Behind the Front

This week J-P Dice sits down with Chris Darden of the National Weather Service Birmingham office to uncover what works and what doesn’t when communicating with the public about weather events. Meteorologists work to give an accurate prediction of where severe weather is headed, but it’s up to the community to know if they’re in the cross-hairs. Do you know where you are in relation to other counties and cities? Turns out, many people don’t. And when it comes to severe weather, knowing where you are could be the difference between life and death. Plus, Dice and Darden take a look at severe thunderstorm warnings, the types of tornadoes that can slip through the cracks, and the impact they might have on communities.   This episode of Behind the Front is sponsored by Durante Home Exteriors. Click Here or Call: (205) 956-4110 to learn how Durante can help protect your home from the weather.

Severe weather comes in many forms, and this week J-P Dice and Wes Wyatt talk about the technicalities of forecasting severe summer weather. It’s a serious nerd session of mesoscale convection systems, what to look for on satellite imagery and appreciating just how far technology has come.

This episode of Behind the Front is sponsored by Durante Home Exteriors. Click Here or Call (205) 956-4110 to learn how Durante can help protect your home from the weather.

Summer vacation at some point seems to drag. It’s the same thing every day and you find yourself wanting to change it up. Who knew the weather team felt the same way? When it’s nothing but sunny skies and the same scattered showers for days on end, J-P Dice and Jill Gilardi have to figure out how to keep the weather interesting. Learn what they do to get through the slump, why not having active weather is a good thing and why it’s best to wear a bib when eating seafood in Cape Cod.

This episode of Behind the Front is sponsored by Durante Home Exteriors. Click Here or Call (205) 956-4110 to learn how Durante can help protect your home from the weather.

Keeping viewers safe is the main goal of a forecast. But what’s the best way to convey that information? Tim Heller is a weather consultant, who works with meteorologists on how to better communicate with the audience. He joins J-P Dice to discuss HellerWeather, working in Houston, and how Hurricane Harvey changed the course of his career.

This episode of Behind the Front is sponsored by Durante Home Exteriors. Click Here or Call (205) 956-4110 to learn how Durante can help protect your home from the weather.

Welcome to summer in the south! The time of year when scattered storms and heat dominate the weather headlines. So what exactly is a “feels like” temp? And what does it really mean when there’s a 50% chance of rain on the radar? J-P Dice and Wes Wyatt break down some of the more common terms you need to know this time of year. Plus, thoughts on Hurricane Barry, favorite hot dog condiments, and a send off to Behind the Front producer, Sebastian Posey.

This episode of Behind the Front is sponsored by Durante Home Exteriors. Click Here or Call (205) 956-4110 to learn how Durante can help protect your home from the weather.

Did you know FedEx has their own in-house meteorology department? Kory Gempler, Manager of Weather Services, joins J-P Dice to discuss how the team at FedEx’s global operations center helps guide Air & Ground crews across the world, making sure your shipment arrives, no matter the forecast.

This episode of Behind the Front is sponsored by Durante Home Exteriors. Click Here or Call (205) 956-4110 to learn how Durante can help protect your home from the weather.

Jim Van Fleet spends his days building forecasts. But he’s not focusing on a particular area or state, he’s working on forecasts for all around the world. He’s the Chief Meteorologist for Royal Caribbean International. Jim joins J-P Dice to discuss being the first of his kind and what it has been like shaping the brand new position. Plus what it’s like transitioning from being on television to traveling all over the globe to keep people safe – SPOILER ALERT: It’s pretty awesome.

This episode of Behind the Front is sponsored by Durante Home Exteriors. Click Here or Call (205) 956-4110 to learn how Durante can help protect your home from the weather.

It’s not uncommon this time of year to see a storm seemingly pop up out of nowhere in the afternoon. J-P Dice and Wes Wyatt discuss why the summer can be the hardest season to forecast. Plus, J-P and Wes talk BBQ just in time for the Fourth of July.

This episode of Behind the Front is sponsored by Durante Home Exteriors. Click Here or Call (205) 956-4110 to learn how Durante can help protect your home from the weather.

You might get sick of the heat during the summer months, but you can also get sick BECAUSE of the heat too. Dr. Jason Junkins MD joins J-P Dice to discuss how the heat can send you to the hospital and the warning signs of heatstroke. Plus, what’s the #1 risk factor for heat exhaustion, and the importance of staying hydrated.

This episode of Behind the Front is sponsored by Durante Home Exteriors. Click Here or Call (205) 956-4110 to learn how Durante can help protect your home from the weather.

You can get severe weather alerts almost anywhere: television, phones, social media, etc. But if the messaging is hard to understand, it doesn’t matter how you get it. J-P Dice speaks with Dr. Cory Armstrong, Department Chair of Journalism & Creative Media at the University of Alabama, on the research the university is doing to better understand how we interpret and process weather messaging and warnings. Plus, the impact good communication can have on the public.

This episode of Behind the Front is sponsored by Durante Home Exteriors. Click Here or Call (205) 956-4110 to learn how Durante can help protect your home from the weather.