WeatherBrains

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:

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:

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:

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:

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: