WeatherBrains

Tonight's Guest WeatherBrain is Canadian meteorologist Ken MacDonald. He started his career way back in 1975, and has been an instructor, a forecaster, and a researcher. He is the former Executive Director of Environment Canada. Our second Guest WeatherBrain James Abraham is a veteran meteorologist with almost four decades of experience who has forecasted in British Columbia, the U. S. East Coast and even was former and first Director of the Canadian Hurricane Center. Ken and James, welcome to WeatherBrains!

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

• Environment Canada basics (08:00)
• Modernization process at Environment Canada (14:00)
• Reformatted warning polygons (19:00)
• Recurring issues with zone forecasts (22:30)
• Canadian meteorology employment/recruiting (28:30)
• Details of 18 month internship after initial hire (34:00)
• Canadian Hurricane Center (35:00)
• The Perfect Storm of 1991 (48:00)
• Total number of TV meteorologists in Canada (53:00)
• Death of linear television (56:30)
• Research efforts across Canada (01:06:00)
• Most difficult places to forecast meteorology in Canada (01:09:30)
• 2025-26 Canadian winter highlights (01:10:30)
• The Astronomy Outlook with Tony Rice (01:14:00)
• This Week in Tornado History With Jen (01:16:45)
• E-Mail Segment (01:18:00)
• and more!

Web Sites from Episode 1043:

Alabama Weather Network

Canada's weather warning system has changed. Here's how.

Meteorologist Occupational Training Program

Picks of the Week:

James Aydelott - The OCS/Mesonet Ticker

Jen Narramore - Jen shoutout on X

Rick Smith - Out

Troy Kimmel - Foghorn

Kim Klockow-McClain - Foghorn

John Gordon - NWS Juneau on YouTube

John Gordon - Juneau, Alaska buried under 80+ inches of snow

Bill Murray - Out

James Spann - CIPS Analog-Based Severe Probability Guidance

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.

Our Guest WeatherBrain couldn't make it tonight, so our panel holds a homegrown episode to kick off 2026. Discussions include storm-based vs county-warnings, public storm reports, and a deep-dive into fundamentals of modern-day radar.

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

• Severe storms possible on Friday in Deep South 1/9/26 (05:00)
• Storm-based warnings vs county-wide warnings (26:00)
• Pete Wolf Charitable Foundation (38:00)
• Helping the general public with radar interpretation (48:00)
• Public storm reports and how often they are used in NWS warnings (53:00)
• MPING (57:30)
• NWS app is needed (59:00)
• Protecting people living in mobile homes during severe weather (01:06:00)
• Threats-In-Motion (TIM) (01:08:00)
• Threat Confirmation Defined (01:14:00)
• Social media AI engagement farms (01:16:00)
• The Astronomy Outlook with Tony Rice (01:22:00)
• This Week in Tornado History With Jen (No segment this week)
• E-Mail Segment (01:24:00)
• and more!

Web Sites from Episode 1042:

Alabama Weather Network

Picks of the Week:

James Aydelott - Out

Jen Narramore - WeatherBrains 224

Jen Narramore - WeatherBrains 998

Rick Smith - The Annual Lightning Report 2025

Troy Kimmel - US Drought Monitor From 2000-2025

Kim Klockow-McClain - Foghorn

John Gordon - Extreme Temperatures Around The World

Bill Murray - Out

James Spann - AEM Releases 2025 U.S. Lightning Report

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.

On WeatherBrains this week this our annual year-ender episode with Greg Carbin. Greg needs no introduction; tonight we look back at 2025's notable weather events, and what the meteorology community has learned in the past year. Greg has presented his "Year-in-Review" presentation to the NWA Annual Meeting every year since 2004. His professional society memberships have included the NWA, AMS, International Association of Emergency Managers (IAEM), and Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS). Greg currently serves as Chair on the NWA's Professional Development Committee.

Thanks for joining us this week for this year's WeatherBrains finale!

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

• Looking back at 2025 (11:45)
• 2025 Gulf Coast snowstorm (19:30)
• Legendary meteorologist Chuck Doswell passes away (21:00)
• 17 tornadoes in Alabama in 2025 (42:00)
• Mid-May tornado outbreak near St. Louis (53:00)
• July 2025 Texas flooding tragedy (55:30)
• Remnants of Typhoon Halong cross Alaska (01:05:30)
• Dr. Neil Frank 2021 interview clip/Rewatch Episode 819 for entire interview (01:14:30)
• The Astronomy Outlook with Tony Rice (01:11:05)
• This Week in Tornado History With Jen (01:13:00)
• E-Mail Segment (No segment this week - Happy New Year!)
• and more!

Web Sites from Episode 1041:

Remembering former KHOU-11 TV chief meteorologist Dr. Neil Frank

Alabama Weather Network

Picks of the Week:

Greg Carbin - Ensemble QPF Tracking

James Aydelott - Tulsa, OK record high temperature graphic

Jen Narramore - Ethan Mok on X: Zion, IL fake AI tornado damage

Rick Smith - Out

Troy Kimmel - Foghorn

Kim Klockow-McClain - Foghorn

John Gordon - Tom Niziol on X: Wind-driven seiche on Lake Erie

John Gordon - Tom Niziol on X: 80 mph wind gusts at Buffalo, NY

Bill Murray - James Spann speaks with FOX Weather's Bob Van Dillen

James Spann - Aaron Rigbsy on X: Tree damage video associated with a blizzard

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.

On WeatherBrains this week are two special guests. Friend of the show and WeatherBrains veteran Mark Sudduth is the owner of HurricaneTrack.com and has over three decades of experience documenting landfalling hurricanes and other high impact weather events. He founded the Hurricane Intercept Research Team, which pioneers the use of unmanned camera systems to safely capture severe weather. Welcome to the show!

Last but certainly not least is our second Guest WeatherBrain Bruce Thomas. He's the President of WeatherCall and is the former spokesman of Midland Weather Radio and is a former broadcast meteorologist. He covered the 1997 Jarrell, TX tornado and has even worked with the Red Cross. Bruce, 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].

• Mark's major projects in 2025 (08:00)
• 2025 Hurricane season's overall unexpected lack of activity (13:30)
• Launch of Mark's new podcast (18:00)
• Self-appointed Mayor of Weatherville (47:00)
• What is WeatherCall and where is it going? (53:00)
• AL/MS are the most dangerous places on Earth for tornadoes (01:08:00)
• Turning the page to 2026's very early hurricane season predictions (01:19:00)
• Jobseekers, watch what you post on social media!!! (01:30:00)
• The Astronomy Outlook with Tony Rice (No segment this week)
• This Week in Tornado History With Jen (No segment this week)
• E-Mail Segment (01:24:00)
• and more!

Web Sites from Episode 1040:

Alabama Weather Network

WeatherCall

Picks of the Week:

Bruce Thomas - Fire photo from Yuma, Colorado

James Aydelott - Tule Fog over California's Central Valley

Jen Narramore - 144 MPH Wind Gust On Wednesday One Of The Strongest Ever Recorded in Wyoming

Rick Smith - Out

Troy Kimmel - StormReady

Kim Klockow-McClain - Out

John Gordon - Ice Tsunami

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.

On WeatherBrains this week are meteorologist Jim Abraham with Environment Canada and meteorologist Ken MacDonald. Jim actually started the Canadian Hurricane Center in Halifax, and has been working in meteorology for over four decades. Ken MacDonald has been in the weather field for over 48 years. He launched his career in 1975, and has been an instructor, a forecaster, and a researcher in areas all over Canada. It's great to see you both and thank you for joining us tonight!

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

• Origin of "Boomer Sooner" (07:15)
• NWS vs Canadian forecast offices (12:00)
• Canadian forecast offices and their relationship with the Canadian military (18:00)
• Monitoring/Observational networks across Environment Canada (21:00)
• Importance of cloud typing in Mexican and Canadian forecast offices vs NWS (27:00)
• US and Canadian weather radio equivalents (33:30)
• Environment and Climate Change Canada (56:00)
• June 2021 British Columbia Heat Dome (01:02:00)
• 2022 Hurricane Fiona (01:07:00)
• "Fire Weather: A True Story from a Hotter World" by John Vaillant (01:17:00)
• Canadian weather warning Color Coded System (01:18:00)
• POD/FAR in Canada (01:22:00)
• The Astronomy Outlook with Tony Rice (No segment this week)
• This Week in Tornado History With Jen (01:30:00)
• E-Mail Segment (01:33:00)
• and more!

Web Sites from Episode 1039:

Alabama Weather Network

Picks of the Week:

Jim Abraham - 11 jaw-dropping videos from the Fort McMurray wildfire

James Aydelott - Out

Jen Narramore - Anniversary of the 2021 Historic December 15tyh Derecho

Rick Smith - All Things Radar: Severe Weather/From the Girls Who Chase special workshop series

Troy Kimmel - Foghorn

Kim Klockow-McClain - Western launches Canadian Severe Storms Laboratory

John Gordon - Snow tarp video on X

Bill Murray - Out

James Spann - December 16th, 2000 Tuscaloosa Tornado coverage on 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.

On WeatherBrains this week, we're diving deep into the Weather Prediction Center's Winter Program - how they forecast snow and ice, the challenges of nailing accumulation totals, the coordination calls with NWS field offices, and what the future may hold for winter weather headlines.

Joining us are two of WC's best: Peter Mullinax, a lead winter forecaster who produces national snow and ice guidance, Key Messages, and a wide range of surface, short-range, rainfall, and tropical products; and Dr. Owen Shieh, WPC's Warning Coordination Meteorologist, providing national-level decision support for winter storms, flooding, and extreme temperatures. He returns after last week's episode, bringing his deep background in emergency management, training, and operational meteorology from JTWC to the U.S. Navy Reserve.

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

• How many people work at the Weather Prediction Center? (15:30)
• WPC Ops Program (15:45)
• WPC's Excessive Rainfall Outlook (18:00)
• What is the Winter Storm Severity Index (WSSI)? (26:00)
• Why does the SPC do the Winter Weather mesoscale discussions? (40:00)
• Does WPC use MBM, and what is their future plan? (47:00)
• Probabilistic Precipitation Portal (49:15)
• AI and its assistance to WFOs in the future (01:08:00)
• Reducing common gaps between WFO and WPC messaging (01:13:30)
• Probabilistic Precipitation Portal good/bad (01:19:00)
• Job-seeking advice at the WPC (01:27:00)
• The Astronomy Outlook with Tony Rice (01:30:30)
• This Week in Tornado History With Jen (01:33:15)
• E-Mail Segment (01:34:15)
• and more!

Web Sites from Episode 1038:

Alabama Weather Network

Picks of the Week:

Owen Shieh - NWS Probabilistic Precipitation Portal

Owen Shieh - WPC URRD (Urban Rain Rate Dashboard)

James Aydelott - Creek turnpike bridge over the Arkansas River

Jen Narramore - National Weather Network

Rick Smith - Dan Robinson - Winter Driving Education YouTube Channel

Troy Kimmel - EverythingWeather App on Google Play

Kim Klockow-McClain - John Fausett Song: One Team

John Gordon - Godzilla atmospheric river in Pacific Northwest

Bill Murray - Out

James Spann - Nick Petelos on X: Kilauea video

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 WPC's WCM Warning Coordination Meteorologist Dr. Owen Shieh. He holds a B.S. in Atmospheric Science from Cornell University, an M.S. in Meteorology from the University of Oklahoma, and a Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of Hawaii. We talk tonight about how Owen landed this position and all of the aspects of his role. He's also a talented gardener and an accomplished musician. Welcome to the show and thanks for joining us, Owen!

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

• Owen's origin into meteorology (11:00)
• Path heads from OU to Hawaii (17:30)
• What is the baseline understanding of weather and emergency management? (27:15)
• Discussing the Joint Typhoon Warning Center (34:00)
• Current and future warning process for Pacific Super Typhoons (41:00)
• Defining the strength of a tropical cyclone (01:04:00)
• Geopolitics and meteorology (01:18:00)
• Battling trolls and misinformation online (01:32:30)
• The Astronomy Outlook with Tony Rice (01:37:00)
• This Week in Tornado History With Jen (01:40:00)
• E-Mail Segment (01:41:45)
• and more!

Web Sites from Episode 1037:

Alabama Weather Network

Picks of the Week:

Owen Shieh - Untamed Skies: Where Science Meets Humanity

James Aydelott - Out

Jen Narramore - Talking Weather by Mark Sudduth: Episode 1 on YouTube

Rick Smith - NWS/OCLO Warning Decision Training Division: RAC Course Outline

Troy Kimmel - COMET: MetEd Education and Training

Kim Klockow-McClain - Midway: Based On Real Events

John Gordon - What is Tule fog? Heather Waldman explains!

Bill Murray - Out

James Spann - NWS Snow Squall Driving Simulation

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, the Panel takes a deep dive into Hurricane Melissa and the devastation it brought to Jamaica and the Caribbean. The Panel analyzes the complexities of this natural disaster and the historical precedent of the landfall strength of Melissa. Thanks for tuning in to this week's episode!

Tonight's Guest WeatherBrain is a FOX Weather Correspondent based in Atlanta, Georgia who has covered major events including Hurricane Ian and Hurricane Idalia. Recently, he covered historic Hurricane Melissa as it made landfall. He's a veteran reporter and previously helped launch Fox Business Network and has worked for the Associated Press. Robert Ray, welcome to WeatherBrains!

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

• FOX Weather launches in October 2021 (08:00)
• Robert Ray's career journey (11:45)
• Logistical complexity of 2025's Hurricane Melissa (23:30)
• Aid process in aftermath of Hurricane Melissa (37:00)
• Dealing with mass casualty zones in the aftermath of major natural disasters (01:08:00)
• The Future of Media and technology shifts (01:25:30)
• Houston-area tornado 11/24/25 (01:36:30)
• The Astronomy Outlook with Tony Rice (01:29:15)
• This Week in Tornado History With Jen (No segment this week - STAY TUNED!)
• E-Mail Segment (01:31:35)
• and more!

Web Sites from Episode 1036:

Alabama Weather Network

Robert Ray on X

Picks of the Week:

Robert Ray - FOX Weather ROWI (Risk of Weather Impact)

James Aydelott - Thailand Songkhla Province Tornado

Jen Narramore - Out

Rick Smith - Out

Troy Kimmel - Foghorn

Kim Klockow-McClain - One dies after car catapults into NWS Forecast office in Sioux Falls, SD

John Gordon - KLM Pilots take off in dangerous crosswinds at Newcastle UK

John Gordon - Man saves dog in Flash Flood

Bill Murray - Updates on hurricane recovery in Jamaica

James Spann - The Truth About Late Night Flash Flood Warnings And Risk

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 Corey Bunn. He's a full time Operational Meteorologist with Coastal Weather Research Center. He prepares daily forecasts and also has a responsibility of issuing severe weather warnings and he also maintains the company website and assists in hurricane forecasting operations. He joined the CWRC in 2012 after completing his Bachelor's Degree in Meteorology at the University of South Alabama. Corey, welcome to WeatherBrains!

Our next Guest WeatherBrain (in order of appearance) is Jeff Medlin, the founder and CEO of Medlin Meterological Consulting LLC. He's had a distinguished career; having previously spent over 36 years working with the National Weather Service. His tenure included 8 years as Meteorologist-In-Charge and 20 years as Science and Operations Officer at NWS Mobile (AL). Today, he's the severe and winter weather outlook meteorologist for Coastal Weather Research Center. He's also an Adjunct Professor at the University of South Alabama. Jeff, welcome to WeatherBrains!

Tonight's Guest Panelist is someone whose passion for weather started early—at just five years old—after experiencing a weak tornado that sparked a lifelong fascination with the atmosphere. That early intrigue never faded, and today he channels that enthusiasm into his work as the weekend meteorologist at WHIO-TV in Dayton. A true weather geek at heart, he's recently reached an exciting career milestone by earning his NWA Digital Seal and TV Seal, marking another step forward in his broadcast meteorology journey. We're thrilled to have him with us tonight—please welcome Nicholas Dunn to WeatherBrains!

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

• Compare/Contrast Davis and Tempest Weather Stations (09:30)
• Importance of obtaining the Digital Seals (11:00)
• Jeff Medlin's origins in the weather field (20:00)
• 1979's Hurricane Frederic and its aftermath (24:30)
• Alabama Power's support for Coastal Weather Research Center (36:00)
• What is CCAPS and when did it begin? (39:00)
• Looking back at 1969's Hurricane Camille (56:00)
• MLLW Tidal Datum (01:25:00)
• The Astronomy Outlook with Tony Rice (01:29:30)
• This Week in Tornado History With Jen (01:31:45)
• E-Mail Segment (01:33:30)
• and more!

Web Sites from Episode 1035:

Alabama Weather Network

Picks of the Week:

Jeff Medlin - South Alabama Meteorology Program

Nicholas Dunn - SpaceWeatherLive.com

James Aydelott - Out

Jen Narramore - "Volnado" at Kilauea Volcano in Hawaii

Rick Smith - Out

Troy Kimmel - Out

Kim Klockow-McClain - NOAA NWS Space Weather Prediction Center

John Gordon - Noctilucent clouds - Everything you need to know

Bill Murray - Weatherwise Magazine: Vol 78, No. 6 (Current Issue as of 11/2025)

James Spann - WeatherNext 2: Google DeepMind's most advanced forecasting model

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.

We discuss on this week's episode the sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald and the loss of her 29-member crew during a violent fall storm on November 10th, 1975.

Tonight's Guest WeatherBrain is an author of over thirty books on maritime history. He's been a consultant to the US Park Service and an on-air expert for National Geographic and Fox and Friends among over ventures. Dr. Frederick Stonehouse, welcome to WeatherBrains!

Tonight's Guest Panelist is Tom Hultquist. He is the technical program lead for the Analysis and Forecast Branch of the National Weather Service, working out of Minneapolis for the national office in Washington. His office sets requirements for, and does evaluations of, all the different modeling and analysis systems used by the NWS. Thanks for joining us tonight, Tom!

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

• Area of United States with the most shipwrecks (15:00)
• Shipwreck Coast (17:00)
• Great Lake with the most shipwrecks (16:45)
• RAMS Model (33:00)
• What type of weather modeling did they have in 1975? (47:00)
• What makes a good weather forecast? (52:00)
• Significance/impact of the Great Lakes industry base (01:03:00)
• Gordon Lightfoot's "The Wreck of the Edmond Fitzgerald" (01:17:30)
• Shipwreck Museum at Whitefish Point (01:20:30)
• The Astronomy Outlook with Tony Rice (01:29:30)
• This Week in Tornado History With Jen (01:31:45)
• E-Mail Segment (No segment this week - stay tuned!)
• and more!

Web Sites from Episode 1034:

Alabama Weather Network

Picks of the Week:

Tom Hultquist - "Dive Detectives": Rogue Wave/Edmund Fitzgerald Episode

James Aydelott - Out

Jen Narramore - Tornado in La Plata, MD on November 9th, 1926

Rick Smith - The OTUS Project

Troy Kimmel - 50 Years Later, the Story of the Edmund Fitzgerald Lives On

Kim Klockow-McClain - Foghorn

John Gordon - The Storm That Sank the Edmund Fitzgerald

John Gordon - "The Gales of November: The Untold Story of the Edmund Fitzgerald" by John U. Bacon

Bill Murray - Out

James Spann - The Story of the Edmund Fitzgerald

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.