WeatherBrains

Big Brains Media LLC

The world's oldest and greatest weather podcast. Join weather geeks James Spann, Bill Murray, Kim Klockow-McClain, Dr. Neil Jacobs, Rick Smith, Aubrey Urbanowicz, Jen Narramore, and Troy Kimmel along with some of the most brilliant minds in the weather enterprise every week!

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Top 10 WeatherBrains Episodes

Goodpods has curated a list of the 10 best WeatherBrains episodes, ranked by the number of listens and likes each episode have garnered from our listeners. If you are listening to WeatherBrains for the first time, there's no better place to start than with one of these standout episodes. If you are a fan of the show, vote for your favorite WeatherBrains episode by adding your comments to the episode page.

WeatherBrains 996: Pull the METARs

WeatherBrains

02/18/25 • 101 min

Tonight's Guest WeatherBrain is a seasoned broadcast meteorologist and weather anchor at KGW-TV in Portland, Oregon. He brings a wealth of knowledge and a passion for weather to his viewers daily. His forecasting career has spanned nearly 30 years, taking him from the hurricanes of south Texas to the lake effect snows of Michigan, the tornadoes of the Ohio valley and yes, the hard to predict weather of the Pacific Northwest. Rod grew up in Missouri and graduated from Mizzou. He later earned his certificate of broadcast meteorology from Mississippi State. Soon after, Rod earned the seal of approval from the American Meteorological Society and the National Weather Association. He later served on the NWA certification board for more than five years. Rod Hill, it's great to see you and thanks for joining us!

Also, Bruce Jones joins us to discuss the importance of NOAA Weather Radio and its integration in order to save lives. Welcome back, Bruce!

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

Figuring out the puzzle as a synoptic weather forecaster (18:30)
Advice for TV meteorologists with job security concerns (25:30)
Uncertainty for the future in operational meteorology (28:00)
Where will traditional television stations be a decade from now? (37:00)
Current morale and level of fear and uncertainty in the NWS offices (53:00)
Complexities of Pacific Northwest weather (01:02:30)
Social media strategies (01:09:45)
The Astronomy Outlook with Tony Rice (01:16:03)
This Week in Tornado History With Jen (01:19:50)
E-Mail Segment (No segment this week)
National Weather Round-Up
and more!

Web Sites from Episode 996:

Midland Weather Radio

Portland Weather - Rod Hill on YouTube

Portland Weather

Picks of the Week:

Bruce Jones - Mount Washington Observatory records more than 160 mph wind gusts

James Aydelott - Okie J's snowshoes on Facebook

Jen Narramore - Out

Rick Smith - NOAA: Meeting the Moment

Neil Jacobs - Out

Troy Kimmel - Foghorn

Kim Klockow-McClain - Pillow Shaker for Weather and Emergency Radios - SHKR100

Bill Murray - Natural Disaster Survey Report - Mississippi Delta Tornadoes of February 21, 1971

James Spann - New Study Exposes Gap in TV Station Online Weather Coverage Strategy

The WeatherBrains crew includes your host, James Spann, plus other notable geeks like Troy Kimmel, Bill Murray, Rick Smith, James Aydelott, Jen Narramore, Dr. Neil Jacobs, and Dr. Kim Klockow-McClain. They bring together a wealth of weather knowledge and experience for another fascinating podcast about weather.

WeatherBrains 788: Peaks Of The Week

WeatherBrains

02/23/21 • 80 min

This week's Guest WeatherBrain needs no introduction. He last appeared on August 27, 2015, on the tenth anniversary of Hurricane Katrina. He was the MIC at the NWS in Slidell then. He has since gone on to become the Director of the National Hurricane Center. Ken Graham: Welcome to WeatherBrains!

WeatherBrains 785: The Gravity Wave Underground

WeatherBrains

02/02/21 • 105 min

Tonight's Guest WeatherBrain is NOAA's Assistant Administrator for Weather Services and the Director of the National Weather Service. In that role, he's responsible for all the day to day civilian weather operations for the United States territories and adjacent waters. Dr. Louis Uccellini, welcome to WeatherBrains! Our Guest Panelist is Jamie Morrow, who is the Executive Officer at the National Weather Headquarters. Jamie, welcome back!

WeatherBrains 939: I Want Randy’s Shelves

WeatherBrains

01/17/24 • 80 min

Tonight's Guest WeatherBrain is a veteran of the show. He's a renowned Professor in Geographical Sciences at Arizona State University. He specializes in weather and climate studies and brings a wealth of experience to the field of meteorology. He's joining us tonight to discuss is new book. Randy Cerveny, it's an honor to have you on the show tonight.

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

Longest duration lightning flash (15:00)
Controversial records/highest temperature recorded on the planet (17:45)
Hurricane Katrina misconceptions (29:45)
Media portrayal of weather events/public perception (44:40)
NWS c0-op network (49:45)
Celeste Saulo first female Secretary-General of World Meteorological Organization (55:00)
The Astronomy Outlook with Tony Rice (01:02:00)
This Week in Tornado History With Jen (01:04:06)
National Weather Round-Up
E-Mail Segment (01:05:55)
and more!

Web Sites from Episode 939:

World Weather and Climate Extremes Archive

"Judging Extreme Weather: Climate Science in Action" by Randy Cerveny

Picks of the Week:

Randy Cerveny - NASA analysis confirms 2023 as warmest year on record

James Aydelott - James Aydelott on X: Where this current cold snap ranks

James Aydelott - James Aydelott on X: "Parents getting that text message that school is out again Wednesday" Meme

Jen Narramore - The South Frankfort to Stamping Ground, KY F4 Tornado and Downburst Disaster of April 3, 1974

Rick Smith - Out

Neil Jacobs - Out

Troy Kimmel - No joke: Feds banning humorous electronic messages on highways

Kim Klockow-McClain - Highway fatality signs may cause more car crashes

Bill Murray - Jason Goodson James Spann TikTok

James Spann - Rick Mitchell on X: Sunday Night Football cut-in issues

WeatherBrains 812: Get A Room!!

WeatherBrains

08/10/21 • 106 min

Tonight's Guest WeatherBrain is an award-winning TV meteorologist and storm specialist for the Weather Channel. He has a Bachelor's Degree in meteorology and environmental science physics from Rutgers University. He holds a Master's Degree in atmospheric sciences from Georgia Tech. Mark Elliott, welcome to WeatherBrains!

WeatherBrains 833: Tens Of Flakes

WeatherBrains

01/04/22 • 113 min

Tonight's Guest WeatherBrain has appeared on shows 203, 513, 609, 655 and 712. He's the science operations officer for the NWS in Paducah, Kentucky. He also served as the Commissioner of Committees for the NWA. Pat Spoden, welcome! Tonight's Second Guest WeatherBrain is from New Zealand and has provided life-saving information regarding wildfires in California. Michael Sylvester, welcome!

WeatherBrains 809: For God’s Sake Take Cover

WeatherBrains

07/20/21 • 109 min

Tonight's Guest WeatherBrain is an American treasure. He has been a fixture of journalism in the U.S. since the mid-1960s with a long career at CBS and in a variety of other positions. He earned his JD from Washburn University School of Law in 1966, but a tornado sent him in a different director. Bill Kurtis, welcome to WeatherBrains!

WeatherBrains 776: My Underwear Is Flapping Up and Down My Legs

WeatherBrains

12/01/20 • 91 min

Tonight's Guest WeatherBrain is a civil servant and a meteorological instructor for NOAA's National Weather Service. Dr. Barb Mayes Boustead, welcome to WeatherBrains! Tonight's Guest Panelist is the Warning Coordination Meteorologist at the NWS in northern Indiana. Michael Lewis, welcome to the show!

WeatherBrains 772: Getting The Mileage Out Of The Air Sickness Bag

WeatherBrains

11/03/20 • 100 min

Tonight's Guest WeatherBrain is a West Virginia born, raised, and schooled aerospace engineer for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Hurricane Hunters. Since 2016, Nick has served as an aircrew member aboard NOAA’s fleet of research aircraft supporting a number of science missions including Arctic sea ice surveys, marine mammal surveys, atmospheric river reconnaissance, and hurricane research and reconnaissance. To date, he has flown into 16 hurricanes across the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, including Hurricanes Irma, Florence, and Dorian. Nick is also pursuing a master’s degree in physical oceanography at the University of South Florida. He is passionate about sharing NOAA’s mission of environmental stewardship, promoting hurricane awareness, and STEM education. Nick Underwood, welcome! Tonight's Guest Panelist is one of the organizers of the Annual Indiana Storm Chasers Convention in Indianapolis. She has a B.S in Professional Meteorology and Climatology from Ball State University, with a minor in Geographic Information Systems. She interned under Chief Meteorologist Brian Wilkes at FOX59 WXIN Indianapolis for a year, and also interned at the National Weather Service Indianapolis. She's a co-owner and consulting meteorologist at Thermdynamic Solutions LLC (TDS Weather). She issues daily forecasts for various industries in the Mid-West including snow removal and landscaping, hospitals, sporting and outdoor venues, golf courses, agriculture, and more. Beth Carpenter, welcome to the show!

WeatherBrains 943: Stop Picking Up Copperheads

WeatherBrains

02/13/24 • 97 min

Tonight's Guest WeatherBrain is the author of the compelling and insightful book "Death Clouds on Mount Baldy: Tucson's Lost Tragedy". The book discusses and chronicles the harrowing 1958 blizzard in Arizona that stranded a pack of Boy Scouts and the extensive rescue effort that followed. Cathy Hufault, welcome to the show tonight.

Also joining us tonight is Cathy's brother, Ralph Coltrin. He's a key figure in the book as he was one of the boy scouts who decided to return to camp that day and was a survivor of the incident. His first hand experience offers us a profound and unique perspective on the events that unfolded as well as the lasting impacts.

Bruce Jones of Midland Weather Radio also is back to discuss the importance of NOAA Weather Radio and its timely warnings and information. Also you can NOW get 25% off a NOAA Weather Radio at MidlandUSA.com by using PROMO CODE SPANN25.

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

ChaserCon 2024 Summit (1:00)
Baltimore 2024 AMS Annual meeting review (08:00)
Discussion on 1958 Arizona blizzard (12:00)
Enduring relationships following tragedy/Long-term impacts (32:45)
Memorial erected on mountain (37:45)
Colorado Emergency Managers Conference 2024/Role of Emergency Management in weather (01:19:00)
The Astronomy Outlook with Tony Rice (01:13:02)
This Week in Tornado History With Jen (01:15:50)
National Weather Round-Up (01:25:30)
E-Mail Segment (No segment this week)
and more!