WeatherBrains

• WeatherBrains 1019: Colon Cleansing

  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.

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• WeatherBrains 1018: He Got His Crotch Caught

  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.

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• WeatherBrains 1017: Jenny8675309

  Tonight's episode features TWO special guests! Our Guest WeatherBrain for tonight is an award winning journalist and author who's latest book "Cloud Warriors" was recently named one of Barnes and Nobles's best science and technology books in 2025 with a background in investigative and narrative journalism.  He brings a deep curiosity and perspective to the world of atmospheric science.  In researching his book, he traveled across the country embedded with scientists at the National Weather Service.  His book explores the shifting landscape of weather forecasting at a time that climate change, technical disruption and institutional uncertainty is shaking the foundations of our industry.  Thomas Weber, welcome! Our Guest Panlist is the lead meteorologist at the NWS forecast office in State College, PA.  He's got years of operational forecasting experience and plays a key leadership role in the accuracy, timeliness, and relevance of forecasts for central Pennsylvania.  He's deeply involved in mentoring younger forecasters and helping to communicate critical weather information to emergency managers and the public.  He's also a graduate of Penn State.  Welcome to the show, John Banghoff! Our email officer Jen is continuing to handle the incoming messages from our listeners. Reach us here: [email protected]. Role/responsibilities of a NWS Lead Forecaster (11:00) Official "Cloud Warriors" book website (20:45) How early science/technology developed and shaped societies (22:30) Shift at the NWS forecast office in Caribou, Maine in the 60s/modern parallels (28:00) What is a NWS WFO and what does it do?  (29:45) Focusing on public service in journalism (44:30) Weather and its ability to be a great unifier (57:30) 2019 Beauregard/Lee County tornado research (01:16:00) Revolutions in weather forecasting (01:25:30) Fighting conspiracy theories and misinformation (01:34:30) The Astronomy Outlook with Tony Rice (01:44:40) This Week in Tornado History With Jen (01:46:45) E-Mail Segment (No segment this week - stay tuned!) and more! Web Sites from Episode 1017: John Banghoff on X "Cloud Warriors" by Thomas E Weber Picks of the Week: John Banghoff - "The Weather Gods Curse The Gettysburg Campaign" by Jon Nese Jeffrey J. Harding James Aydelott - Grand Canyon National Park James Aydelott - Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park Jen Narramore - PA Storm Trackerz Rick Smith - Out Troy Kimmel - Out Kim Klockow-McClain - NOAA nominee Neil Jacobs testifies at confirmation hearing amid deadly Texas floods John Gordon - Pulse and Multicell Storms Conceptual Model Bill Murray - Foghorn James Spann - Sarah Marsh Obituary 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 1016: A Time For Sorrow

  Tonight's episode comes on the heels of another horrific weather tragedy; a Texas hill country flash flooding event that killed at least 100 people.   This was a flash flood that we all fear - extreme rainfall, rugged terrain, and was a nocturnal event overnight on a holiday weekend.  It's a home-grown show among our panelists, and it's a critical topic about a historical weather event. Our email officer Jen is continuing to handle the incoming messages from our listeners. Reach us here: [email protected]. 1978 Texas Flash Flood/Tropical Storm Amelia (03:00) What makes the Hill Country so susceptible to flooding?  (05:00) WEA Alerts issued before flash flood tragedy (12:00) Prior major flash floods that have plagued the U. S. (20:45) Returning to critical thinking about risk assessment and wading through the madness of social media (25:00) Exploring the role of NWS Warning Coordination Meteorologist and the EMA coordination process (37:25) Difficulties of warning the public for flooding events/Call to action (50:30) Warning fatigue similarities with Severe Thunderstorm/Flash Flood NWS bulletins (59:25) Legacy and critical lasting importance radio/NOAA weather radio communication in an emergency (01:11:30) Modeling post-event reports from NTSB service assessments (01:15:00) First ever issued NWS Flash Flood Emergency (01:24:00) Political activist posts following tragedy/cloud seeding explained (01:33:45) The Astronomy Outlook with Tony Rice (01:47:35) This Week in Tornado History With Jen (No segment this week - stay tuned!) E-Mail Segment (No segment this week - stay tuned!) and more! Web Sites from Episode 1016: Samaritan's Purse Responding to Deadly Floods in Texas Convoy of Hope Response to Texas Deadly Floods Picks of the Week: James Aydelott - James Aydelott on Facebook: Texas Flood Tragedy Discussion Jen Narramore - Samaritan's Purse/Convoy of Hope Texas Flood Tragedy Fundraising Campaigns Rick Smith - Cuts to NOAA increase the risk of deadly weather tragedies - Yale Climate Connections Troy Kimmel - Foghorn Kim Klockow-McClain - Wine Fish  John Gordon - July 23rd, 2020 Rainbow Wash Flash Flood Bill Murray - How one Texas summer camp successfully evacuated from the floods James Spann - James Spann on Facebook: Texas Flood FAQ and answers 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 1015: Not Clear and Concise

  Tonight's guest joins us from Bonn, Germany — and from the far side of the clock, where it's 2 a.m. local time! Lars Lowinski is a seasoned meteorologist with international experience spanning Europe and New Zealand. He now works with WetterOnline, one of Europe's largest weather platforms, where he connects their U.S. business operations with German-based product development and training. He's also an avid storm chaser who's pursued Great Plains supercells and participated in the Hazardous Weather Testbed in Norman, Oklahoma. Lars has been a loyal WeatherBrains listener since 2008 — and we're thrilled to finally have him on the show!  Thanks for joining us tonight. Our email officer Jen is continuing to handle the incoming messages from our listeners. Reach us here: [email protected]. Is tornado season over?  (02:30) Forecasting in the Southern Hemisphere and working with oil and gas industry (17:50) Compare/Contrast experiences in NOAA Hazardous Weather Testbed (20:00) Importance of doing a thorough hand analysis before utilizing model data when assimilating forecasts (21:00) Discussing the European Severe Storms Laboratory (23:00) Importance of working together internationally/globally when communicating severe weather risks (28:00) Breaking down barriers in the science of meteorology through simple human interaction (35:00) Approaches/challenges in weather messaging across different cultures and languages across the world (35:30) Looking back at Lars's storm chasing experiences (45:30) Discussion of deadly July 1916 Austria tornado and it's experiences lost in history due to World War One (55:00) European severe weather warning process vs U.S. severe weather warning process (57:45) Weather-aware subculture in the United States (01:13:00) Rise of Digital Meteorologists (01:16:00) NWS budget update/analysis (01:29:30) The Astronomy Outlook with Tony Rice (01:26:20) This Week in Tornado History With Jen (01:28:00) E-Mail Segment (No segment this week) and more! Web Sites from Episode 1015: Lars Lowinski Photography Picks of the Week: Lars Lowinski - Monster HP supercell in France (06/13/2025) James Aydelott - James Aydelott on Facebook: Three feet of rain in Tulsa, OK since January 1st/Wettest April 1-June 30 on record in Tulsa (Back to 1931) Jen Narramore - Lightning strike injures 2 at Northland HS soccer field in Columbus Rick Smith - Out Troy Kimmel - Out Kim Klockow-McClain - Earth's Clouds on the Move John Gordon - Kyle J Gillett on X: Panhandle, TX boundary collision John Gordon - Ronca-HohnWx on X: Memphis, TN boundary collision Bill Murray - Out James Spann - June 28th, 2025 Deuel County, South Dakota tornado 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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