist at the ABC affiliate in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia, WHSV-TV Channel 3 in Harrisonburg, VA. Aubrey is from Wallingford, CT, and she attended East Tennessee State University in Johnson City, TN. She received a Bachelors of Geosciences degree from Mississippi State with a concentration in Broadcast Meteorology. She worked for Chili’s for nearly 12 years where she had the opportunity to travel the country training employees and opening restaurants. It was after being caught in all four Florida hurricanes of 2004 and Hurricanes Katrina and Rita of 2005 working for Chili’s that Aubrey found her calling into weather. She pursued her degree while living in Johnson City, TN, and eventually interned at WJHL in the Tri-Cities.
Aubrey loves to travel, hike, run, and just about anything outside or in the mountains, as well visit friends and her youngest brother Andrew in Johnson City, TN.
Other discussions in this weekly podcast include topics like:
Our email bag officer is AWOL again, but this time we hear from him using the magic of pre-recorded segment. And Kevin plans to sue for non-payment of the rights to “He’s Out.”
From The Weather Center:
WeatherBrains 101: Unraveling the mysteries of the near-time environment of tornadoes. A daunting task to say the least. So why not use some stick figures to do it? Well, a project at Texas Tech has done just that, but they call the instruments “stick-nets.” This segment of 101 has the low down on just what stick-nets are.
Listener Surveys: Okay, we continue to drive this topic into the ground, but we really do like to hear from you. Many thanks to everyone who has taken the time to fill out the Listener Survey. The survey takes just a minute or two to complete and provides us with an opportunity to learn where you are and hear your thoughts and comments on the show. Click here to take the survey.
Web Sites from Episode 379:
Picks of the Week:
Brian Peters – Video of Hailstorm
Kevin Selle – Environmental Visualization Lab Flooding Image
WxSat app
James Spann – Hurricane on Saturn
Aubrey Urbanowicz – picture of smoke funnel below
The WeatherBrains crew includes your host, James Spann, plus other notable geeks like Kevin Selle and Brian Peters. They bring together a wealth of weather knowledge and experience for another fascinating netcast about weather.
Picture of smoke funnel:
Categories: Weather
WeatherBrains 378: JB Unmuted
WeatherBrains Episode 378 is now online (April 22, 2013). If you are crazy about weather, this is THE netcast audio program for you!
Tonight’s Guest WeatherBrain is back for his third appearance on the show. He appeared on Episode 248 and Episode 219. He is an Associate Professor in the Department of Geology at the University of Georgia. He is a good friend of the podcast. He is Dr. John Knox.
Other discussions in this weekly podcast include topics like:
Our email bag officer decides to work on his thesis leaving the show high and dry related to emails. Come back next week for a full rundown.
From The Weather Center:
WeatherBrains 101: Did you like the movie “Twister?” Did you know that the idea for it actually came from a project at NSSL involving TOTO? Listen in this week as the 101 segment takes a look at TOTO, the movie from 1996, and some of the techniques that are being used today to gather data in, around, and within a tornado.
TWIWH: Bill Murray looks back at the week of April 22nd.
Listener Surveys: Okay, we continue to drive this topic into the ground, but we really do like to hear from you. Many thanks to everyone who has taken the time to fill out the Listener Survey. The survey takes just a minute or two to complete and provides us with an opportunity to learn where you are and hear your thoughts and comments on the show. Click here to take the survey.
Web Sites from Episode 378:
University of Georgia Geography Department
ABC 3340 Bobblehead Giveaway Teaser video
Meteorology: Understanding the Atmosphere
Picks of the Week:
JB Elliott – Lenticular Cloud over Mt. Hood
Dr. John Knox – Athens, GA, Weather
Bill Murray – Central Alabama NWA Chapter
Brian Peters – Gets the Fog Horn!
Kevin Selle – Gets the Fog Horn! Then picks Yahoo iOS Weather App
James Spann – Convective Season Parameters and Indices
The WeatherBrains crew includes your host, James Spann, plus other notable geeks like JB Elliott, Nate Johnson, Bill Murray, Kevin Selle, and Brian Peters. They bring together a wealth of weather knowledge and experience for another fascinating netcast about weather.
Categories: Weather
WeatherBrains 377: JB Unplugged ! !
WeatherBrains Episode 377 is now online (April 15, 2013). If you are crazy about weather, this is THE netcast audio program for you!
This week’s Guest WeatherBrain, Seth Binau, is a suggestion of listener John McCoy from a famous tornado town, Xenia, OH. He has been the Science and Operations Officer at the NWS Office in Wilmington, OH, for the past three and a half years. His prior NWS positions include a Meteorologist Intern in Aberdeen, SD, a Journeyman Forecaster in the Twin Cities, and a Senior Forecaster in La Crosse, WI. He was born and raised in Upper Sandusky, OH, and attended Iowa State University where he received his BS in Meteorology in 1999. At his current position in the NWS, he manages the office’s science and training program and is beginning his 15th year in the NWS. He is married, with two children, ages 10 and 6. His interests outside of weather include traveling, outdoor sports and activities, and being a Dad!
Other discussions in this weekly podcast include topics like:
Our email bag officer is ambidextrous at handling the incoming messages from our listeners.
From The Weather Center:
WeatherBrains 101: There are some changes coming to the hurricane program of the US National Weather Service. One of the biggest will be the expansion in time of the Tropical Weather Outlook. Be sure to listen to the 101 segment to get up to date on the changes coming for 2013.
TWIWH: Bill Murray looks back at the week of April 15th.
Listener Surveys: Okay, we continue to drive this topic into the ground, but we really do like to hear from you. Many thanks to everyone who has taken the time to fill out the Listener Survey. The survey takes just a minute or two to complete and provides us with an opportunity to learn where you are and hear your thoughts and comments on the show. Click here to take the survey.
Web Sites from Episode 377:
Service Assessment of June 29, 2012, Derecho
NWS Wilmington, OH, Facebook presence
New Weather Radar in DFW Area (also Kevin’s second pick)
Picks of the Week:
JB Elliott – Calgary, Alberta, Lightning Display
Nate Johnson – Looking for Volunteer Weather Observers
Bill Murray –
Brian Peters – Retirement of the Name Sandy from Hurricane List
Kevin Selle – News is Bad for You
James Spann – SPC Experimental Forecasts
The WeatherBrains crew includes your host, James Spann, plus other notable geeks like JB Elliott, Nate Johnson, Bill Murray, Kevin Selle, and Brian Peters. They bring together a wealth of weather knowledge and experience for another fascinating netcast about weather.
Categories: Weather
WeatherBrains 376: Twitter Tweeters Weather
WeatherBrains Episode 376 is now online (April 8, 2013). If you are crazy about weather, this is THE netcast audio program for you!
Lee Sandlin is a journalist and essayist who was born in Wildwood, Illinois, and grew up in the suburbs of Chicago. He briefly attended the University of Chicago and Roosevelt University before leaving school to travel and write. He lives in Chicago.
He has written feature journalism, historical studies, and music reviews on opera and classical works — mostly for the Chicago Reader, where he was also for many years the TV critic. More recently, he has become a frequent contributor to the Wall Street Journal.
His essay “Losing the War,” first appeared in 1997, subtitled “World War II has faded into movies, anecdotes, and archives that nobody cares about anymore. Are we finally losing the war?” It has been on university reading lists and praised in blogs of both anti-war activists and neocon crusaders. A segment was adapted for broadcast by the public radio show “This American Life” and anthologized by its host, Ira Glass, in a 2007 collection, “The New Kings of Nonfiction.”
“Saving His Life,” his biography of his father-in-law, a Russian emigre who grew up in China, was recently published in a limited edition by Sherwin Beach Press. The Distancers (2004) chronicles the American Midwest of several generations, as reflected in the history of a single house. His most recent work is “Wicked River,” a narrative history of the Mississippi River in the 19th century. An exhaustive survey of his other interests can be found on the Enthusiasms page.
Other discussions in this weekly podcast include topics like:
Our email bag officer is continuing to handle the incoming messages from our listeners and is happy to see more email messages.
From The Weather Center:
WeatherBrains 101: So Superstorm Sandy created quite a stir for a number of reasons. One of those factors concerned the dropping of hurricane warnings since Sandy went non-tropical as she was headed toward shore. Well, the controversy may not be over, but there are some changes being made that may keep that sort of thing from happening again.
TWIWH: Bill Murray looks back at the week of April 8th.
Listener Surveys: Okay, we continue to drive this topic into the ground, but we really do like to hear from you. Many thanks to everyone who has taken the time to fill out the Listener Survey. The survey takes just a minute or two to complete and provides us with an opportunity to learn where you are and hear your thoughts and comments on the show. Click here to take the survey.
Web Sites from Episode 376:
Release on Hurricane Definition Changes
Picks of the Week:
Nate Johnson – Houston Chronicle article about Dated Storm Protection
Bill Murray – Gets the Fog Horn!!
Brian Peters – Joplin Tornado NWS Service Assessment
Kevin Selle – Digital Meteorologist article
James Spann – Feedly – a Better Reader
The WeatherBrains crew includes your host, James Spann, plus other notable geeks like Nate Johnson, Bill Murray, Kevin Selle, and Brian Peters. They bring together a wealth of weather knowledge and experience for another fascinating netcast about weather.
Categories: Weather
WeatherBrains 375: I Took my Girlfriend to Hooters
WeatherBrains Episode 375 is now online (April 1, 2013). If you are crazy about weather, this is THE netcast audio program for you!
Tonight’s Guest WeatherBrain is no stranger to the WeatherBrains crew. This friend of the podcast is a leading social scientist that has made a name for herself in the weatherworld. She is a Research Professor with the Social Science Research Center (SSRC) at Mississippi State University. Dr. Laura Myers serves as Principal Investigator on a Department of Homeland Security grant concerning regional disaster response planning; through this grant, she will develop regional emergency planning networks on the Gulf Coast of the United States. Dr. Myers holds a doctorate in criminology from Florida State University, and her publication and training areas include disaster management and planning, criminal justice education, criminal courts, criminal justice ethics, criminal justice administration, and cultural diversity. Her publications can be found in the Journal of Business Continuity and Emergency Planning, the Journal of Criminal Justice Education, and the Prison Journal, among others. Dr. Myers’ latest textbook on criminal justice will be her third book published in this field.!
Our guest panelist is from Waco, TX. Conley Isom works for KXVV-TV. Conley grew up in the Fort Worth area and was fascinated with weather at an early age. It was the hail storm of May, 1995, that made him want to become a TV meteorologist. He took that passion to Texas A&M University where he received his B.S. in Meteorology. While in college, Conley had the opportunity to storm chase and loves to track severe storms.
Other discussions in this weekly podcast include topics like:
Our email bag officer is continuing to handle the incoming messages from our listeners, so keep Nate busy by piling on those emails.
From The Weather Center:
WeatherBrains 101: Admit it – the field of meteorology has almost as many abbreviations and acronyms as the U. S.Government!! One of those that you run into often is MOS, not to be confused with the 12,000 variations of carpeted green “moss” in the woods. There is much that goes into creating the MOS table that many of us refer to, so this episode takes a look at what comprises MOS.
TWIWH: Bill Murray looks back at the week of April 1. This week in weather history included the Super Outbreak of Tornadoes on April 3rd and 4th, 1974.
Listener Surveys: Okay, we continue to drive this topic into the ground, but we really do like to hear from you. Many thanks to everyone who has taken the time to fill out the Listener Survey. The survey takes just a minute or two to complete and provides us with an opportunity to learn where you are and hear your thoughts and comments on the show. Click here to take the survey.
Web Sites from Episode 375:
Mississippi State University Social Science Research Center
Center for Advanced Public Safety, University of Alabama
Meteorological Development Lab
National Tropical Weather Conference
Picks of the Week:
Conley Isom – Texas Storm Chaser web page
Nate Johnson – 53rd Anniversary of First Weather Satellite Images
Dark Sky Forecast
Bill Murray – Analysis of Tri-State Tornado of March, 1925
Brian Peters – Weather Message – software to help with siren activation
Kevin Selle – Snow when to hold ‘em
James Spann – Article about James Hansen leaving NASA
The WeatherBrains crew includes your host, James Spann, plus other notable geeks like Nate Johnson, Bill Murray, Kevin Selle, and Brian Peters. They bring together a wealth of weather knowledge and experience for another fascinating netcast about weather.
Categories: Weather
WeatherBrains 374: A Radar Cake Kapooya?
WeatherBrains Episode 374 is now online (March 25, 2013). If you are crazy about weather, this is THE netcast audio program for you!
Our guest WeatherBrain is Greg Nordstrom. He was born in Hollywood, CA, and grew up in Los Angeles, CA, until he was almost 12 years old. After a brief stop in Raleigh, NC, he moved to Arlington, VA, in 1992. Greg always had a strong interest for weather, especially hurricanes, but a year later when the Superstorm of 1993 hit, his interest became a passion. The pressure dropped to 28.53″ at his house during the height of the storm! He enjoys studying all types of weather from Nor’easters to tornadoes, but my favorite is hurricanes. In his opinion, there is nothing that can compare to the power of a hurricane! He has been very fortunate to have experienced some of the strongest hurricanes of my era, and his ultimate goal is to chase 100 hurricanes before he dies. He loves being a part of a great university like Mississippi State with an excellent department!
In his spare time, Greg loves to watch sports including Raiders, Lakers, UCLA, and the Dodgers. He loves forecasting, historical weather, photography, videography, traveling to the Florida Keys, and, of course, storm chasing ALL types of weather any chance I get! If you ever see him storm chasing, stop him and say hello.
Other discussions in this weekly podcast include topics like:
Our email bag officer is continuing to handle the incoming messages from our listeners but submits an audio version since he is off doing something else.
From The Weather Center:
WeatherBrains 101: You hear all kinds of phrases when you are avidly watching the weather. One of those phrase you may have seen is “dew point depression.” So what is that and what meaning does it hold for weather enthusiasts?
TWIWH: Bill Murray looks back at the week of March 25th. The week features a tornado event in Talladega County, AL, that involved four deaths in mobile homes.
Listener Surveys: Okay, we continue to drive this topic into the ground, but we really do like to hear from you. Many thanks to everyone who has taken the time to fill out the Listener Survey. The survey takes just a minute or two to complete and provides us with an opportunity to learn where you are and hear your thoughts and comments on the show. Click here to take the survey.
Web Sites from Episode 374:
Mississippi State University Geosciences Department
Mississippi State Severe Weather Symposium
Picks of the Week:
Bill Murray – Gets the Fog Horn
Greg Nordstrom – tropmet.com
Brian Peters – Summary of Hurricane Ivan
Kevin Selle – Weather Story from The Verge
James Spann – Kapooya-Autotune Remix
The WeatherBrains crew includes your host, James Spann, plus other notable geeks like JB Elliott, Nate Johnson, Bill Murray, Kevin Selle, and Brian Peters. They bring together a wealth of weather knowledge and experience for another fascinating netcast about weather.
Categories: Weather
WeatherBrains 373: Ultra Fabricated Crapola
WeatherBrains Episode 373 is now online (March 19, 2013). If you are crazy about weather, this is THE netcast audio program for you!
This week’s Guest WeatherBrain needs no introduction. Tonight’s marks his entrance into the WeatherBrains three time Brain club, an accomplishment only endured by a small group of brave and foolish souls. But all kidding aside, he is one of the legends of our industry. Tonight, we welcome back the man, the myth and legend, Dr. Chuck Doswell.
From The Weather Center:
WeatherBrains 101: Having just completed a long and technical rundown on the dual polarization upgrade to NWS Doppler radars, we now turn to something less technical (red less boring!!) – and that is weather folklore. This week we take a look at a couple of folklore sayings and explore their validity.
TWIWH: Bill Murray looks back at the week of March 18th.
Listener Surveys: Okay, we continue to drive this topic into the ground, but we really do like to hear from you. Many thanks to everyone who has taken the time to fill out the Listener Survey. The survey takes just a minute or two to complete and provides us with an opportunity to learn where you are and hear your thoughts and comments on the show. Click here to take the survey.
Web Sites from Episode 373:
Picks of the Week:
Nate Johnson – Delorean Electric car
Kevin Selle – Smart Phone anemometer
James Spann – New enhanced SPC mesoanalysis page
The WeatherBrains crew includes your host, James Spann, plus other notable geeks like JB Elliott, Nate Johnson, Bill Murray, Kevin Selle, and Brian Peters. They bring together a wealth of weather knowledge and experience for another fascinating netcast about weather.
Categories: Weather
WeatherBrains 372: Category Two Hair
WeatherBrains Episode 372 is now online (March 12, 2013). If you are crazy about weather, this is THE netcast audio program for you!
Tonight’s Guest WeatherBrain holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Meteorology from Texas A&M University. Steve LaNore is a 6-time award-winning broadcaster with nearly three decades of television experience, including stints in Dallas, San Antonio, and Austin. He has served as Chief Meteorologist at KXII-TV in Sherman since 2006.
Steve first stepped in front of the camera in 1984. Part-time jobs while a student at Texas A&M then led to his first full-time position as Chief Meteorologist in Victoria, Texas, in 1986. From there, he took on the Chief Meteorologist role in Fort Smith, Arkansas, where he covered the stormy skies of eastern Oklahoma and western Arkansas for three years.
LaNore then covered the flash-flood prone climate of San Antonio, Texas, for nine years before assuming the role of Chief Meteorologist at KDAF in Dallas in 1998. Steve’s most recent work before coming to KXII was a six-year stint at the CBS affiliate in Austin, Texas. He joined the KXII-TV News12 team in 2006.
Steve has received “Best Weathercast” awards five times in his career; three times from the Oklahoma Association of Broadcasters (OAB) and twice from the Associated Press.
LaNore enjoys sharing his love for science with others and in 2012 he released his first book entitled “Weather Wits & Science Snickers”. It combines humor and facts for a fun and interesting read. It is available online at Amazon in both paperback and Kindle formats.
Steve is married to Gera LaNore and has an adult stepson, Geraed (pronounced “Jared”). He graduated from Pottsboro High School in 2009 and is now studying computer programming. Steve’s varied interests include music, writing, travel, history, philosophy, and, of course, science! Steve and Gera especially enjoy traveling as time permits.
LaNore serves on the board of the Texoma Regional Blood Center and encourages all who can to give.
Other discussions in this weekly podcast include topics like:
Our email bag officer is continuing to handle the incoming messages from our listeners.
From The Weather Center:
WeatherBrains 101: First it was hook echo, and then it became TVS. But the next generation upgrade to the Doppler radar network now brings us TDS. So what is that and what does it mean in a dual polarization environment?
TWIWH: Bill Murray looks back at the week of March 12th.
Listener Surveys: Okay, we continue to drive this topic into the ground, but we really do like to hear from you. Many thanks to everyone who has taken the time to fill out the Listener Survey. The survey takes just a minute or two to complete and provides us with an opportunity to learn where you are and hear your thoughts and comments on the show. Click here to take the survey.
Web Sites from Episode 372:
Picks of the Week:
JB Elliott – Southeast Severe Storms Symposium – Mississippi State
Nate Johnson – Capital Weather Gang Storm Names
Bill Murray – Univ of Georgia Researchers Analyze Debris After Tornadoes
Kevin Selle – Boston.com winter weather images
James Spann – RadarScope 2.0 for iPhone
The WeatherBrains crew includes your host, James Spann, plus other notable geeks like JB Elliott, Nate Johnson, Bill Murray, and Kevin Selle. They bring together a wealth of weather knowledge and experience for another fascinating netcast about weather.
Categories: Weather
WeatherBrains 371: Tornado Tubes and Roach Spray
WeatherBrains Episode 371 is now online (March 5, 2013). If you are crazy about weather, this is THE netcast audio program for you!
Our guest WeatherBrains was nominated by Paul Miller, a geography graduate student at Virginia Tech. Prof. Dave Carroll has been instrumental in the establishment of the meteorology program in Blacksburg, VA, and for years, he was Virginia Tech’s only meteorology faculty member, and he should provide a great perspective on meteorology education. He is an oustanding professor and has led an undergraduate stormchasing field experience every summer for years.
David Carroll is a native of Roanoke Virginia and studied environmental science as an undergraduate before completing his graduate work through the Department of Geosciences at Mississippi State. Connections to Virginia Tech spread through his family as five other family members completed either undergraduate or graduate degrees at the university. Before joining the Department of Geography’s new meteorology degree program, Dave spent several years teaching a dual-enrollment Applied Meteorology course for accelerated high school students and undergraduates through Virginia Tech’s Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering. He currently teaching the Weather Analysis sequence of courses, and runs the field studies in meteorology for the department. He is currently working on mobile mesonet applications for use in studying the near-storm environment of severe thunderstorms throughout the U.S. and cold-air damming events in the central Appalachians. He is accompanied tonight by other important folks from the program there in Blacksburg.
Guest panelist is Dave Williams, Chief Meteorologist from WCIV-TV in Charleston, SC.
Other discussions in this weekly podcast include topics like:
- Extremes: 82 at Imperial and Ocotillo Wells, CA, and -16 at Yellowstone Lake, WY
- Snow storm hits upper Midwest again
- Snowing from eastern Illinois to West Virginia and Tennessee
- 1060 millibar high near the Pole
- and more!
Our email bag officer, Nate Johnson, is continuing to handle the incoming messages from our listeners.
From The Weather Center:
WeatherBrains 101: In the 101 continuation of a series on dual polarization radar, this week the episode looks at the improvements in detecting hail and the products which help to unravel this element.
TWIWH: Bill Murray looks back at the week of March 4th.
Listener Surveys: Okay, we continue to drive this topic into the ground, but we really do like to hear from you. Many thanks to everyone who has taken the time to fill out the Listener Survey. The survey takes just a minute or two to complete and provides us with an opportunity to learn where you are and hear your thoughts and comments on the show. Click here to take the survey.
Web Sites from Episode 371:
Virginia Tech Geography Department
Picks of the Week:
JB Elliott – No Pick!
Nate Johnson – Most Accurate Snow Map
Bill Murray – 1. Get Well Card for Sally
2. Kathy Bell sent a pound cake
Brian Peters – Gets the Fog Horn!
Kevin Selle – 1. Haze weather app
2. WeatherCube weather app
James Spann – Meteorgram Generator
Dave Williams – makes weather observation instead of pick!
The WeatherBrains crew includes your host, James Spann, plus other notable geeks like JB Elliott, Nate Johnson, Bill Murray, Kevin Selle, and Brian Peters. They bring together a wealth of weather knowledge and experience for another fascinating netcast about weather.
Categories: Weather
WeatherBrains 370: Off to a Slow Start!
WeatherBrains Episode 370 is now online (February 25, 2013). If you are crazy about weather, this is THE netcast audio program for you!
Due to some technical difficulties, our scheduled guest, Dr. Marshall Shepherd, President of the American Meteorological Society, was unable to get connected. So who knows where this show will go!
And at the last minute, our guest WeatherBrain, Dr. Marshall Shepherd, American Meteorological Society (AMS), was able to connect. He is a Full Professor conducting research, advising, and teaching in atmospheric sciences, climatology, water cycle processes and urban climate systems. He is also the Director of the UGA Atmospheric Sciences Program. Prior to joining the UGA faculty, Dr. Shepherd spent 12 years as a research meteorologist in the Earth-Sun Division at NASA-Goddard Space Flight Center. Dr. Shepherd was also Deputy Project Scientist for the Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) mission, which launches in 2012. Dr. Shepherd is currently a member of NASA Precipitation Measurement Missions Science team. He conducts research on weather and climate systems using advanced satellites, experimental aircraft, radars, and sophisticated computer models. This research seeks to understand weather processes (i.e. thunderstorms, hurricanes, rainfall) atmospheric processes and to relate them to current weather and climate change.
Dr. Shepherd is also interested in innovative strategies to infuse research data into applications and outreach communities. For his work on urban effects on precipitation, Dr. Shepherd received the highest federal award given to the Nation’s young scientists and engineers. He was honored on May 4th 2004 at the White House with the Presidential Early Career Award for pioneering scientific research. Dr. Shepherd was also recently elected a Fellow of the American Meteorological Society. This honor is only given to two-tenths of one percent of the membership for outstanding scientific contributions in the atmospheric and related sciences. He was the recipient of the 2011 AMS Charles Anderson Award. He was also honored by Black Enterprise Magazine as one of their 2005 Hot List under 40 members, and The Network Journal magazine in 2005 as one of its “40 Under Forty”. Dr. Shepherd has over 60 publications in the peer-reviewed literature and is funded by NASA, USDA Forest Service, Department of Defense, NSF-PRISM, and the UGA Research Foundation to carry out his research. Shepherd also contributes to popular publications like Weatherwise and Earth Observation Magazine.
Special report from Matt Ernst from Lubbock on the blizzard in the Texas Panhandle.
Other discussions in this weekly podcast include topics like:
Our email bag officer is continuing to handle the incoming messages from our listeners.
From The Weather Center:
WeatherBrains 101: In a continuing series on dual polarization radar, this week’s 101 segment looks at the detection of heavy rain. Dual polarization really shines in this area, but there are still some issues to be aware of.
TWIWH: Bill Murray looks back at the week of February 25th.
Listener Surveys: Okay, we continue to drive this topic into the ground, but we really do like to hear from you. Many thanks to everyone who has taken the time to fill out the Listener Survey. The survey takes just a minute or two to complete and provides us with an opportunity to learn where you are and hear your thoughts and comments on the show. Click here to take the survey.
Web Sites from Episode 370:
American Meteorological Society
Washington Post article on weather commission
Deconstructing Super Storm Sandy
Picks of the Week:
Nate Johnson – Senior Research Project on Perception of Severe Weather Coverage
Bill Murray – NWA Central Alabama Chapter
Brian Peters – Blizzard video from Amarillo
Kevin Selle – 1. Jobstr 2. Android Weather Channel app
Marshall Shepherd – Precipitation Measurement Missions
James Spann – SPC Storm-Scale Ensemble of Opportunity
The WeatherBrains crew includes your host, James Spann, plus other notable geeks like Nate Johnson, Kevin Selle, and Brian Peters. They bring together a wealth of weather knowledge and experience for another fascinating netcast about weather.
Categories: Weather
WeatherBrains 369: I See Weird Things
WeatherBrains Episode 369 is now online (February 18, 2013). If you are crazy about weather, this is THE netcast audio program for you!
This week’s guests are Chris Weldon, maker of the StormPins app, and meteorologist Andrew Kozak of KTUL in Tulsa, whose hand drawn weather graphics went viral a few weeks ago.
Our email bag officer, Nate Johnson, is continuing to handle the incoming messages from our listeners.
From The Weather Center:
WeatherBrains 101: 101 continues a series on Dual Polarization radar and this week we begin a look at the application of the new products from dual polarization sites in various situations. This week it’s a look at winter weather.
TWIWH: Bill Murray looks back at the week of February 18th.
Listener Surveys: Okay, we continue to drive this topic into the ground, but we really do like to hear from you. Many thanks to everyone who has taken the time to fill out the Listener Survey. The survey takes just a minute or two to complete and provides us with an opportunity to learn where you are and hear your thoughts and comments on the show. Click here to take the survey.
Picks of the Week:
Nate Johnson – New AMS app for iPhone and iPad
Kevin Selle – GridIt By Cocoon… backpack/computer bag organizer
James Spann – Toaster that prints a weather forecast on your morning toast.
Andrew Kozak – Weather quiz for kids
The WeatherBrains crew includes your host, James Spann, plus other notable geeks like Nate Johnson, and Kevin Selle. They bring together a wealth of weather knowledge and experience for another fascinating netcast about weather.
Categories: Weather
WeatherBrains 368: Pickin’ Cotton Naked
WeatherBrains Episode 368 is now online (February 11, 2013). If you are crazy about weather, this is THE netcast audio program for you!
Our guest bails out for some reason, so it becomes the JB Elliott show! The WeatherBrains crew turns the tail on JB and we interview him tonight.
Other discussions in this weekly podcast include topics like:
Our email bag officer actually makes an appearance as opposed to a digital file.
From The Weather Center:
WeatherBrains 101: In the WeatherBrains 101 series on dual polarization radar and its products, we take a look at the HCA product. This is a very interesting product that tries to deduce the type of precipitation occurring. And it uses “fuzzy math.”
TWIWH: Bill Murray looks back at the week of February 11th.
Listener Surveys: Okay, we continue to drive this topic into the ground, but we really do like to hear from you. Many thanks to everyone who has taken the time to fill out the Listener Survey. The survey takes just a minute or two to complete and provides us with an opportunity to learn where you are and hear your thoughts and comments on the show. Click here to take the survey.
Web Sites from Episode 368:
Naming of winter storms on WeatherBrains
Picks of the Week:
JB Elliott – gets the fog horn
Nate Johnson – picture of James Spann below
Bill Murray – US Weather Prediction Computer Gap
Brian Peters – Time Lapse of Snow storm in New York City
Kevin Selle – Storm lapse of snow storm
James Spann – Pine Belt Tornado Event, Feb. 10, 2013
The WeatherBrains crew includes your host, James Spann, plus other notable geeks like JB Elliott, Nate Johnson, Bill Murray, Kevin Selle, and Brian Peters. They bring together a wealth of weather knowledge and experience for another fascinating netcast about weather.
Categories: Weather
WeatherBrains 367: Changing the World
WeatherBrains Episode 367 is now online (February 4, 2013). If you are crazy about weather, this is THE netcast audio program for you!
Tonight’s Guest WeatherBrain is the Jeff Berardelli, President and Founder of Zoom Radar. He is a New York City native and a graduate of Cornell University. Before accepting a job at WFOR-TV in March, 2007, he was the morning meteorologist for WCBS-TV in New York City and fill-in weather presenter on CBS Network’s The Early Show for three years. In addition to his television work in New York City, the native Staten Islander served as a professor of weather, climate and climate change at the College of Staten Island. Before that, he served as a meteorologist on the Tampa, Florida, CBS affiliate WTSP-TV, where he worked for three years. Prior to his employment there, he worked for the Florida equvilant of NY1, Bay News 9, for three years. He is also a Professor of Meteorology at the University of Miami.
Other discussions in this weekly podcast include topics like:
Our email bag officer is so efficient. While he isn’t here, he has prepared an audio file, something totally new in the operations of the email officer.
From The Weather Center:
WeatherBrains 101: The series on dual polarization radars continues this week with a look at the radar product know as KDP, or Differential Phase Shift.
TWIWH: Bill Murray looks back at the week of February 4th.
Listener Surveys: Okay, we continue to drive this topic into the ground, but we really do like to hear from you. Many thanks to everyone who has taken the time to fill out the Listener Survey. The survey takes just a minute or two to complete and provides us with an opportunity to learn where you are and hear your thoughts and comments on the show. Click here to take the survey.
Web Sites from Episode 367:
Picks of the Week:
Jeff Berardelli – model differences
Bill Murray – Homeless People Anchor the Weather
Brian Peters – History of Ground Hog Day
Kevin Selle – Chasing Ice, iceberg calving
James Spann – Review of Windscape for iOS
The WeatherBrains crew includes your host, James Spann, plus other notable geeks like JB Elliott, Bill Murray, Kevin Selle, and Brian Peters. They bring together a wealth of weather knowledge and experience for another fascinating netcast about weather.
Categories: Weather
WeatherBrains 366: Spann’s Pants are Drooping
WeatherBrains Episode 366 is now online (January 28, 2013). If you are crazy about weather, this is THE netcast audio program for you!
This is a real first for WeatherBrains with almost all of the crew in the studios at ABC 3340 in Birmingham with our special in-studio guest Johnny Parker. Johnny is an 18 year old young man who loves weather. He has overcome numerous issues with cerebral palsy. His family’s home was destroyed by one of the the April 27, 2011, EF5 tornado in Smithville, MS.
Also joining us as a guest panelist is Michelle Li. Currently with WECT-TV, Michelle Li recently won a regional Emmy award for her efforts to be interactive with viewers online. The award she received was the regional Emmy presented by the Mid-South chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences.
Other discussions in this weekly podcast include topics like:
Our email bag officer is AWOL, so who knows who will handle the incoming mail.
From The Weather Center:
WeatherBrains 101: The 101 segment continues our series on Dual Polarization radar. This week it is about one of the new Dual Polarization products, the CC or Correlation Coefficient.
TWIWH: Bill Murray looks back at the week of January 28th.
Listener Surveys: Okay, we continue to drive this topic into the ground, but we really do like to hear from you. Many thanks to everyone who has taken the time to fill out the Listener Survey. The survey takes just a minute or two to complete and provides us with an opportunity to learn where you are and hear your thoughts and comments on the show. Click here to take the survey.
Web Sites from Episode 366:
Picks of the Week:
Bill Murray – SPC Tornado Environment Browser
Brian Peters – NWS Current Weather Products by Name
Kevin Selle – Find a Forecast
James Spann – Nooly Weather App
The WeatherBrains crew includes your host, James Spann, plus other notable geeks like Bill Murray, Kevin Selle, and Brian Peters. They bring together a wealth of weather knowledge and experience for another fascinating netcast about weather.
Categories: Weather