WeatherBrains

• WeatherBrains 1035: Sass Not Class

  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.

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• WeatherBrains 1034: A Little Fitz'd Out

  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.

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• WeatherBrains 1033: Maximum Hemorrhoid Outage

  Tonight's Guest WeatherBrain is a meteorologist and trader focused on weather risk management, currently with Munich Re Trading LLC. His career includes experience with the National Weather Service, energy trading, and weather derivatives—blending forecasting expertise with financial market knowledge. Welcome, Tom Paylor! Our email officer Jen is continuing to handle the incoming messages from our listeners. Reach us here: [email protected]. Correct weather ballon launch procedures (25:00) What are weather derivatives?  (35:30) What is a weather derivative sales group?  (40:00) Weather/Power price triggers (44:15) AI implementation (01:22:15) The Astronomy Outlook with Tony Rice (01:23:55) This Week in Tornado History With Jen (No segment this week) E-Mail Segment (01:26:30) and more! Web Sites from Episode 1033: Alabama Weather Network Picks of the Week: Tom Paylor - Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD) has reached a new record weekly negative value James Aydelott - Nick Gilby on X: Large hail photo in Ingleside, Texas Jen Narramore - Out Rick Smith - Out Troy Kimmel - NWS Atlanta weather observation comment controversy Kim Klockow-McClain - Why Counting Disaster Deaths Is Complicated and How NORC Is Helping Get It Right John Gordon - Ben Noll on X: Record-setting water vapor pulsing across Earth's skies Bill Murray - Foghorn James Spann - iCyclone Facebook 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.

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• WeatherBrains 1032: Wasteland of Nothing

  Tonight's guest is Dr. Jerry Brotzge, Kentucky State Climatologist and Director of the Kentucky Climate Center and Mesonet. The discussion focuses on climatology, observational data, and building a mesonet network. Dr. Brotzge earned his Bachelor's degree from the University of St. Louis and his Master's and Ph.D. from the University of Oklahoma.  Dr. Brotzge, welcome to WeatherBrains! Our second Guest WeatherBrain is Dr. Stu Foster.  He is the former head of the Kentucky Climate Center.  He built the mesonet in the state of Kentucky and earned his PhD from Ohio State University.  Welcome to the show, Dr. Foster! Guest Panelist for tonight's episode is the former chief meteorologist for WBKO-TV.  Shane Holinde is the Outreach Manager for the Kentucky mesonet and the Kentucky climate center.  Thanks for joining us tonight! Our email officer Jen is continuing to handle the incoming messages from our listeners. Reach us here: [email protected]. Category 5 Melissa aims for Jamaica (05:30) December 11th, 2021 Bowling Green, KY tornadoes (08:00) What exactly does a State Climatologist do?  (08:45) Seeds of the Kentucky mesonet (12:00) What is a mesonet?  (13:30) Mesonet station offers in very unlikely/ineffective locations (26:00) Major challenges of building the mesonet network in Kentucky (29:30) Decisions made based on precise mesonet data (43:30) Critical importance of NWS wind tables (50:30) Equipment damage due to nature/critters (01:16:30) Representativeness error issue in mesonet data (01:19:20) The Astronomy Outlook with Tony Rice (01:37:00) This Week in Tornado History With Jen (01:38:15) E-Mail Segment (01:39:15) and more! Web Sites from Episode 1032: Alabama Weather Network Shane Holinde on X Picks of the Week: Dr. Jerry Brotzge - Kentucky Mesonet at WKU James Aydelott - No Thunderstorm Forecast from SPC on Wednesday Jen Narramore - Roger Hill on X: June 23rd, 2002 tornado video Rick Smith - Storm Front Freaks final episode Troy Kimmel - Out Kim Klockow-McClain - "On the Economic Nature of Crop Production Decisions Using the Oklahoma Mesonet" by Dr. Kim Klockow-McClain John Gordon - AF Reserve Hurricane Hunters on Facebook John Gordon - Hunter Live Reconnaissance Bill Murray - Out James Spann - Third pass through Melissa 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.

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• WeatherBrains 1031: Date With A Razor

  Tonight's Guest WeatherBrain is Jen Carfagno, co-host of America's Morning Headquarters and the Weather Geeks podcast on The Weather Channel. A Penn State meteorology graduate with over 25 years of experience, she has covered major weather events like hurricanes, tornadoes, and blizzards, helping audiences understand storm science. Starting behind the scenes before becoming an on-air meteorologist, she earned an Emmy Award for her coverage of Hurricane Helene in 2024. Known as the "Dewpoint Diva," Jen is recognized for her expertise and enthusiasm in meteorology.  Jen, thanks 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 "Dewpoint Diva" (12:00) Handling demands of the digital world with time constraints in the weather business (20:00) Dealing with negativity and harassment online (22:00) Innovations/major changes in recent years in the weather business (26:00) Support staff at TWC (33:30) TWC providing local forecasts for Allen Media Stations?  (38:00) Reporting in the field vs in studio (49:00) Communication difficulties during major events like Helene and Harvey (56:30) Importance of recognizing past impactful weather events and learning from them (01:01:00) Does the public understand what a wind advisory is and are those warnings heeded?  (01:11:00) Jen Carfagno as a guest DJ (01:18:00) Fox Weather vs TWC (01:26:00) The Astronomy Outlook with Tony Rice (01:29:00) This Week in Tornado History With Jen (01:31:00) E-Mail Segment (No segment this week - stay tuned!) and more! Web Sites from Episode 1031: Alabama Weather Network Jen Carfagno on X Picks of the Week: Jen Carfagno - Everything Weather App James Aydelott - Ermont, France tornado Jen Narramore - Violent tornado in France Rick Smith - Out Troy Kimmel - Out Kim Klockow-McClain - Weather Star 4000+ John Gordon - Beach umbrellas go flying in the wind at Florida beach Bill Murray - Out James Spann - Lightning strike kills teenage hunter during weekend storms 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.

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