It's been three years since the Carolina Weather Group first talked with Richard Neal, the owner of the decommissioned Frying Pan Shoals Tower off the coast of North Carolina.

James Brierton and Shea Gibson caught up with Richard recently during the Weather Pods Disaster Relief Telethon. Here now is that updated conversation, followed by an encore presentation of our first interview from 2020.

Frying Pan Tower is located 32 miles off the coast of North Carolina and rises 135' above the Atlantic Ocean. It helps provide safety to Mariners in the Atlantic Ocean, is used for environmental research and education studies, and is a shelter to a natural ecosystem for marine wildlife.

Its location makes it a prime spot to observe tropical weather off the Carolina coast, including a direct hit by Hurricane Irene in 2011. Weather conditions are observed on-board by weather sensors and a live streaming webcam.

In 2010, the government placed the Frying Pan Tower up for auction, with the winning bid going to Richard Neal of Charlotte, NC. Richard is our guest on this episode of the Carolina Weather Group.

The tower is powered using wind turbines and solar energy for electricity. It has a filtration system for potable water and high-speed Internet for communications.

You can learn more about the tower, and make a donation to its upkeeping, on https://fptower.org/.

This original episode was available early to our Patreon supporters. Join us today to unlock early access and episode exclusives: https://patreon.com/carolinaweathergroup.

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The Carolina Weather Group operates a weekly talk show of the same name. Broadcasting each week from the Carolinas, the show is dedicated to covering weather, science, technology, and more with newsmakers from the field of atmospheric science. With co-hosts across both North Carolina and South Carolina, the show may closely feature both NC weather and SC weather, but the topics are universally enjoyable for any weather fan. Join us as we talk about weather, the environment, the atmosphere, space travel, and all the technology that makes it possible.