Weather Hype

#WxTwitter. It's a fascinating social media community made up of meteorologists, weather enthusiasts and people who just want to talk about all things weather. WxTwitter is a space for collaborative ideas, sharing weather photos and videos and networking. But like any community, there was bound to be disagreements in opinion and clashing of ideas.

We had an episode dedicated to WxTwitter a couple years ago exploring this online community. Now we're looking at how this niche social media world has evolved, and some of the benefits and challenges it presents to the social fabric of meteorology, especially with our next generation of meteorologists. We're joined by Becky DePodwin and Dakota Smith, two people who are very active and very familiar with the wonderful world of WxTwitter. In a candid and honest conversation, we'll dive into our own experiences on the digital platform and look at ways we can successfully coexist while bringing out the best in each other.

Modifications were made for the Introduction and transition music "Baby, I'm Bad Weather" by Toussaint Morrison: creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/ and "Awake"  and "Corporate Software" by Scott Holmes: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/

In October of 2018, Super Typhoon Yutu, packing winds of 180 mph, slammed into Saipan, the largest island of the Northern Mariana Islands. And in it's wake, complete destruction.

We talk with April Lipinski, who works with the Federal Emergency Management Agency. And she was in Saipan after the island and other parts of the commonwealth were left reeling from the devastating impacts of the storm.

While April and her team were working to help the people of Saipan, there was an interesting rumor that came about... a rumor that there might be animals in need of help

And with the help of several agencies and organizations, the gears were put in place to rescue these animals from Saipan.

We also talk with Pat Craig, the executive director of the Wild Animal Sanctuary in Keenesburg, Colorado where Tasha and Lambert were taken after the storm.

On episode 56 of WeatherHype, our second episode for 2019's National Weather Podcast Month, we talk with April and Pat about the recovery process for Saipan immediately after Super Typhoon Yutu. And share the story of Lambert the Lion and Tasha the Tiger, and their amazing journey from the middle of the Pacific to Colorado's Wild Animal Sanctuary, a 10,473 acre sanctuary for more than 500 rescued animals.

 

Special thanks to Becky DePodwin from the podcast Ice Station Housman, for our Weather Ready Nation Spring Weather Safety Message.

Modifications were made for the Introduction and transition music with the following songs:

"Baby, I'm Bad Weather" by Toussaint Morrison: creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/  https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/

"Rain and Thunderstorm at Lallgarh Palace, Bikaner" by Samuel Corwin: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

"Sun Won't Rise" by Ketsa: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/

"Parade" by Nctrmn and "Divider" by Chris Zabriskie https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

You know, as a meteorologist, did you know you can be right half the time but still have a job. The amount of times we all hear that, am I right? There's no doubt public perception of weather and weather forecasting isn't always great. And with many meteorologists and forecasters in the spotlight, the hate messages can be downright hurtful, and that can take a terrible mental toll on those who work so hard to predict the weather. But, many on-air personalities have had enough, and they're fighting back.

That was meteorologist James Spann at ABC 33/40 in Birmingham, Alabama. He reads mean tweets sent in by listeners. And in this case, his viewers are complaining about his winter weather forecast earlier this year.

He's not the only one. Meteorologist Heather Waldman from WGRZ in Buffalo, New York is also defending forecasting, using a more educational approach.

More and more meteorology professionals are taking to social media and the airwaves to fight back against haters and trollers. And we examine that on this week's episode of WeatherHype.

Audio samples courtesy of WBMA-TV/James Spann & WGRZ-TV/Heather Waldman.

Modifications were made for the Introduction and transition music "Baby, I'm Bad Weather" by Toussaint Morrison: creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/ and "Massive Attack"  and "Hot Chip" by Podington Bear: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/

Currently, the weather community uses the Saffir-Simpson scale to communicate potential property damage due to hurricane force winds. At its core, the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale is a 1 to 5 rating based on a hurricane’s sustained wind speed. However, recently the weather community has begun to question whether categorizing hurricanes based solely on their wind speed can effectively communicate the multitude of hazards that often accompany tropical weather.

To address this concern, AccuWeather recently announced on January 9th at the American Meteorological Society Annual Meeting that they will be using a new AccuWeather RealImpact Scale for Hurricanes starting in 2019. Although a much needed step in our community and a topic we have been discussing for years, meteorologists are asking: is it too soon to put this new RealImpact Scale into practice? To answer this question, we will dive deep into the AccuWeather RealImpact Scale, discuss the positives and negatives that accompany such a drastic change to the weather community, and ask some tough questions relating to the social scientific aspects of this new scale.

For more information on the topics discussed during this podcast or for additional links, please visit: http://www.weatherhypepodcast.com/episode-54.html (http://www.weatherhypepodcast.com/episode-41.html)

Modifications were made for the introduction and transition music "Baby, I'm Bad Weather" by Toussaint Morrison: creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/, "Vittoro" by Blue Dot Sessions: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/, as well as "Missing" by Scott Holmes: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

It's been a few months since Castle and Minh were able to record an episode of WeatherHype together, so obviously there's going to be a bit of shenanigans in this episode. In addition to everyone's favorite "Song of the Week" segment, we have some cool gift ideas for the weather person in your life, a few organizations that we will be giving to this holiday season, and lots of other weird things...because, well, it's us. Did you not expect it to get a little weird?

Castle is giving to:

Cool Effect - Combining science, expertise, and transparency, we are creating a community built around one simple vision: give people the power and confidence to band together and reduce the carbon pollution that causes climate change.

 

Carbon Fund - A whopping 50,000 pounds a year! That’s the average American's total carbon footprint which includes the emissions from your home, car, air travel and everything you use. We are all responsible for climate change and we all must be part of the solution.

American Red Cross - We respond to an emergency every 8 minutes. No one else does this: not the government, not other charities. From small house fires to multi-state natural disasters, the American Red Cross goes wherever we’re needed, so people can have clean water, safe shelter and hot meals when they need them most.

Minh is giving to:

Maxfund - MaxFund is a true no kill animal shelter and adoption center that challenges the traditional methods of animal sheltering by leading the no kill movement in Colorado. We strive to give animals, including the injured, abandoned, and abused, a "second chance at life.

Colorado Uplift - Colorado UpLift employs full-time staff who are committed to the students they serve. As teacher/mentors and life coaches, they develop long-term relationships as early as elementary school. This bond continues through middle and high school, providing the relational support missing from students’ lives.

Colorado UpLift uses a relational approach that produces superior results.

Modifications were made for the introduction and transition music "Baby, I'm Bad Weather" by Toussaint Morrison: creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/, and "A Christmas Adventure" by TRG Banks: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/

On this week’s episode of WeatherHype, we continue the conversation with Katie Wedemeyer-Stombel and discuss balancing professional and personal relationships in graduate school. Katie gives us her personal insights on the topic, as well as provides us with tips and strategies for overcoming some of these challenges in all walks of professional life. Stay tuned, Part 2 of Katie's interview is coming up next!

For more information on the topics discussed during this podcast or for additional links, please visit: http://www.weatherhypepodcast.com/episode-51.html (http://www.weatherhypepodcast.com/episode-41.html)

Modifications were made for the introduction and transition music "Baby, I'm Bad Weather" by Toussaint Morrison: creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/, "Dirty Wallpaper" by Blue Dot Sessions: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/, as well as "Leave The TV On" by Blue Dot Sessions: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Impostor Syndrome is the psychological phenomenon in which an individual doubts their accomplishments and has a persistent internalized fear of being exposed as a fraud. Despite evidence of their accomplishments, most individuals attribute their success to luck, or as a result of deceiving others into thinking they are more intelligent than they perceive themselves to be.

Have you ever had feelings like this? Ever felt overwhelmed in your job or in school? Ever feel like it is extremely difficult to balance your personal identity with your work identity? Well you are not alone! Today, we are joined by Katie Wedemeyer-Stombel, who is happiest in the ocean, loves to bake, and enjoys hanging out with her dog and husband. But, she’s also a PhD Candidate at the University of Texas-El Paso - remember it’s important to balance your work and life, but we’ll get to that later.

We are incredibly excited to have her on the show, as she has become a champion and incredible advocate for graduate students everywhere. She openly discusses her successes AND struggles in graduate school through her blog and on Twitter, as both a way to connect and relate to graduate students everywhere. This open dialogue about self-care, mental health awareness, and navigating professional and personal relationships in graduate school creates a sense of camaraderie and transparency about graduate student life.

On this week’s episode, we will discuss work-life balance, impostor syndrome, as well as tips and strategies for overcoming some of these challenges in all walks of professional life. Stay tuned, our deep dive with Katie is coming up next!

For more information on the topics discussed during this podcast or for additional links, please visit: http://www.weatherhypepodcast.com/episode-51.html (http://www.weatherhypepodcast.com/episode-41.html)

Modifications were made for the Introduction and transition music "Baby, I'm Bad Weather" by Toussaint Morrison: creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/, "Missing" by Scott Holmes: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/, as well as "The Zeppelin" by Blue Dot Sessions: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

As Hurricane Florence made landfall on Friday, September 14th near Wrightsville, NC, meteorologists were forecasting that roughly 10 million gallons of rainfall would impact North Carolina and the surrounding states. You heard me right - 10 million gallons! To try and put that into perspective, that is enough to fill 15 million Olympic size swimming pools, 36 thousand Empire State buildings, and 60 million Washington Memorials. How can we even communicate something that is so hard to imagine?

Join us as we talk all about the communication challenges and successes that took place during Hurricane Florence. From the use of the term "weakening," to the debates surrounding the Saffir-Simpson scale. We have it all on this episode of WeatherHype!

For more information on the topics discussed during this podcast or for additional links, please visit: http://www.weatherhypepodcast.com/episode-50.html (http://www.weatherhypepodcast.com/episode-41.html)

Modifications were made for the Introduction and transition music "Baby, I'm Bad Weather" by Toussaint Morrison: creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/, "The Edge to Nowhere" by Scott Holmes: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/, as well as "Postcards" by Scott Holmes: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Doppler radar technology is easily accessible, and we often see if on our local news, on our weather apps, and on websites. But do people know how to properly use radars to access weather conditions? Do people find radars to be useful for their day-to-day activities? We talk with Michelle Saunders, a PhD candidate at the University of South Florida, who's looking into these questions and ideas. Plus, we talk to one person who's never really used a radar before (my roomie) and sit down for a one-on-one about her perceptions, thoughts, and interpretation of radar on her smartphone app.

That and more on this week's episode!

Modifications were made for the Introduction and transition music "Baby, I'm Bad Weather" by Toussaint Morrison: creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/ and "Abandoned City" by Scott Holmes: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/.

Modifications were made for the Introduction and transition music "Baby, I'm Bad Weather" by Toussaint Morrison: creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/ and "Massive Attack"  and "Hot Chip" by Podington Bear: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/

On this episode, we are switching things up a bit! We've been a bit busy this summer, so we're going to have a little fun on this episode! Join us as we discuss a hodge podge of weather topics, including: lightning & hiking safety, the extreme temperatures on the West Coast, and World Cup weather!. Also included are personal stories and even a Catfish moment! As always, we finish up with our songs of the week. Get ready, because a goofy episode of Weather Hype is headed your way!

For links to the items discussed during the podcast, please visit: http://www.weatherhypepodcast.com/episode-48.html

Modifications were made for the Introduction and transition music "Baby, I'm Bad Weather" by Toussaint Morrison: creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/ and "Robot Park" by Podington Bear: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/.