WeatherBrains

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.