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 protected].

• 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.