WeatherBrains

Big Brains Media LLC
  • 4.6 (154)
  • EARTH SCIENCES
  • UPDATED WEEKLY
WeatherBrains

The world's oldest and greatest weather podcast. Join weather geeks James Spann, Bill Murray, Kim Klockow-McClain, Dr. Neil Jacobs, Rick Smith, Aubrey Urbanowicz, Jen Narramore, and Troy Kimmel along with some of the most brilliant minds in the weather enterprise every week!

  1. 4D AGO

    WeatherBrains 1008: No Cookies In Cookietown

    Tonight's episode is a homegrown show discussing a wide range of topics.  Notably, the panel discusses resume-building and interview skills in a changing world, the controversial topic of non-NWS issued watches and warnings, and so much more.  As always, our show is all about YOU.  Thanks for listening! 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@weatherbrains.com. Mississippi flash flooding due to persistent upper low (06:00) Relationship between improved physical health and improved cognitive health (10:30) Importance of following your passion in life and in your career (18:30) Do you want to work for the NWS?  (19:45) Gift of perseverance and owning up to your mistakes, and learning from them (24:30) Critical importance of diversification in the weather enterprise (30:20) GIS is IN! (31:20) Write an attention-grabbing resume to stand out (37:00) Is it appropriate for a meteorologist or weather entertainer to issue their own watches and warnings?  (46:30) Issues with FAR (False Alarm Ratio) in the weather enterprise (01:12:00) Lightning is frightening (01:25:55) Bruce Jones/Midland Weather Radio  (01:31:33) The Astronomy Outlook with Tony Rice (01:27:42) This Week in Tornado History With Jen (01:29:00 ) E-Mail Segment (01:30:55) and more! Web Sites from Episode 1008: Midland Weather Radio Picks of the Week: Bruce Jones - FAWN - Florida Automated Weather Network James Aydelott - JWISHstory: 1965 Palm Sunday tornado broadcast Jen Narramore - Ohio Roots Podcast Rick Smith - OUT Troy Kimmel - FOGHORN Kim Klockow-McClain - NSF Unidata Pause in Most Operations John Gordon - Quantitative intensity forecasts to Spc mesoscale convective discussion text and graphics Bill Murray - FOGHORN James Spann - James Spann: ‘Hold off on the rage’ when he says Gulf of Mexico this hurricane season 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.

    1h 51m

  2. MAY 6

    WeatherBrains 1007: I Am Unsettled

    Tonight's Guest WeatherBrain is author and researcher Kati Wylie Ray.  Tonight we learn about and discuss the devastating F4 tornado that struck Poplar Bluff, Missouri on May 9th, 1927.  She's been on the Board of the Poplar Bluff Museum since 2001, and has been involved with the Butler County Historical Society since 1999.  She started researching the people who died in this tornado in 2017 and has written a book about the event.  Kati, welcome to the show! 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@weatherbrains.com. Memorial for Poplar Bluff MO 1927 tornado (08:30) 98th anniversary of 1927 Poplar Bluff MO tornado (12:45) Tornado distance and path it took through Poplar Bluff (31:00) Opening windows and pressure equalization fallacy when preparing for an imminent tornado (36:50) Artifact collection from the tornado (50:45) Origins of funding to rebuild Poplar Bluff after the tornado (57:00) Differences in how fast news was spread and the mechanisms in the 1920s compared to today (59:20) Origins of the National Weather Service (01:03:00) May 5, 1933 Helena Alabama tornado (01:09:00) Emergency medicine in the 1920s (01:10:00) Mass exodus at the NWS (01:30:30) Bruce Jones/Midland Weather Radio  (01:42:25) The Astronomy Outlook with Tony Rice (01:17:40) This Week in Tornado History With Jen (01:19:35) E-Mail Segment (01:21:35) and more! Web Sites from Episode 1007: Midland Weather Radio Picks of the Week: Kati Wylie Ray - "Poplar Bluff Tornado: May 9, 1927" by Kati Wylie Ray Kati Wylie Ray - Poplar Bluff History Museum Bruce Jones - Flightradar24 App for iOS and Android James Aydelott - West Texas Mesonet on X: Seymour 3NW gusted to 106 mph James Aydelott - Dual Pol Images of the 5/3/99 Moore F5 Tornado Jen Narramore - May 31st, 1985 Great Lakes Tornado Outbreak - Tornado Talk Rick Smith - National Weather Service forecasting is more crippled than previously thought as hurricane season nears Troy Kimmel - Amid Oklahoma tornado season, scientists warn NOAA cuts could impact forecasting, public safety Kim Klockow-McClain - Out John Gordon - National Weather Service Space Prediction Center: Coronagraph Bill Murray - Foghorn James Spann - National Weather Service on guard after threats to weather radars from militarized conspiracy theorist group 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.

    1h 60m

  3. APR 29

    WeatherBrains 1006: Farmer McNasty Pants

    Tonight's Guest WeatherBrain has a 25-year history in aviation. He is an experienced skydiver with over 700 jumps, a fixed-wing pilot with a seaplane rating, and a commercial hot air balloon pilot. His company, Champagne Sunrise, operates out of Meridian, Mississippi, and has safely taken hundreds of passengers on unforgettable balloon rides over the years.  Beyond commercial operations, he uses Champagne Sunrise for community outreach, including delivering letters to the North Pole for Santa with local schools and donating tethered balloon rides to the local children’s museum.  During the week, he serves as the General Manager of Peavey Electronics, one of the largest manufacturers of musical instruments and professional audio equipment in the world, with sales in over 136 countries. Additionally, he is a Board Member of the Balloon Federation of America (BFA).  Fred Poole, welcome to WeatherBrains! 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@weatherbrains.com. Conditional severe weather threat in Nation's Heartland (01:00) Potential issues for severe thunderstorms on May 1st (04:30) Differences between base jumping vs sky diving (11:30) Base level weather knowledge needed for hot air balloon piloting (20:30) What it is like to ride in seaplanes (29:50) Utilizing Windy.com in aviation and hot air balloon piloting (34:30) Balloon chasing before the days of GPS (44:30) Hot air balloon designs/artwork/decorations (49:45) Fabric/materials used in hot air balloons (51:30) On-site weather operations/protocol for hot air balloon festivals (53:00) Hot air balloon safety precautions (58:15) Typical hot air balloon clientele and standard flight preparation (01:03:07) Hot air balloon instrumentation (01:06:30) Unique rides (01:15:00) Balloon Federation of America (01:17:30) Communication and radio equipment (01:21:45) Saint Louis University loses meteorology program (01:30:00) Importance of past analogs of severe weather events for assimilating public forecasts (01:31:00) Bruce Jones/Midland Weather Radio  (01:33:25) The Astronomy Outlook with Tony Rice (No segment this week) This Week in Tornado History With Jen (01:26:15) E-Mail Segment (01:27:30) and more! Web Sites from Episode 1006: Midland Weather Radio Champagne Sunrise Hot Air Balloon Rides Picks of the Week: Fred Poole - Windy.com Bruce Jones - La Plata Maryland April 28, 2002 Tornado Outbreak paper by Tim Marshall James Aydelott - Image of QLCS TDS in western Wisconsin/a> Jen Narramore - OTUS Project on X: NE Tornado Photo Rick Smith - Out Troy Kimmel - Out Kim Klockow-McClain - Tom Petty - Free Fallin' John Gordon - VWP Display and Calculations - VMP Paper by Jared Guyer and John Hart John Gordon - Vertical Wind Profile SAT Bill Murray - Out James Spann - Using lightning to monitor the extreme impacts of landfalling hurricanes -NSSL News 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.

    1h 50m

  4. APR 22

    WeatherBrains 1005: Barking Up The Wrong Tree

    Tonight's Guest WeatherBrain is an Associate Professor at Villanova University, specializing in severe weather risks, societal impacts and hazard mitigation.  His research focuses on tornado and lightning exposure at large outdoor gatherings.  In addition, it focuses on urbanization effects on disasters and improving public safety strategies.  Dr. Stephen Strader, welcome back to WeatherBrains. Brandon Skalniak is a senior emergency management major at Millersville University of Pennsylvania. He is passionate about all things weather, having gained an interest in the field when he stumbled upon the Discovery Channel's Storm Chasers in second grade. Brandon loves weather history, and cataloging the country's significant weather events on radar is his main hobby.  Welcome to the show as tonight's Guest Panelist, Brandon! 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@weatherbrains.com. Manufactured housing safety rules situation (17:00) National Manufactured Housing Database under construction (28:20) Secondary confirmation when warned with impending severe weather (45:00) Generalities on gender reaction to severe weather threats (48:30) Stopping flash flooding deaths and mitigating risk (53:40) Risk ranking metric developed by Dr. Strader (59:40) NASCAR lightning strike protocol (01:06:00) Tradeoffs when considering weather safety and proper procedure when in a warning (01:18:30) Further observations on tornado-related fatalities in mobile homes (01:23:00) Continued FAR in the industry and the fallout of these problems (01:25:00) Average lead-time of severe weather warnings (0 1:25:30) Bruce Jones/Midland Weather Radio  (01:45:00) The Astronomy Outlook with Tony Rice (01:29:14) This Week in Tornado History With Jen (01:30:40) E-Mail Segment (01:31:55) and more! Web Sites from Episode 1005: Midland Weather Radio Brandon Skalniak on X Picks of the Week: Brandon Skalniak - Millersville AMS on X Brandon Skalniak - Millersville AMS on Instagram Bruce Jones - William Abner Eddy background James Aydelott - Doppler radar view of Madill Oklahoma tornado Jen Narramore - Deep Dive into Florida's Largest Tornado Outbreak - Hurricane Milton Rick Smith - Pat Hyland, CCM: Durant radar view of Madill Oklahoma tornado Troy Kimmel - US Weather Analysis Sites Restored After Funding Lapse Kim Klockow-McClain - Trump Administration Restores Funding for Critical Weather Data Centers John Gordon - A methodology for forecasting, heavy convection precipitation and flash flooding John Gordon - Comparison of the meteorological aspects of the Big Thompson and the Rapid City Flash Floods Bill Murray - Foghorn James Spann - Storm Chase Archive 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.

    2h 6m

  5. APR 15

    WeatherBrains 1004: You’ll Never Be As Good As That Guy In The 80s

    Tonight's Guest WeatherBrain is an AMS Certified Broadcast Meteorologist and Weather Communications Coach whose mission is to keep communities safe and help people live better lives through effective, viewer-focused weather communication. A four-time Emmy winner, Tim brings decades of major-market experience and was among the first in the nation to incorporate augmented reality into daily forecasts. Tim Heller, welcome back to WeatherBrains! 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@weatherbrains.com. Significant severe thunderstorm activity in West Virginia (01:10) Lack of relevant online weather content by local TV stations (08:00) Tech early adopters and its influence on the field (15:00) Death of newspapers and other products of a bygone era (17:10) Issues with corporate meddling in local meteorologist televised forecasts (25:50) How technical should a TV meteorologist be when giving a public forecast?  (31:00) Emotional toll of weather-related trauma (44:15) Four key lessons that broadcast meteorologists need to UNLEARN!  (48:00) Earning social media followers and how it has changed the business (50:30) Difficulty communicating certainty and timing for winter weather events (01:06:15) Emerging prevalence of AI in the weather community (01:10:00) Bruce Jones/Midland Weather Radio (01:26:10) The Astronomy Outlook with Tony Rice (01:31:40) This Week in Tornado History With Jen (01:33:48) E-Mail Segment (01:34:50) and more! Web Sites from Episode 1004: Midland Weather Radio Picks of the Week: Tim Heller - TV Weather Talent Coaching and Training - HellerWeather Bruce Jones - Weather maps from the night the Titanic sank James Aydelott - James Aydlott on Facebook: Blinded by extreme glare this PM? Jen Narramore - Ryan Hoke on X: Inside an EF3 tornado in Jeffersontown, KY last week Jen Narramore - Carried by hurricane waves, these tortoises were swept to Florida’s Fort De Soto Rick Smith - Out Troy Kimmel - Weather station chief punished for drunk observations at Okinawa's Ishigaki airport Kim Klockow-McClain - Out John Gordon - NOAA National Water Prediction Service John Gordon - April 1-6, 2025 Severe Weather and Flooding Bill Murray - Brandon Skalniak's Tornado Radar Museum James Spann - Extended Range Severe Weather Environment Forecasts 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.

    1h 60m

  6. APR 8

    WeatherBrains 1003: I’ve Eaten 20 Year Old SPAM

    Tonight's Guest WeatherBrain is a prolific author and Southern preparedness expert who has written over 75 novels that blend gripping survival scenarios with real world lessons drawn from his professional training in emergency management.  His work spans everything from tornadoes and hurricanes to grid-down solar flare events.  His storytelling offers a uniquely grounded, Southern approach to self-reliance and resilience.  Ron Foster, welcome! Tonight's Guest Panelist is Jared Rennie, research meteorologist at NOAA's National Centers for Environmental Information in North Carolina.  He's an AMS-certified consulting meteorologist who is passionate about data, accessibility, climate services and applying new technologies like AI and machine learning in the world of meteorology. 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@weatherbrains.com. Cataclysmic flooding in Mid-South (02:30) Meteorologist fatigue after multiple day events (03:00) Senatobia, Mississippi tornado last week (06:30) What is a disaster-prepper?  (18:30) Prepper starter kit for beginners (20:00) How to purify water during a disaster (25:30) Living through 1979's Hurricane Frederic (34:15) Different perceptions of severe weather in the South compared to other regions (40:15) Internet dependency and society vulnerability (50:00) Carrington level solar events and appropriate reaction (01:02:00) Recommended basic survival kit (01:11:30) Bruce Jones/Midland Weather Radio (01:34:42) The Astronomy Outlook with Tony Rice (01:16:45) This Week in Tornado History With Jen (01:18:50) E-Mail Segment (01:20:25) National Weather Round-Up and more! Web Sites from Episode 1003: Midland Weather Radio Prepper Fiction Survival: Your Source for Prepper Fiction Ron Foster on Amazon Jared Rennie on X Picks of the Week: Jared Rennie - Jared Rennie on GitHub Jared Rennie - CBS News on YouTube: How a small North Carolina town is recovering six months after Hurricane Helene Bruce Jones - Gainesville, GA/Cooper Pants Factory tornado on April 6, 1936 James Aydelott - Amish speedy repairs mentioned in NOAA Storm Survey Jen Narramore - Poplar Bluff History Museum Rick Smith - Balanced Weather on Substack Troy Kimmel - WFAA Y'all-itics Kim Klockow-McClain - KY family goes viral for burying van as storm shelter. ‘Country boys can survive’ Kim Klockow-McClain - ‘Get rid of the whole thing’: After Stitt ousts Mark Goeller, Forestry Services comment irks #okleg John Gordon - USGS Volcanoes on X: Mount St. Helens prank by WNAC-TV Bill Murray - Foghorn James Spann - NOAA’s GOES-19 satellite now operational, providing critical new data to forecasters 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.

    2h 2m

  7. APR 1

    WeatherBrains 1002: I Am Sending You A Hair Clip

    Tonight's Guest WeatherBrain is a fast-rising YouTube creator known for her deeply researched and emotionally resonant documentaries on high-end tornadoes.  Her channel goes beyond the radar and statistics in order to tell the human stories behind these devastating events.  Born and raised in East Tennessee, she combines strong narrative skills with a unique interest in global severe weather, particularly in undeserved regions like India and China.  Her work bridges science communication and empathy in a way that resonates with a new generation of weather enthusiasts.  Carly Anna, welcome to the show!   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@weatherbrains.com. Record highs in the South later this week?  (01:55) QLCS tornado hits Dothan, AL school (04:45) Origins of Carly Anna YouTube channel (15:25) 1997 Jarrell, Texas F5 tornado (17:00) Relationship between slow-moving weaker tornadoes and fast-moving tornadoes (31:50) Antecedent conditions prior to natural disasters (38:00) March 15th 2025 tornado in Plantersville (46:00) Recovering after tragic circumstances and providing the right answers (50:00) Average False Alarm Ratio (FAR) characterizations/solutions (56:30) Difficulties with QLCS tornadoes in less predictable environments (01:06:00) Inspiring future weather communicators/creators (01:14:00) Bruce Jones/Midland Weather Radio (01:20:30) The Astronomy Outlook with Tony Rice (01:17:58) This Week in Tornado History With Jen (No segment this week) E-Mail Segment (No segment this week) National Weather Round-Up and more! Web Sites from Episode 1002: Midland Weather Radio Carly Anna Weather on X Carly Anna Weather on YouTube Two Storms Apparel Picks of the Week: Carly Anna - Record breaking pollen count reported in Atlanta today Bruce Jones - 3/31/23 Tornado Outbreak James Aydelott - James Aydelott on X: "Left-split anti-cyclonic mesocyclone (clockwise rotation) has a very large hail threat moving NNE into Mustang" Jen Narramore - Out Rick Smith - Out Troy Kimmel - Wisconsin 123F High Temp Error Kim Klockow-McClain - Mark Goeller post on Facebook over recent fire weather and damage in Oklahoma John Gordon - Weather History on X Bill Murray - National Disaster Survey Report: "Hurricane Eloise: The Gulf Coast" James Spann - James Spann on X: Tornado as seen from Dothan Regional Airport earlier this afternoon near Dale/Henry county line 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.

    1h 44m

  8. MAR 25

    WeatherBrains 1001: You And Your Jet Cores

    Tonight's Guest WeatherBrain is one of the most respected voices in the field of broadcast meteorology. He celebrated his 45th anniversary with WGN-TV in August 2023, and officially retired from WGN-TV at the end of February 2024.  Tom Skilling, it's great to see you tonight!   Meteorologist and Former Director of NWS (2013-2022) Louis Uccellini also joins us tonight as a Guest Panelist. He was also director of the National Centers for Environmental Prediction and served as the Permanent Representative of the United States for the World Meteorological Organization.  Thanks for joining us tonight, Louis!    Joining us as Guest Panelist is a brilliant researcher and recently tenured Professor in the Department of Earth, Atmosphere, and Environment at Northern Illinois University. His research umbrella covers a wide range of topics related to severe weather, particularly the relationship between severe convective storms and climate change by utilizing dynamical downscaling.  Dr. Victor Gencini, welcome to the show! 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@weatherbrains.com. New Panelist Introduction (05:15) 1990 Plainfield tornado tragedy (18:00) Lack of feasibility to privatize government warning systems for severe weather (25:00) Writing on the wall with budget cuts/staffing reductions and concerns for working in Government Sector/NOAA (41:00) Losing younger scientists to the private sector (55:45) November 17th, 2013 Washington, Illinois Tornado (01:00:30) Long-term budget concerns (01:05:00) Importance of not losing upper-air data when assimilating a public forecast (01:08:00) Development of global radiosonde network (01:20:00) Final thoughts on uncertain times in the industry (02:01:00) Inexpensive cost to taxpayers for NOAA's forecasts and services (01:53:00) The Astronomy Outlook with Tony Rice (No segment this week) This Week in Tornado History With Jen (01:54:57) E-Mail Segment  National Weather Round-Up and more! Web Sites from Episode 1001: Midland Weather Radio Victor Gensini, PhD, CCM on X Tom Skilling on X Picks of the Week: Bruce Jones - Foghorn James Aydelott - James Aydelott on X: "Twisters" Sequel? Jen Narramore - Germantown Regional History and Genealogy Center Rick Smith - 2024 Severe Weather Year In Review Troy Kimmel - Foghorn Kim Klockow-McClain - Foghorn John Gordon - Foghorn Bill Murray - Foghorn James Spann - NSSL Severe Convection and Climate Research 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.

    2h 23m
See All (100)

4.6
out of 5
154 Ratings

About

The world's oldest and greatest weather podcast. Join weather geeks James Spann, Bill Murray, Kim Klockow-McClain, Dr. Neil Jacobs, Rick Smith, Aubrey Urbanowicz, Jen Narramore, and Troy Kimmel along with some of the most brilliant minds in the weather enterprise every week!

Information

  • Creator
    Big Brains Media LLC
  • Years Active
    2006 - 2025
  • Episodes
    100
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2022 Big Brains Media, LLC
  • Show Website
    WeatherBrains

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