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WeatherBrains

WeatherBrains

By: Big Brains Media LLC
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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!2022 Big Brains Media, LLC Earth Sciences Science
Episodes
  • WeatherBrains 1068: They Kicked Booty

    WeatherBrains 1068: They Kicked Booty
    Jul 7 2026
    This week's WeatherBrains episode examines the July 2025 Texas flooding disaster. Our Guest WeatherBrain tonight is the Chief Meteorologist of KABB-TV Fox News At Nine in San Antonio, Texas. He is a multi-disciplined individual with professional experience as an educator and broadcaster. He holds several degrees and certifications, including a B.S. in Education, a Master's in Education with Certification as an Educational Administrator, and of course, he's a Broadcast Meteorologist. He has received the AMS Seal of Approval and has been the recipient of six Associated Press Awards for Best Weathercast. He is a member of the American Meteorological Society, National Weather Association, and the Knights of Columbus. Alex Garcia, thanks for joining us tonight! Our email officer Jen is continuing to handle the incoming messages from our listeners. Reach us here: email@weatherbrains.com. Recollections from KABB-TV leading up to Texas flood tragedy (11:30)Wording of originally issued Flash Flood Watch prior to event (17:30)Why doesn't the public immediately react to weather watches? (20:00)Mentality of the threat of flash flooding vs other types of severe weather (25:00)Improving the clarity of the call to action in response to inland flooding events (30:00)Flood Inundation Mapping (36:00)The half-life of awareness in the wake of tragedies like 2025 Texas Flood event (49:00)With no Independent Review, how can you improve? (52:00)Role of weather radio in modern warning process (55:00)National Weather Service app in the future? (55:30)Severe Thunderstorm Definition/Warnings that do not verify and the resulting public inaction (01:02:00)What is NWS definition of a Flash Flood? (01:02:30)Confusion from Areal Flood Advisories (01:05:30)The Astronomy Outlook with Tony Rice (01:14:00)This Week in Tornado History With Jen (01:15:30)E-Mail Segment (01:16:30)Sneak peak at future WeatherBrains episodes! (01:26:00)and more! Web Sites from Episode 1068: Alex Garcia Weather on X Alabama Weather Network Picks of the Week: Alex Garcia - NTWC James Aydelott - Westheimer Airport in Norman measures 92mph wind gust Jen Narramore - Chinese Wedge tornado Rick Smith - Out Troy Kimmel - Funnel cloud spotted in Interior Alaska on July Fourth Troy Kimmel - Meteorological Overview of the July 2025 Texas Floods Kim Klockow-McClain - Review of the National Weather Service's Actions to Support Kerr County During the Catastrophic Flash Flood in Texas John Gordon - June 29th Significant Wind Event Bill Murray - Out James Spann - National Weather Service faces hurricane season with less experienced staff, missing data 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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    1 hr and 35 mins
  • WeatherBrains 1067: I'll Go With Fujita For $1000

    WeatherBrains 1067: I'll Go With Fujita For $1000
    Jun 30 2026
    This week's WeatherBrains episode turns back to the clock to June 8th, 1966 and the Topeka, KS F5 tornado. Our Guest WeatherBrain on tonight's show is the Warning Coordination Meteorologist (WCM) for the NWS in Topeka KS. With over three decades of experience in the field, he's been at the NWS for over 17 years. As a Wisconsin native, he earned his degree in Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences from the University of Wisconsin. He's committed to improving public awareness, preparedness, and response by integrating social science research into the NWS products and services. Chad Omitt, welcome to WeatherBrains! Our next Guest WeatherBrain is the local history librarian at the Topeka and Shawnee County public library. She holds a B.A. in forensic anthropology and history from Wichita State University. She's a speaker with the Humanities Kansas Speakers Bureau and gives educational programs about life in Kansas during the Dust Bowl. Katie Keckeisen, welcome to WeatherBrains! Our email officer Jen is continuing to handle the incoming messages from our listeners. Reach us here: email@weatherbrains.com. June 2026 Kentucky flooding (01:00)Katie's early background in Kansas (07:00)June 8th, 1966 meteorological setup (10:45)Meteorological equipment used during during the 1960s (21:00)Visual photos of daytime Topeka tornado (26:30)Bill Kurtis and his role at WIBW-TV during the tornado (28:30)Save room on the volume knob for a "10"! (37:00)Topeka's Burnett's Mound: A historical deepdive (37:30)Kansas Governor's response after tornado (44:00)Damage photos from tornadoes and the resulting changes to Topeka (49:30)Topeka tornado was one of the first utilizations of civil defense outdoor warning system (01:00:00)1955 Udall KS tornado (01:00:30)Tornado subculture in the 1960s (01:07:30)Lessons learned from this event from 60 years ago (01:19:30)The Astronomy Outlook with Tony Rice (01:26:00)This Week in Tornado History With Jen (No segment this week)E-Mail Segment (01:28:00)Sneak peak at future WeatherBrains episodes! (01:31:00)and more! Web Sites from Episode 1067: Humanities Kansas Speakers Bureau "And Hell Followed With It: Life and Death in a Kansas Tornado" by Bonar Menninger Alabama Weather Network Picks of the Week: Katie Keckeisen - Topeka and Shawnee County Public Library Chad Omitt - OTUS Project James Aydelott - "History of Operational Use of Weather Radar by U.S. Weather Services. Part I: The Pre-NEXRAD Era" Jen Narramore - Tornado Talk Podcast Episode 7: The 1966 Topeka Tornado Rick Smith - Out Troy Kimmel - Out Kim Klockow-McClain - Foghorn John Gordon - Collin Gross on X: Europe's historic heatwave continues Bill Murray - Out James Spann - James Spann on X: Big Sky Montana snow photos 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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    1 hr and 39 mins
  • WeatherBrains 1066: Bladder of Iron

    WeatherBrains 1066: Bladder of Iron
    Jun 23 2026

    This week's WeatherBrains episode is a home-grown show all about storm chasing: The Good, The Bad, The Ugly.

    Our email officer Jen is continuing to handle the incoming messages from our listeners. Reach us here: email@weatherbrains.com.

    • Waning interest in storm chasing (04:00)
    • Holding it while dealing with long-form severe weather coverage (10:00)
    • Current state of storm chasing in 2026 (16:00)
    • Importance of enforcing traffic laws when dealing with a saturated chaser community (27:30)
    • Oklahoma traffic laws concerning emergency lights (31:30)
    • Liability insurance requirements for those who continue to storm chase? (36:00)
    • NOAA's OPG (Operations Proving Ground) (49:30)
    • What is the purpose of a service assessment? (59:30)
    • State of Connecticut doesn't need 3 WFOs! (01:02:00)
    • Importance of interacting directly with the people we serve in the field of weather to mitigate loss of life (01:10:00)
    • Discriminating between weaknesses and strengths in the warning process (01:21:30)
    • Effectively utilizing user generated content during long-form severe weather coverage (01:23:30)
    • Private Slack chat session with trusted weather professionals to weed out AI/fake images (01:28:00)
    • The Astronomy Outlook with Tony Rice (No segment this week - stay tuned!)
    • This Week in Tornado History With Jen (01:29:30)
    • E-Mail Segment (01:30:30)
    • Sneak peak at future WeatherBrains episodes! (01:41:00)
    • and more!

    Web Sites from Episode 1066:

    Alabama Weather Network

    Picks of the Week:

    James Aydelott - Illinois: More tornadoes than Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska, and Texas combined, year to date. (225 vs 191)

    Jen Narramore - Tennessee Valley Weather on X: "Tennessee Valley Weather Adds Weather Balloon Launch Capability to Strengthen Severe Weather Forecasting"

    Rick Smith - Facts About Derechos

    Troy Kimmel - IEM Generated Regional Temperature and Precipitation Report

    Kim Klockow-McClain - Foghorn

    John Gordon - Dave Throup on X: Shelf Cloud pic at Glastonbury Tor

    Bill Murray - Out

    James Spann - SkyeCalm Storm Anxiety App

    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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    1 hr and 50 mins
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