WeatherBrains

Tonight's Guest WeatherBrain is Melinda Beerends.  She is the MIC (Meteorologist in Charge) of Grand Forks, ND.  Welcome!
Our Guest WeatherBrain No. 2 tonight is meteorologist Carl Jones.  He's a forecaster for the NWS in Grand Forks, ND.  He earned his Bachelor of Science from Florida State University.  His professional focus remains operational forecasting and photography.  Thanks for joining us tonight!
Last but certainly not least, Guest WeatherBrain No. 3 is a meteorologist from the NWS office in Grand Forks, ND.  He is a St. Cloud State graduate and is seasoned photographer who previously worked in the private sector for several years before entering government service.  Tyler Thomas, welcome to the show!
Our email officer Jen is continuing to handle the incoming messages from our listeners. Reach us here: [email protected].
Deep South Valentine's Day Weekend QLCS controversy (01:15)
Importance of being connected with the people you serve!  (06:00)
Environmental setup for June 2025 EF5 event (13:00)
ND has never had a High Risk outlook (15:30)
Flaws/misses in that event's forecast prior to EF5 event (18:00)
Did the June 2025 Enderlin event meet the SPC thresholds in place?  (21:00)
LCL heights and radar data on day of Enderlin EF5 (22:30)
Reflectivity data presentation of Enderlin EF5 (29:30)
QRT ( NWS Quick Response Team) preliminary tornado rating of EF3 (50:00)
Outside data and sources concerns/review (01:03:00)
Rarity of direct observational evidence in these types of events (01:12:30)
The three fatalities in the Enderlin EF5 and what we know (01:22:00)
The Astronomy Outlook with Tony Rice (01:28:30)
This Week in Tornado History With Jen (01:30:35)
E-Mail Segment (No segment this week - stay tuned!)
and more!
Web Sites from Episode 1048:  
Alabama Weather Network
Picks of the Week:
Tyler Thomas - Copernicus Browser
Carl Jones - NWS Probabilistic Precipitation Portal
Melinda Beerends - YouTube: What clues from tornado outbreaks can help improve prediction?
James Aydelott - WeatherFront on X: February 14-15 QLCS
Jen Narramore - The Historical Marker Database
Rick Smith - Out
Troy Kimmel - The Blue Board - United Airlines Flight Tracker and Live Status
Kim Klockow-McClain - Louis Uccellini, NWS Director, visits Oklahoma
John Gordon - John Kucko on X: Ice Volcano Erupts
Bill Murray - Out
James Spann - Brian Emfinger video of Enderlin, ND EF5 damage indicators
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 Panelist is a meteorologist and author who is President and CEO of NorCast Media Group.  Focusing on the Northeast, NorCast is known for combining detailed forecasting with storytelling.  He recently released a book inspired in part by the influence of his grandmother and his lifelong fascination with weather.  Nick Pittman, thanks for joining us tonight!  Our Guest WeatherBrain for this week's episode is an on-air broadcast meteorologist for FOX Weather.  He's known for combining sharp forecasting, energetic and engaging on-camera style.  He's covered major hurricanes, high impact severe weather, and winter storms.  Bob Van Dillen, thanks for joining us tonight!
Our email officer Jen is continuing to handle the incoming messages from our listeners. Reach us here: [email protected].
Photogenic tornadoes (11:30)
Entry level TV met pay rates in early 90s (14:00)
Retrospective advice from a seasoned veteran in broadcasting (30:00)
Toxicity of social media comments (33:30)
Working at FOX Weather (38:00)
Streaming services and changing business models (48:00)
Hurricane Ida (2021) and other recent memorable weather events (50:30)
Conditions that produce hurricane-spawned tornadoes (57:00)
Nick's experiences in 2012's Hurricane Sandy (01:01:00)
Naming winter storms?  (01:08:00)
Biggest forecasts busts! (01:26:00)
The importance of remembering analogs when forecasting (01:43:15)
The Astronomy Outlook with Tony Rice (No segment this week)
This Week in Tornado History With Jen (01:28:00)
E-Mail Segment (01:29:30)
and more!
Web Sites from Episode 1047:  
Alabama Weather Network
"Rain Date: Unpredictable Lessons from My Life Forecasting the Weather" by Nick Pittman
FOX Weather
Picks of the Week:
Nick Pittman - Ice still covers Delaware River, Bay, and even New Jersey's cranberry bogs as temperatures get above freezing
Bob Van Dillen - 3 'Panicking' Men Rescued After Falling Through Ice in Queens
James Aydelott - Chris Suchan on X: Mt. Cedar video
Jen Narramore - Reminder:  Go to your local library!
Rick Smith - Out
Troy Kimmel - NWS Memphis: 2025 Year in Review
Kim Klockow-McClain - Ryan Hall Facebook video about AI/eating
John Gordon - Colorado Climate Blog: How does this year compare to the snow droughts of the past?
John Gordon - U. S. Drought Monitor: Colorado
Bill Murray - National Storm Chaser Summit 2026 - Roger Hill
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.

Tonight's show is all about the OTUS Project.  It's a nonprofit research mission lead by President Nelson Tucker, Drone Builder and Ops Coordinator Louis Tucker, Lead Engineer Tanner Beard, and chasing expert Eric Fox.  The OTUS Project was founded by engineering and meteorology students, and is pioneering the use of cutting edge UAV technology, software and sensor engineering to investigate tornadoes in ways never before possible.  Their goal is to protect life and property by improving our understanding of wind forces for structural resilience and collecting thermodynamic data to enhance computer models. Also, they prioritize hazard prediction through advanced drone deployment and strategic partnerships as well as real-time field work.  Thanks for joining us tonight!
Our email officer Jen is continuing to handle the incoming messages from our listeners. Reach us here: [email protected].
Meet the OTUS Team!  (05:00)
How did OTUS Project start?  (11:30)
Drone design development (14:30)
What does an OTUS project deployment look like?  (17:30)
Successful 2025 chasing season (22:00)
May 2025 Arnett, OK tornado intercept (33:00)
Difficulties of acquiring viable data with difficult variables during chases (43:00)
Leverage controlled environments with drones for calibration activities (56:00)
How an airspeed sensor works when chasing (57:30)
Status on upcoming OTUS Documentary (01:09:00)
Nelson shares footage of actual tornado intercept (01:12:00)
2026 National Storm Chaser Summit (01:28:00)
The Astronomy Outlook with Tony Rice (01:33:15)
This Week in Tornado History With Jen (01:36:00)
E-Mail Segment (01:37:00)
and more!
Web Sites from Episode 1046:  
Alabama Weather Network
The OTUS Project
Picks of the Week:
Nelson Tucker - TornadoGenesis.Org
Eric Fox - Colorado water officials plan for "exceedingly grim" low reservoir levels
James Aydelott - Okie J on Facebook: Shovel Hack video
Jen Narramore - SPC Data Viewer
Rick Smith - SPC's Liz Leitman explains upcoming changes to SPC convective outlooks
Troy Kimmel - Out
Kim Klockow-McClain - Panel Discussion 10A - Informed decision-making and ethics: Developing a blueprint for ethical weather and climate communication
John Gordon - Barotrophic Instability AKA Karman Vortex Street

Bill Murray - Out
James Spann - Adding Intensity Information to SPC Convective Outlooks
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 show celebrates 20 years of WeatherBrains, still going strong in January 2026! Former show regulars join the panel to reflect on memorable moments, including Aubrey Urbanowicz, Nate Johnson, Dr. John Scala, and Dr. Neil Jacobs.  Over the years, WeatherBrains has covered nearly every topic in meteorology, and panelist Jen Narramore shares audio highlights from some of the most memorable episodes.
Thanks for being part of the celebration tonight!
Our email officer Jen is continuing to handle the incoming messages from our listeners. Reach us here: [email protected].
NOAA Administrator Dr. Neil Jacobs (14:00)
Dr. John Scala life update (16:00)
Resolving global ensemble model as a prediction system?  (24:30)
NVIDIA weather model announcement at AMS (26:00)
WeatherBrains Episode 1 - January 31st, 2006 (29:00)
J. B. Elliott funny moments (31:00)
Groundbreaking weather radar with early broadcast meteorology in the late 1950s (36:00)   
Improving providing warnings to immigrant populations (45:30)
Looking back at sexual harassment in social media show topic (51:00)
Revisiting Episode 1016 concerning the July 2025 Texas Flooding (01:02:30)
October 2022 WB Episode on Autism and special needs community (01:10:00)
James Aydelott on WB Show 1000 March 2025 (01:17:00) 
J. B. Elliott WB highlights (01:22:30)
Former WB Panelist meteorologist Kevin Selle life update (01:30:00)
Nate Johnson drops in!  (01:39:00)
The Astronomy Outlook with Tony Rice (01:32:50)
This Week in Tornado History With Jen (01:36:05)
E-Mail Segment (No segment this week - stay tuned!)
and more!
Web Sites from Episode 1045:  
Alabama Weather Network
Picks of the Week:
Aubrey Urbanowitz - Frozen spaghetti photo in MN
Nate Johnson - Why weather apps may note be the best bet during winter storms
Dr. John Scala - California is free of all drought, dryness for first time in 25 years. Inside the remarkable turnaround
James Aydelott - Okie James Facebook Post
Jen Narramore - Steamnado!
Rick Smith - February 2021 US extreme cold write-up
Troy Kimmel - Foghorn
Kim Klockow-McClain - Foghorn
John Gordon - KOCO Field Meteorologist Michael Armstrong helps driver stuck on snow-packed road in OKC
Bill Murray - Out 
James Spann - NVIDIA's new AI weather models probably saw this storm coming weeks ago
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 show is dedicated to a deep dive into avalanches!  Tonight's Guest WeatherBrain is Dr. Ethan Greene from Colorado Avalanche Center.  He's also served as the Director of the NW Pacific Avalanche Center.  We will cover a basic understanding of avalanches, the geographic responsibility of the Colorado Avalanche Center, launch of forecasting avalanches and how they try to prevent avalanches during the off-season.  We will examine how they prepared in this work with the citizens of Colorado and who they collaborate with make this happen.  Dr. Greene joined CAIC as the Director in 2005.  He grew up in Boulder and learned to ski when he was three. He has worked with snow and avalanches since 1990. He worked as a ski patroller (Big Sky Ski Resort) and as a backcountry avalanche forecaster (Utah Avalanche Forecast Center). He studied meteorology (B.S., University of Utah), mountain weather and snow-drift formation (M.S., Colorado State University), and snow metamorphism and microstructure (Ph.D., CSU). In 2016, he received the Bernie Kingery Award and a Distinguished Alumnus Award from the University of Utah. Ethan has published a variety of articles and has been a member of national and international working groups on snow, weather, and avalanche topics. Ethan lives in Leadville with his wife and two children.  Thanks for joining us tonight, Dr. Greene!
Also joining us as Guest Panelist is Mark Staples.  He is Director and Avalanche Forecaster at the Gallatin National Forecast Avalanche Center in Boseman.  Mark, welcome to WeatherBrains!
Our email officer Jen is continuing to handle the incoming messages from our listeners. Reach us here: [email protected].
Upcoming AMS Annual Meeting in Houston (03:30)
Basic definition of an avalanche (08:00)
What do their field technicians do and what instrumentation do they use?  (18:30)
How the avalanche watch/warning process works (24:00)
Biggest clients in avalanche forecasting (37:00)
How does the public get avalanche forecast information?  (42:00)
Canadian collaboration on risk communication (47:00)
Communicating to young people about avalanche dangers (53:30)
Smaller avalanche outbreaks vs major events (01:17:00)
FAR and POD metrics vs avalanche warning metrics (01:19:00)
The Astronomy Outlook with Tony Rice (01:27:20)
This Week in Tornado History With Jen (No segment this week)
E-Mail Segment (No segment this week)
and more!
Web Sites from Episode 1044:  
Alabama Weather Network
Avalanche.Org
Picks of the Week:
Dr. Ethan Greene - Avalanche Explorer
James Aydelott - Impactful snow ahead for Oklahoma and southern Kansas this upcoming weekend
Jen Narramore - Out
Rick Smith - Out
Troy Kimmel - 9 rules for using Forecast Models
Kim Klockow-McClain - Out
John Gordon - Avalanche search and rescue training in Tahoe
Bill Murray - Out
James Spann - NOAA/NWS Space Weather Prediction Center Radio Communications Dashboard
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.