Our Guest WeatherBrain for this week’s episode is Melissa Marcelloni, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Brownsville, Texas.  Melissa has worked a variety of high-impact events, including hurricanes, microbursts, and flooding, and she’s also an experienced storm chaser. Before joining the NWS, she served as a catastrophe claim specialist, giving her a unique perspective on the intersection of meteorology, disaster impacts, and community recovery.  Melissa, welcome to WeatherBrains!

Tonight’s Guest Panelist is Chris White — a proud Virginia Tech alumnus and a retired federal government meteorologist. He’s well-known in the weather community as a storm chaser for @WDBJ7Weather and @MLseverewxcon, where he also serves as founder and coordinator. In addition, Chris is a dedicated weather blogger, sharing his passion for severe weather with the public and the storm chasing community.  Chris, thanks for joining us tonight.

Our email officer Jen is continuing to handle the incoming messages from our listeners. Reach us here: [email protected].

• Hot air balloons and meteorology (16:00)
• Melissa's educational journey (18:00)
• Diversification is key (21:30)
• Melissa's transition from working in insurance into the NWS (24:00)
• Defining core partners in the aftermath of major weather disasters (31:00)
• Historical hurricanes (34:30)
• Outreach efforts to the community in order to help them prepare for major weather events (36:30)
• Toughest weather to forecast in south Texas/Airmass thunderstorms (41:00)
• Issues with microbursts in south Texas (43:30)
• Challenges with rip current risk, and what those in the community should/shouldn't do to mitigate risk (49:00)
• Storm chasing experiences and notable storms (51:30)
• Frustrating storm chasing days (01:05:00)
• National Storm Chasers Summit (01:08:00)
• The Astronomy Outlook with Tony Rice (01:14:20)
• This Week in Tornado History With Jen (01:17:15)
• E-Mail Segment (01:18:15)
• and more!

Web Sites from Episode 1026:

Alabama Weather Network

Chris White on X

Melissa Marcelloni on Instagram

Picks of the Week:

Melissa Marcelloni - Tornadoes destroy multiple homes in Utah

Chris White - Sterling, VA September 17th, 2004 tornadoes

James Aydelott - An incredible tornado intercept in Caragabal, NSW, Australia

Jen Narramore - Aaron Rigsby on X: Tornado video in Dakotas

Rick Smith - Out

Troy Kimmel - Helene in Southern Appalachia story map

Kim Klockow-McClain - Foghorn

John Gordon - Mark Gray on X: Saturday splashes at sunset in Bonavista NL

John Gordon - Gord Follett Photography on X: Unique coastline photo near Madrock Bay Roberts Newfoundland

Bill Murray - Foghorn

James Spann - PolarWx

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.

Tonight's show comes to you from the 2025 NWA Annual Meeting in Huntsville at the Von Braun Civic Center.

Janice Bunting is the Executive Director of the NWA stops by first to talk to the panel.  She's pulled off an amazing event this year under trying circumstances.  Throughout the evening, other notable leaders in the weather industry will also stop by to chat with our panel about this year’s meeting — sharing their insights, highlights, and what it all means for the future of meteorology.

Our email officer Jen is continuing to handle the incoming messages from our listeners. Reach us here: [email protected].

• Bob Baron and other sponsors of the Annual Meeting (04:20)
• Roadmap for the NWA going forward (07:30)
• Louis Uccellini talks about the initial NWA in the early days of the organization (27:00)
• Force multiplier nature of social media (45:00)
• Panel discussion with industry's leading digital meteorologists (59:00)
• Hand-drawn animations for the conference (01:06:00)
• Goals for the upcoming year in NWA (01:10:00)
• Cooperation with AMS (01:14:00)
• Nate Johnson discusses student support within the organization (01:26:00)
• Nate's IWT (Integrated Warning Team) takeaways (01:30:30)
• Dr. Chuck Graves stops by to chat with the panel (01:48:00)
• The Astronomy Outlook with Tony Rice (01:54:55)
• This Week in Tornado History With Jen (01:57:05)
• E-Mail Segment (No segment this week - STAY TUNED!)
• and more!

Web Sites from Episode 1025:

Alabama Weather Network

Picks of the Week:

James Aydelott - James Aydelott photographed in back of patrol car

Jen Narramore - Foghorn

Rick Smith - Out

Troy Kimmel - Foghorn

Kim Klockow-McClain - Foghorn

John Gordon - A New Spin On Waterspout Forecasting (Published August 2014)

John Gordon - A Waterspout Forecasting Technique

Bill Murray - Foghorn

James Spann - FCC Proposes Modernization of the Nation's Alerting Systems

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.

Tonight's Guest WeatherBrain is a meteorologist, climatologist, instructor, and now author.  She has a brand new book just released titled "Wilder Weather:  What Laura Ingalls Wilder Teaches Us About Weather, Climate, And Protecting What We Cherish".  In her book, she digs deep into Wilder's depictions of weather events and helps readers connect past weather to present weather.  She's worked at NOAA for over 23 years.  Dr. Barbara Boustead, it's great to have you on the show!

Our email officer Jen is continuing to handle the incoming messages from our listeners. Reach us here: [email protected].

• Introduction to Laura Ingalls Wilder and he r background (13:00)
• Entire Little House on the Prairie series (14:45)
• Analyzing 1880s weather records in Dakota Territory (19:00)
• Laurapalooza Conference (21:45)
• Weather in Wilder's other works (24:15)
• Further examples of Wilder's writings about weather events (34:30)
• Today's different climate from the era of authors like Charles Dickens (44:00)
• Climate is the past, present, and future (50:00)
• Encouraging teachers to use "Wilder Weather" in lesson plans (58:30)
• Weather folklore (01:00:00)
• Where can you order "Wilder Weather"?  (01:10:00)
• Tips for aspiring authors (01:24:00)
• The Astronomy Outlook with Tony Rice (01:11:20)
• This Week in Tornado History With Jen (01:12:50)
• E-Mail Segment (01:14:05)
• and more!

Web Sites from Episode 1024:

Alabama Weather Network

Wilder Weather

"Wilder Weather: What Laura Ingalls Wilder Teaches Us About the Weather, Climate, and Protecting What We Cherish" by Dr. Barbara Boustead

Picks of the Week:

Dr. Barbara Boustead - "The Beautiful Snow" by Cindy Wilson

James Aydelott - Meteogram for Camargo, OK/90+mph winds

Jen Narramore - Merry violent phenomenon in Morbihan on 2 September

Rick Smith - Here's one of the first photos of a tornado ever

Troy Kimmel - Out

Kim Klockow-McClain - NWA 50th Annual Meeting in Huntsville, AL

John Gordon - ATR-72 nearly flipped over from 99 mph winds in Corsica

John Gordon - Reagan's near-death experience in 1983

Bill Murray - "The Weather Gods Curse the Gettysburg Campaign" by Jon M. Nese and Jeffrey Harding

James Spann - Sandblasted to Death: 1935 Labor Day Hurricane

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.

WeatherBrains Episode 1023B is a deep dive into 2005's Hurricane Katrina.  It's hard to believe, but the tragedy is approaching its 20th anniversary.

Tonight's Guest WeatherBrain for this somber episode is the Curator of the Ground Zero Museum in Waveland, Mississippi.  She's a retired RN and was a former Nurse Administrator in New Orleans, LA.  Bernie Cullen, thanks for joining us.

Guest Panelist and show veteran Mark Sudduth "The Hurricane Tracker" joins the panel's discussion by looking back at such a significant historical event, the technological challenges of twenty years ago, and looking ahead to the future.  He's a well known storm chaser and weather documentarian.  Thanks for your valuable insight on tonight's episode, Mark!

Our email officer Jen is continuing to handle the incoming messages from our listeners. Reach us here: [email protected].

• Robert Ricks and his pre-landfall Katrina doomsday forecast (04:00)
• Tropical Storm Katrina forms on August 23rd, 2005 (08:30)
• 2005 tech available to hurricane chasers vs today (08:45)
• Katrina's Fort Lauderdale, Florida landfall (11:00)
• Early Katrina prep in New Orleans (17:00)
• 1992's Hurricane Andrew and it's forgotten second landfall in Louisiana (29:30)
• Lack of accurate storm surge forecasting 20 years ago (40:00)
• Parallels with 1969's Hurricane Camille and its change of forecasted landfall point (53:00)
• Katrina vs Camille wind fields (58:30)
• Ground Zero Museum - contents, purpose and history (01:20:00)
• More TikTok nonsense (01:47:30)
• The Astronomy Outlook with Tony Rice (01:48:50)
• This Week in Tornado History With Jen (01:50:35)
• E-Mail Segment (No segment this week - stay tuned!)
• and more!

Web Sites from Episode 1023B:

Waveland's Ground Zero Museum

Alabama Weather Network

Picks of the Week:

James Aydelott - Ray Caldwell, pitching for Cleveland Indians, struck by lightning on pitchers mound - 1919

Jen Narramore - Alabama Weather Network Daily Briefing!

Rick Smith - Out

Troy Kimmel - Foghorn

Kim Klockow-McClain - "Children of Katrina (The Katrina Bookshelf)" by Alice Fothergill and Lori Peek

John Gordon - Michelle Cowbourne on X

Bill Murray - Katrina: South Mississippi's Story (Full Documentary on YouTube)

James Spann - Robert Ricks - On The Ground During Katrina (YouTube)

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.

WeatherBrains Episode 1023A is a preview of the upcoming 2025 NWA Annual Meeting in Huntsville, AL.  The meeting is only two weeks away from the date of recording (August 25th, 2025).

Show veteran Kevin Laws joins us to dive into the upcoming NWA Annual Meeting in Huntsville.  He currently serves as the SOO (Science and Operations Officer) of the Birmingham, AL NWS office.  Kevin, it's great to see you again.

David from the Texas Storm Chasers also drops in to chat with the panel about what to expect at the meeting.

Our email officer Jen is continuing to handle the incoming messages from our listeners. Reach us here: [email protected].

• Tropics remain quiet (02:45)
• Starting the dialogue of a changing business model (07:55)
• Baby steps toward progress in the field starting over 15 years ago (11:00)
• Gatekeeping and resentment among various sectors in meteorology (12:00)
• Objectives of the upcoming Annual Meeting (23:00)
• The outdated concept of TV market boundaries (36:00)
• NWA registration procedures (44:00)
• How do we define expertise in 2025?  (48:30)
• What will the broadcast transition look like moving forward?  (50:45)
• The Astronomy Outlook with Tony Rice (No segment for this episode)
• This Week in Tornado History With Jen (No segment for this episode)
• E-Mail Segment (No segment for this episode)
• and more!

Web Sites from Episode 1023A:

2025 NWA Annual Meeting September 6-10th, 2025 Huntsville AL

Alabama Weather Network

Alabama Weather Network on Facebook

Picks of the Week:

James Aydelott - Cool noon temperatures in Oklahoma

Jen Narramore - Out

Rick Smith - The OCS/Mesonet Ticker

Troy Kimmel - Foghorn

Kim Klockow-McClain - Foghorn

John Gordon - Out

Bill Murray - Out

James Spann - Foghorn

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.

Tonight's Guest WeatherBrain is a professor of mechanical engineering and applied mathematics at the University of Pennsylvania.  He previously served as a principal scientist at Microsoft Research, where he led the development of Aurora.  This was the groundbreaking AI foundation model for earth system forecasting.  Dr. Paris Perdikaris, welcome to WeatherBrains!

Our email officer Jen is continuing to handle the incoming messages from our listeners. Reach us here: [email protected].

• What is Aurora and the motivation for the program? (08:15)
• Practical experience and forecasting with tropical forecasting with Aurora (12:30)
• Success stories with Aurora (14:00)
• Convection-allowing models (CAMS) (17:15)
• Convective feedback problems with models (18:45)
• Emergence of the Google DeepMind ensemble and other AI models (20:00)
• Aurora's hardware architecture and its importance (23:30)
• Continuing need of physics-based models in the age of AI (28:00)
• Ethical considerations and biases in model training data (33:30)
• Role of US agencies and potential loss of funding (37:55)
• Communicating AI forecasts to the public and the ensuing ethical issues (42:30)
• Broad risks of using AI (44:30)
• Aurora business model (58:45)
• The Astronomy Outlook with Tony Rice (01:05:25)
• This Week in Tornado History With Jen (01:07:25)
• E-Mail Segment (01:09:30)
• and more!

Web Sites from Episode 1022:

Penn's Predictive Intelligence Lab

Alabama Weather Network on Facebook

Picks of the Week:

James Aydelott - Dr. Cameron Nixon on YouTube: Cell Mergers and Nudgers

Jen Narramore - "Significant Tornadoes 1680-1991" by Thomas Grazulis

Rick Smith - USA Jobs

Troy Kimmel - Foghorn

Kim Klockow-McClain - Out

John Gordon - Live Recon in the Atlantic Basin

Bill Murray - Foghorn

James Spann - Weather Lab: Cyclones

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.

Tonight's First Guest WeatherBrain is a meteorologist and veteran storm chaser who has documented tornadoes, hurricanes and supercells across the United States since 2015.  He has degrees from Arizona State University and the University of Oklahoma, where he operated a mobile radar under tornado research pioneer Dr. Howie Bluestein.  Trey Greenwood, welcome to the show!

Our Second Guest WeatherBrain is a professional broadcaster and CEO of storm chaser Coaching, hosting over 200 episodes of the Chaser Chat Podcast since 2020.  He leads the company's mission to centralize storm chasing education through structured courses and a long-term membership model connecting learners with experienced coaches.  Gabriel Harber, thank you for joining us tonight.

WeatherBrains veteran Sandy LaCorte also joins the panel to discuss the upcoming NWA Meeting 2025.  It's great to see you again, Sandy.

Our email officer Jen is continuing to handle the incoming messages from our listeners. Reach us here: [email protected].

• End of dog days of summer; fall is on our doorstep (04:30)
• NWA Annual Meeting 2025 Huntsville, AL (07:30)
• Invest in others and pay it forward!  (13:00)
• Trey's first tornado chase in 2015 and the takeaways (33:00)
• Working with Dr. Bluestein in the field (36:00)
• What is storm chaser coaching and how did it come to be? (43:00)
• Bill Murray's first tornado intercept (48:45)
• No such thing as a bust when storm chasing in the field! (52:45)
• Driving etiquette/mob behavior ruining storm chasing (55:30)
• Risks/distractions/recommendations of storm chasing solo (01:11:30)
• Analysis of the economics of storm chasing (01:15:30)
• Oklahoma storm chaser license legislation (01:18:15)
• Role of drones in the storm chaser toolkit (01:22:00)
• Under-appreciated aspects of storm chasing (01:31:30)
• The Astronomy Outlook with Tony Rice (01:35:15)
• This Week in Tornado History With Jen (01:37:15)
• E-Mail Segment (01:38:30)
• and more!

Web Sites from Episode 1021:

Storm Chaser Coaching

Gabriel Harber on X

Alabama Weather Network on Facebook

Picks of the Week:

Trey Greenwood - Convective Chronicles on YouTube

James Aydelott - Shea Gibson on Facebook: Mt. Pleasant, SC video

James Aydelott - James Aydelott on Facebook: Meade, KS heat burst

Jen Narramore - Mongolian supercells

Rick Smith - Out

Troy Kimmel - Official launch of the Alabama Weather Network

Kim Klockow-McClain - Congressman Eric Sorensen on Defending Climate Science, Depoliticizing Weather and Bringing Scientific Rigor To Capitol Hill

John Gordon - NWS ABQ - Heat Bursts

Bill Murray - Foghorn

James Spann - Mount Pleasant PD on X: Lightning strike outages/delays

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.

Tonight's special Guest WeatherBrain is Evan Fryberger, who is an independent content creator and a weather communicator who has built a loyal following online.  He's a calm and informed voice in the ever-noisy world of weather streaming.  His no-hype approach stands out in an age of rising anxiety and clickbait.  Evan, welcome to WeatherBrains!

Our email officer Jen is continuing to handle the incoming messages from our listeners. Reach us here: [email protected].

• New record low maximum for Birmingham, AL on August 4th at 77 (02:00)
• One week away from launch of Alabama Weather Network (05:30)
• Looking back at 9/11/2001 and Hurricane Gabrielle (19:30)
• Fighting clickbait and hype online (26:00)
• 2025 Mental health crisis (33:00)
• Storm chasing overcrowding and dangers on the road (43:30)
• Blurring lines and reaching saturation in the weather entertainment/streaming world (46:30)
• Approaching urgency and calmness during severe weather streams (53:30)
• National Integrated Warning Team meeting (01:04:00)
• Preparing for an active severe weather day as a streamer/content creator (01:09:15)
• When does Evan bring his dog on stream?  (01:19:00)
• Experiences with demonetization and copyright issues as a streamer (01:24:30)
• The Astronomy Outlook with Tony Rice (01:27:50)
• This Week in Tornado History With Jen (01:29:50)
• E-Mail Segment (01:31:45)
• and more!

Web Sites from Episode 1020:

Alabama Weather Network on Facebook

Evan Fryberger on YouTube

Evan Fryberger on X

Picks of the Week:

Evan Fryberger - SPC Mesoscale Analysis Pages

Evan Fryberger - NASA Worldview Satellite Data

James Aydelott - SPC Average Number of Tornadoes Per State By Month (All tornadoes 2000-2024)

Jen Narramore - Out

Rick Smith - Tropical Storm Dexter

Troy Kimmel - Out

Kim Klockow-McClain - Foghorn

John Gordon - Coral Reef Watch Eastern Persian Gulf Regional Products

Bill Murray - Foghorn

James Spann - Alabama Weather Network main site

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.

Tonight is a late-summer unfiltered homegrown show from the panel, and it's an array of important topics, including the launch of the Alabama Weather Network.  The panel discuss its mission and vision moving forward.  The regulars deep-dive into other pressing topics like confusion over county warning areas, new information about the Texas flooding tragedy, and much more.  Thanks for listening!

Our email officer Jen is continuing to handle the incoming messages from our listeners. Reach us here: [email protected].

• Telling the stories from the perspective of storm survivors after major severe weather events (14:30)
• Introducing The Alabama Weather Network and its State-wide operation (16:10)
• Disturbing story about an emergency manager in early July Texas flooding tragedy (32:30)
• Appreciating Ben Luna and his contributions (37:30)
• Different cultures at different NWS offices (40:30)
• Issues with NWS County Warning Areas (42:30)
• Lessons learned from Texas floods (51:30)
• Hope is not a plan! (53:30)
• Warning fatigue fallout (01:03:00)
• Rainfall rates explained (01:23:00)
• The Astronomy Outlook with Tony Rice (No segment this week - stay tuned!)
• This Week in Tornado History With Jen (No segment this week - stay tuned!)
• E-Mail Segment (01:17:00)
• and more!

Web Sites from Episode 1019:

Alabama Weather Network on Facebook

Picks of the Week:

James Aydelott - FlightAware MiseryMap

Jen Narramore - Mid-Year Recap and Chat With Storm Chasers - HurricaneTrack YouTube

Rick Smith - After The Flood: Finding Hope In The Aftermath

Troy Kimmel - Texas flooding: Kerr county's emergency management coordinator was likely asleep in critical morning hours, sheriff says

Kim Klockow-McClain - Out

John Gordon - NWS Monsoon Stats

Bill Murray - SPC Sounding Climatology Page

James Spann - Weather Prediction Center (WPC) Home Page

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.

Tonight's Hall of Fame Episode pays tribute to the legendary late broadcast meteorologist and industry pioneer Gary England, who passed away on June 10th 2025.  He was 85 years old.  We have three Guest WeatherBrains tonight to help us honor Gary England, who was a pioneer and a trailblazer in the field of meteorology.  Our first two Guest WeatherBrains appeared on Episode No. 946.

First up is David Payne, who is the Chief Meteorologist of KWTV Channel 9 in Oklahoma City.  He replaced Gary England when he retired in mid-2013.  He is a native Oklahoman and an OU graduate and previously he spent 19 years at KFOR-TV in Oklahoma City.

Appearing second on the show is the morning broadcast meteorologist at News Channel 9 in OKC.  She's an OU graduate and has been at News Channel 9 since 2011.  She previously interned with Gary England for several years while she was a student at OU.  Lacey Swope, it's great to see you again.

Last but certainly not least, we introduce Barbara Merckx, who is now the News Director for OU Nightly at the OU Gaylord College of Journalism and Mass Communication.  She previously worked with our very own James Aydelott at NBC 5 in Fort Worth, TX.  Thanks for joining us tonight, Barbara!

Our email officer Jen is continuing to handle the incoming messages from our listeners. Reach us here: [email protected].

• Lacey's experience with meeting and working with Gary England (10:30)
• Experiences working with Gary (25:00)
• Gary-isms (48:30)
• Looking back at 2013 El Reno, OK tornado (50:00)
• Importance of building rapport with the public as a broadcast meteorologist (01:14:00)
• Gary England paving the way for future generations (01:28:30)
• Warning process during devastating Texas floods (01:34:30)
• The Astronomy Outlook with Tony Rice (01:29:45)
• This Week in Tornado History With Jen (01:31:00)
• E-Mail Segment (01:32:00)
• and more!

Web Sites from Episode 1018:

David Payne on X

OU Nightly on YouTube

Meteorologist Lacey Swope on Facebook

Picks of the Week:

David Payne - Drummond charges Oklahoma City man for damaging TV station's weather radar

Barbara Merckx - Willie Gillespie on LinkedIn

James Aydelott - "Those Terrible Twisters And The Weather Of Oklahoma" by Gary England

Jen Narramore - Guin, AL F5 Tornado Series

Rick Smith - Oral history interview with Gary England: Oklahoma Mesonet YouTube

Troy Kimmel - Foghorn

Kim Klockow-McClain - Senate Report

Kim Klockow-McClain - House Report

John Gordon - HDSC World Record Point Precipitation Measurements

Bill Murray - Foghorn

James Spann - NOAA Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory

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.