WeatherBrains

This week's WeatherBrains episode is a Tuesday night special on-site at the National Weather Association 2026 Annual Meeting in Omaha. Tonight's focus then shifts to the Southwest as NWS Tucson lead forecaster John Glueck and University of Arizona professor Michael Crimmins break down everything about monsoons.

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

• Panel preliminary thoughts on NWA Annual Meeting (04:00)
• Kevin Law's NWA presentation summary (06:45)
• FAR (False Alarm Ratio) (11:00)
• Birmingham NWS's FAR success story (11:30)
• Necessary culture changes at different NWS offices (24:30)
• Looking back at 2019 F4 Beauregard tornado aftermath (26:00)
• Information gaps between watches/warnings (29:00)
• Threats-In-Motion (TIM) dissemination (32:00)
• Forecasting in Kodiak vs Tucson (39:30)
• What is the North American monsoon? (45:30)
• How can y0u prepare for monsoons? (55:30)
• Blowing dust vs haboob (01:05:00)
• Dr. Crimmins monsoon research (01:07:00)
• The Astronomy Outlook with Tony Rice (01:23:00)
• This Week in Tornado History With Jen (No segment this week)
• E-Mail Segment (01:25:00)
• Sneak peak at future WeatherBrains episodes! (01:32:30)
• and more!

Web Sites from Episode 1083:

NWA 2026 Annual Meeting

Alabama Weather Network

Picks of the Week:

Michael Crimmins - Everything Weather

James Aydelott - Foghorn

Jen Narramore - The Tornado Project

Rick Smith - Out

Troy Kimmel - Foghorn

Kim Klockow-McClain - Tornado Warning Response and Perceptions among Undergraduates in Nebraska

Kim Klockow-McClain - Weather Safety Information for Deaf and Hard of Hearing

Bill Murray - Out

John Gordon - Examining the U.S. Desert Southwest Monsoon: A Look at the Onset of, and Climatology of the Monsoon For New Mexico

James Spann - WPC URRD

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.

This week's WeatherBrains episode is all about FOX Weather.

Our Two Guest WeatherBrains tonight are members of FOX Weather. FOX Weather has recently celebrated five years on the air. Together they give us a fascinating look into how a national weather network got built, how it has evolved and where weather communication goes next. Ian Oliver and Hailey Meier, we are honored to have you on this week's episode. Welcome!

Our Guest Panelist for tonight's episode is a broadcast meteorologist with over two decades of experience. He's worked in Macon, Georgia, Grand Junction, Colorado, and even NTV (Newfoundland television) in St. Johns, Newfoundland from 2013-2025. He has now recently launched Sheerr Weather. Eddie Sheerr, we are honored to have you on tonight's episode!

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

• James Spann appears on ESPN's College GameDay! (06:30)
• 2026 Omaha NWA Annual Meeting roll call (14:00)
• FOX Weather's startup in 2021 (15:30)
• Hailey Meier's journey from MSU scholarship recipient to FOX Weather on-air personality (22:00)
• Evolving idea and definition of what is expected of a present-day weather forecast (24:00)
• Behind the scenes: how the sausage is made at FOX Weather (29:30)
• Caution in dealing with AI/fake images and video in 2026 (35:30)
• Eddie's early weather background (51:30)
• Dealing with wind forecasts in Newfoundland (01:05:00)
• Notable hurricanes of Newfoundland (01:07:30)
• Dr. Jacobs makes an appearance! (01:21:30)
• AI model performance with recent Gulf hurricane (01:26:00)
• Isaias post-cyclone feedback concerning forecast track (01:37:00)
• What is the definition of a sting jet? (01:49:30)
• The Astronomy Outlook with Tony Rice (01:42:30)
• This Week in Tornado History With Jen (01:44:30)
• E-Mail Segment (01:45:30)
• Sneak peak at future WeatherBrains episodes! (01:53:00)
• and more!

Web Sites from Episode 1082:

Eddie Sheerr on YouTube

FOX Weather

Alabama Weather Network

Picks of the Week:

Hailey Meier - SkyDiamond Dr. Neil Jacobs - EAGLE AI - Earth Prediction Innovation Center

James Aydelott - Anthony Duarte on X: How accurate were the models with Hurricane Isaias?

Jen Narramore - HurricaneTrack

Rick Smith - Out

Troy Kimmel - Fox Business adding FOX Weather Hurricane Isaias Coverage/Channel 3 Pensacola coverage

Kim Klockow-McClain - Completing the Forecast: Characterizing and Communicating Uncertainty for Better Decisions Using Weather and Climate Forecasts (2006)

Bill Murray - "Skywatchers: The US Weather Bureau in action" by William Bixby

John Gordon - Nahel Belgherze on X: Terrifying footage of a violent tornado ripping through city of Marsala in Sicily, Italy

James Spann - James Spann checks in and gives us latest surrounding Hurricane Isaias on College GameDay!

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.

This week's WeatherBrains episode is all about fire weather from both a historical and modern perspective.

Our Guest WeatherBrains for tonight's episode is NWS meteorologist Tom Hultquist. Our discussion begins with the Peshtigo Fire of 1871, the deadliest wildfire in U.S. history. Dr. Stephanie Hoekstra and Robyn Heffernan also join us to explore how fire weather information is used today - from risk perception and decision support to operational forecasting, interagency coordination, and the challenges facing wildland fire professionals.

Guest Panelist John Cameron is a TV meteorologist at News Channel 6 from Wichita Falls, TX who also joins us tonight. Welcome to WeatherBrains!

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

• Invest 92L in SW Gulf (04:00)
• Dr. Stephanie Hoekstra's early background in weather (06:00)
• Robyn Heffernan's early background in weather (07:00)
• Tom Hultquist's early background in weather (09:00)
• John Cameron's journey into the field of meteorology (12:30)
• Analysis of Peshtigo Fire of 1871 (17:30)
• Meteorological/anomalous setup that set the stage for the Peshtigo Fire (19:00)
• Fuel management is a key player in driving wildfires (31:00)
• Predominate tribes that inhabited the Peshtigo area in 1871 (43:00)
• Peshtigo area vegetation/forestry and the role it played (46:30)
• National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC) (48:00)
• History of Red Flag Warning terminology (54:30)
• Concerns over nefarious actors/arson in the wake of public fire forecasts (01:01:30)
• Financial incentives for arson: Strict guidelines needed to prevent this criminal activity (01:03:30)
• All about NOAA's Fire Weather Testbed (01:09:00)
• Clarifying Red Flag Warning vs Fire Warning (01:22:00)
• The Astronomy Outlook with Tony Rice (01:33:00)
• This Week in Tornado History With Jen (01:35:00)
• E-Mail Segment (01:36:30)
• Sneak peak at future WeatherBrains episodes! (01:40:00)
• and more!

Web Sites from Episode 1081:

National Interagency Fire Center

Alabama Weather Network

Picks of the Week:

John Cameron - KAUZ-TV 6 Wichita Falls, Texas 1964 tornado

John Cameron - J. Fitz Kennedy on Soundcloud

Dr. Stephanie Hoekstra - "Operationalizing the Fire Warning: distinguishing structural constraints from training-sensitive perceptions" by Dr. Stephanie Hoekstra

Tom Hultquist - Official Website of the Peshtigo Historical Society

James Aydelott - iCyclone on X: NOLO's center crossing the International Date Line

James Aydelott - Okie James and family at Peshtigo Museum

Jen Narramore - The Tragedy of Williamsonville

Rick Smith - NOAA Fire Weather Testbed Launches First In-Person Evaluation

Troy Kimmel - Foghorn

Kim Klockow-McClain - Call for Volunteers: AMS Statement on Prediction Markets and Weather Information

Bill Murray - Out

John Gordon - Germany's Rhine river hits new low

James Spann - NWS deals with radar issues along Gulf Coast

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.

This week's WeatherBrains episode is all about weather wisdom, forecasting in the model era, communicating uncertainty, climate change, and what meteorologists can still learn by opening the window and looking outside.

Our Guest WeatherBrains for tonight's episode is Dr. Lou McNally AKA "Altitude Lou". He's spent half a century proving that good forecasting involves more than simply reading model input. He's a long time broadcast meteorologist, a professor, historical climatologist and champion of natural weather forecasting. Dr. McNally, welcome to WeatherBrains!

Guest Panelist tonight is Sandy LaCorte. Sandy supports various programs at NOAA's Weather Program Office, and is here tonight to speak about the upcoming student conference portion of the NWA Annual Meeting in Omaha, Nebraska. Sandy, welcome!

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

• Panelist thoughts on upcoming post-Polo rain event (03:30)
• What is driving placement uncertainty with this upcoming SW Oklahoma rain event? (05:30)
• Possible supercells across Oklahoma Wednesday night? (07:45)
• Guest Panelist Sandy LaCorte discusses upcoming 2026 NWA Annual Meeting Student Conference in Omaha, NE (14:00)
• Mock interviews at 2026 NWA Annual Meeting Student Conference! (17:00)
• Dr. Lou McNally's background and introduction! (20:30)
• Difference between making a forecast for colleagues in academia vs public perception (22:30)
• Weather Enterprise gains vs quiet losses as forecasting becomes more automated (23:30)
• Dr. McNally's most impactful past forecasted events (33:00)
• Important habits and things to look for as a new meteorologist (37:00)
• Weather folklore favorites - good and bad! (48:00)
• All about numerical model guidance and ensembles (51:00)
• Maine's climate, maritime influence and forecast challenges (01:05:00)
• "Nor'easter" vs "Northeaster" terminology (01:09:00)
• Maine's history with tropical cyclone landfalls (01:16:00)
• Dr. McNally's time at WBZ in Boston (01:27:00)
• State of broadcast meteorology in 2026 (01:30:00)
• The Astronomy Outlook with Tony Rice (01:32:00)
• This Week in Tornado History With Jen (01:34:00)
• E-Mail Segment (No segment this week)
• Sneak peak at future WeatherBrains episodes! (01:43:30)
• and more!

Web Sites from Episode 1080:

NOAA's Weather Program Office

2026 NWA Annual Meeting October 17th-21st Omaha, Nebraska

Alabama Weather Network

Picks of the Week:

Sandy LaCorte - As the Weekend Storm Departs, A Look Back at the Spectacular UWS Sunsets it Produced

Dr. Lou McNally - Quote Origin: If You Don't Like Our Weather, Just Wait a Few Minutes

James Aydelott - 2026 Atlantic Hurricane Season

Jen Narramore - Foghorn

Rick Smith - Utility of Radar-Based Preliminary Tornado Tracks with Super-Resolution Velocity Data for Impact-Based Decision Support

Troy Kimmel - Texas Hazardous Weather Coordination Workshop Thursday, September 24, 2026

Kim Klockow-McClain - Foghorn

Bill Murray - Weatherwise magazine

John Gordon - Foghorn

James Spann - Phillip Klotzbach on X

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.

This week's WeatherBrains episode is all about 2022's devastating Hurricane Ian.

Our Guest WeatherBrains for tonight's episode is very special guest and author Scott Withers. He's a 4-time Emmy Award winning meteorologist and journalist with more than two decades of TV experience. On September 28th 2022, Scott was reporting live in Fort Myers when Hurricane Ian's storm surge submerged his vehicle and trapped his crew. Three strangers rescued them by boat, and all six then rode out the Category 4 hurricane together. Earlier this year, he released a book chronicling his experience, and has now recently released a children's hurricane adventure book entitled "The Halloween Hurricane". Thanks for joining us tonight to share your incredible story, Scott!

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

• 1978's Do you remember the 21st of September? (0:30)
• Scott's new book "The Halloween Hurricane" released today 9/21/26! (07:30)
• Scott's early background in weather (09:30)
• Midlife crisis or brand-new beginning? (17:00)
• The start of 2022's Hurricane Ian coverage (21:00)
• Remembering 2004's Hurricane Charley during preparation for Ian landfall (25:00)
• Wind shift in relation to Ian's eye (39:00)
• Spaghetti models vs cone/trajectory of Ian (48:00)
• Pre-Ian efforts by NHC with improving storm surge warnings (52:00)
• Complexities and logistics of hurricane preparation and risk perception (01:01:30)
• Misinformation on social media during major weather events (01:08:00)
• Scott's advice for media in the field in future major hurricanes after experiences with Ian(01:17:30)
• Cane the Hurricane Dog! (01:24:00)
• The Astronomy Outlook with Tony Rice (01:28:30)
• This Week in Tornado History With Jen (01:30:30)
• E-Mail Segment (01:31:30)
• Sneak peak at future WeatherBrains episodes! (01:37:30)
• and more!

Web Sites from Episode 1079:

"Ian's Surge: Surviving a Cat 4 Hurricane" by Scott Withers

"The Halloween Hurricane: Cane and Friends Save The City (Cane the Weather Dog)" by Scott Withers

Cane the Weather Dog

Alabama Weather Network

Picks of the Week:

Scott Withers - Miami-Dade County drought conditions

James Aydelott - Daily High Temp at or above 85F Tulsa OK

James Aydelott - Daily Low Temp at or above 60F Tulsa OK

Jen Narramore - Goat Locker Racing League

Jen Narramore - WeatherBrains race car photo No.1

Jen Narramore - WeatherBrains race car photo No.2

Rick Smith - Out

Troy Kimmel - Out

Kim Klockow-McClain - NOAA Administrator's Award

Kim Klockow-McClain - Photo of Dr. Neil Jacobs and Rick Smith

Bill Murray - Foghorn

John Gordon - Tornado touches down; hail pounds Northern Utah in raw video

James Spann - James Spann on X: Lightning and College Football

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.

This week's WeatherBrains episode is all about Wisconsin Public Radio's "Weather Guys".

Our Guest WeatherBrains for tonight's episode are some of the smartest people in the weather enterprise. Dr. Jonathan Martin joined the faculty at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1994. He won the Edward Lawrence Teaching Award in 2016 by the AMS. He's authored 90 papers and has helped publish several books including a biography on British meteorologist Reginald Sutcliffe about inventions on modern weather systems. He was named by Princeton Review as one of the nation's top 300 professors. Dr. Martin, welcome to the show!

We are honored to also have on the show Dr. Steven Ackerman. He was the Director of CIMSS (The Cooperative Institute of Meteorological Satellite Studies) for over a decade. He was Vice Chancellor of Research and Graduate Education at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He's won many awards as public service medals and is very involved with leadership initiatives. He's won the Exceptional Public Service medal and is very involved with the student body. Dr. Ackerman, welcome to WeatherBrains!

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

• Tuscaloosa, AL hits record high of 101F on 09/14/26 (01:15)
• Ridge going nowhere anytime soon! (01:30)
• What is "baratropic"? (10:45)
• Revolution in access to data over the decades (17:30)
• Advice to meteorology students who are soon entering the workforce (20:00)
• Relationship between PBS and Wisconsin (21:30)
• Development of "Weather Guys" (26:00)
• Dr. Ackerman's and Dr. Martin's recommended weather apps (38:00)
• CIMSS: What it is and when it started (46:00)
• The Next Big Thing in weather satellites? (50:00)
• CubeSat constellations (01:02:00)
• The future of radio? (01:10:30)
• Correlation between specific weather and El Niño ENSO phase (01:20:00)
• The Astronomy Outlook with Tony Rice (No segment this week)
• This Week in Tornado History With Jen (01:26:00)
• E-Mail Segment (01:27:00)
• Sneak peak at future WeatherBrains episodes! (01:31:30)
• and more!

Web Sites from Episode 1078:

UW Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences

CIMSS (Cooperative Institute for Meteorological Satellite Studies)

The Weather Guys

Wisconsin Public Radio

Alabama Weather Network

Picks of the Week:

Dr. Steven Ackerman - Volcanic Eruption of Anak Krakatau

Dr. Jonathan Martin - Atlantic hurricane season peak: no storms and a record hurricane delay

James Aydelott - Out

Jen Narramore - The Northeast Georgia History Center

Rick Smith - Out

Troy Kimmel - Disney College Program participant killed in lightning strike; Good Samaritans recount rescue attempt

Kim Klockow-McClain - NASA CubeSat to Test Miniaturized Weather Satellite Technology

Bill Murray - Out

John Gordon - Jeremy Perez on X

James Spann - James Spann on X: Auburn Football lightning delay on September 12th

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.

This week's WeatherBrains episode is all about "The Next Big Thing" by Meteorologist Rob Marciano.

Our Guest WeatherBrain for tonight's episode is an award-winning meteorologist with more than two decades of experience covering some of the nation's biggest weather stories. His career includes positions at major networks such as CNN and ABC News, and he now serves as a Senior Meteorologist at CBS News. He has recently written a book entitled "The Next Big Thing". The Panel also discusses Rob's journey from his weather-obsessed childhood to his rise to a network meteorologist. Rob Marciano, welcome to WeatherBrains!

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

• Bill Murray is back! (08:30)
• Rob's childhood and early interest in weather (10:30)
• Cornell University's meteorology program (22:00)
• Rob's experience with 2005's Hurricane Katrina (39:00)
• Reporting on the 1999 Moore, Oklahoma F5 (50:00)
• Changes in broadcast meteorology and lasting present-day issues in the field from Rob's perspective (01:05:00)
• AI: Bringing back the art of forecasting? (01:11:30)
• Rob's new book "The Next Big Thing: Innovations for a Better, Smarter, Stronger Tomorrow" (01:14:00)
• Harnessing lightning: How does this benefit society? (01:23:30)
• The Astronomy Outlook with Tony Rice (01:32:30)
• This Week in Tornado History With Jen (01:34:00)
• E-Mail Segment (01:35:30)
• Sneak peak at future WeatherBrains episodes! (01:44:00)
• and more!

Web Sites from Episode 1077:

"The Next Big Thing: Innovations for a Better, Smarter, Stronger Tomorrow" by Rob Marciano and James Trefil

Alabama Weather Network

Picks of the Week:

Rob Marciano - Surfers gather at The Wedge in Newport Beach to take advantage of the massive waves

Rob Marciano - "The Next Big Thing: Innovations for a Better, Smarter, Stronger Tomorrow" by Rob Marciano and James Trefil

James Aydelott - Tornado Watch in Hawaii

James Aydelott - Text of Tornado Watch in Hawaii

Jen Narramore - The 1936 Gainesville Tornado

Rick Smith - College football Week 1 heatwave forces game changes as temperatures top 100 degrees

Troy Kimmel - NTSB Media Briefing 2 - Miami, FL Runway excursion accident involving a B-767-300 cargo airplane

Kim Klockow-McClain - Out

Bill Murray - Foghorn

John Gordon - Hurricanes in Hawaii

James Spann - James Spann on X: Impressive waterspout this morning at Pensacola Beach

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.

This week's WeatherBrains episode is all about hydroplaning and why it happens.

Guest WeatherBrain for tonight's episode is the Assistant Director of the Vision of Maintenance for the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet. Discussing a national hydroplaning project with the panel in the episode, she has over two decades experience in transportation and is a friend of the field. Randi Feltner, thanks for joining us!

Joining us as Second Guest WeatherBrain is very special guest Zion Powell. He's pursuing his dream to become a meteorologist with an emphasis on mesoscale weather events. He's currently a senior at Salisbury State in Maryland majoring in meteorology and geoscience. He was selected as a NOAA Lapenta Intern for 2025 in Louisville, Kentucky where he worked on a national hydroplaning campaign. Zion, welcome!

We are excited to have Guest WeatherBrain and WeatherBrains veteran Alan Sealls joining us tonight. A 16-time Regional Emmy Winner, he's now the president of the American Meteorological Society and has had a legendary career in the field. He earned his degree in meteorology at Cornell and earned a Master's Degree at Florida State University. He is a professor at the University of South Alabama. Alan, welcome back!

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

• Tropical Storm Eduard forms in the Gulf (01:00)
• Record heat for Alabama football's home opener? (02:30)
• Zion's early background in weather (09:30)
• All about Salisbury State's Atmospheric Science program (11:00)
• What is the William M. Lapenta Scholarship? (12:00)
• Randi's early background and path to second in command at KDOT (13:30)
• Experiences during 2021 Mayfield, KY tornado (19:00)
• "Wet Lanes, Don't Hydroplane" (24:00)
• Role of tire pressure and speed in hydroplaning (26:00)
• Complicated nature of getting national hydroplaning statistics (47:00)
• What is spectrum allocation? (01:02:45)
• AMS Annual Meeting 2027 in Denver (01:04:00)
• All about the AMS and its history (01:08:00)
• The Astronomy Outlook with Tony Rice (01:22:45)
• This Week in Tornado History With Jen (01:25:00)
• E-Mail Segment (01:27:00)
• Sneak peak at future WeatherBrains episodes! (01:34:00)
• and more!

Web Sites from Episode 1076:

2027 AMS Annual Meeting

Alabama Weather Network

Picks of the Week:

Zion Powell - Zion Powell on Instragram

Zion Powell - Zion Powell on TikTok

Randi Feltner - Kentucky Transportation Cabinet

Alan Sealls - National Severe Weather Archive Display

James Aydelott - Tulsa Hits 102F

Jen Narramore - Out

Rick Smith - Out

Troy Kimmel - NOAA boosts weather data collection capabilities with new Mesonet contract

Kim Klockow-McClain - Principal Saved 900 Students Before His School Was Washed Away in Nepal

John Gordon - Monstrous Flash Flood & Debris Flow l Johnson Canyon, UT 7/16/2018

Bill Murray - Out

James Spann - Basics of the Arizona Monsoon and Desert Meteorology

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.

This week's WeatherBrains episode is all about the July 2025 flooding tragedy in Texas.

Our Guest WeatherBrain for tonight's episode is Dr. JJ Gourley. An Oklahoma native, he's a senior research hydrometeorologist at NOAA's National Severe Storms Laboratory. He manages an interdisciplinary team there that is developing the FLASH product, which is a flash flood forecasting product that Dr. Garley will discuss on this week's episode. He's won the Department of Commerce's silver medal award, as well as the AMS Journal of Hydrometeorology Editor's Award. He's also authored over 160 Paraview Journal Articles. He's even written a radar hydrology textbook! Welcome to tonight's show, Dr. Gourley!

Our Guest Panelist tonight is Dr. Keri K. Stephens from the University of Texas at Austin. She's the George Christian Centennial Professor. With over 25 years of interdisciplinary research experience, Dr. Stephens' expertise includes organizational communication, mobile technologies, artificial intelligence (AI), crisis and disaster communication, infrastructure communication, and health communication. In her professional service, Dr. Stephens currently serves on the National Weather Service NOAA Central Texas Integrated Warning Team and on the Executive Advisory Council of the Schreiner University Institute for Hazard Risk and Readiness. Dr. Stephens, thanks for joining us tonight!

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

• Oklahoma heat trivia from NWS chat (04:30)
• Dr. Gourley's hydrometeorology background (9:00)
• Multi-Radar Multi-Sensor System (MRMS) (13:00)
• FLASH project (13:30)
• Meteorological setup leading up to July 2025 Texas floods (17:30)
• Area creeks around Camp Mystic that became major players (29:00)
• Process determining approximate lead time before event (34:30)
• Warn-on-Forecast System (WoFS): From experimental to operational? (36:30)
• Combining organizational communication and disaster studies (42:30)
• Lessons learned about public safety infrastructure in the wake of post-flood hearings (58:00)
• Protocol for severe/winter weather warnings at campgrounds/RV parks (01:16:30)
• Turn Around, Don't Drown! (01:29:00)
• The Astronomy Outlook with Tony Rice (01:38:15)
• This Week in Tornado History With Jen (01:40:30)
• E-Mail Segment (01:42:30)
• Sneak peak at future WeatherBrains episodes! (01:44:00)
• and more!

Web Sites from Episode 1075:

NOAA National Severe Storms Laboratory

Alabama Weather Network

Picks of the Week:

Dr. JJ Gourley - Watch Duty - Wildfire Maps & Alerts

Dr. Keri K. Stephens - Texas Institute for Hazard Risk and Readiness (TIHRR) - Schreiner University

James Aydelott - Tornado video in France

James Aydelott - Tornado video in France - Secondary Angle

James Aydelott - More absurd footage of the tornado in Pomas, France

James Aydelott - Exceptional video of the tornado that struck the area around Carcassonne!

James Aydelott - Strong tornado in France, north of the Pyrenees

Jen Narramore - University Archives and West Florida History Center

Rick Smith - IEM (Iowa Environmental Mesonet) Severe Weather Products

Troy Kimmel - United States Power Outage Map

Kim Klockow-McClain - WoFS-FLASH coupled forecasts for the July 2025 Texas Hill Country Flash Flood Disaster

Kim Klockow-McClain - Hydrometeorological Analysis of the July 2025 Texas Hill Country Flash Flood Disaster

Kim Klockow-McClain - Indiana Governor Calls for NIPSCO to be Investigated Over Power Outages After Gary Storms

John Gordon - Photo from Mike Olbinski: Moonbow

Bill Murray - Out

James Spann - ENSO: Recent Evolution, Current Status and Predictions

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.

This week's WeatherBrains episode is all about the Enhanced Fujita scale and the path toward implementation.

Tonight's Guest WeatherBrain is the EF Committee Chairman. He's the master instructor at the NWS Operations Training Unit, and he's the Team Lead in NWS forecasters course development. He's also acting Director of the National Windstorm Impact Reduction Program at the National Institute for Standards of Technology, and he currently chairs and cofounded the Standards Committee on estimating wind speeds of severe storms within the American Society of Civil Engineers. Jim LaDue, welcome to WeatherBrains!

Tonight's Guest Panelist is the Founder and CEO of Climavision. Climavision is a weather technology company that provides critical gaps in radar coverage, and improves forecast accuracy. He brings in more than 30 years of advanced weather observation predictive modeling, work spanning dual polarization radar, mobile and satellite enable systems, and the forecasting models that turn raw observations into sharper forecasts. Chris Goode, thanks for joining us!

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

• Jim's early background in weather (09:00)
• ASCE (American Society for Civil Engineers) (11:30)
• Who decided to update the Fujita scale in the early 2000s? (14:30)
• EF Scale Subcommittee (21:30)
• Bill under construction to improve assessment of tornadoes (33:00)
• Behind the scenes with other ways to rate tornadoes in new EF Scale (37:30)
• Re-analysis process in a civil and organized fashion (46:00)
• Damage exposure simulations in the future? (50:00)
• EEC (Enterprise Electronics Corporation) (01:00:30)
• X-Band vs C-Band radars (01:03:30)
• Benefits of Climavision high resolution radar and how it improves the warning process (01:05:30)
• Relationship between Climavision and NWS (01:08:00)
• Phased array radar - when will it happen and what about major radar gaps? (01:15:00)
• The Astronomy Outlook with Tony Rice (01:23:45)
• This Week in Tornado History With Jen (01:26:45)
• E-Mail Segment (01:29:00)
• Sneak peak at future WeatherBrains episodes! (01:32:00)
• and more!

Web Sites from Episode 1074:

Tornado Archive

Climavision

Alabama Weather Network

Picks of the Week:

James Aydelott - Okie James on Facebook: Plume from oil/gas tank fire caused by lightning strike

Jen Narramore - 7 dead from historic flooding in Indiana

Rick Smith - Norman microburst timelapse

Troy Kimmel - Foghorn

Kim Klockow-McClain - Hurricane Lala Hawaii Damage

John Gordon - NASA Ocean Current Simulation

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.