How should utilities and critical infrastructure operators prepare for a world where weather extremes are becoming more frequent, more intense, and more costly?

In this episode of Always On: Reliability in Focus, CRA Principal Matt Moore sits down with Sunny Wescott, Deputy Program Manager for FEMA's National Hurricane Program and Federal Emergency Response Official Chief Meteorologist, to discuss how evolving weather patterns are reshaping risks across the energy sector.

The conversation explores the growing disconnect between today’s weather realities and infrastructure that was designed and built decades ago. Wescott explains that planning based solely on historical weather conditions may no longer be sufficient, and highlights the need to incorporate changing risk profiles into asset management, infrastructure investment, and operational decision-making.

Wescott and Moore also explore the broader challenges utilities face as they adapt to a changing environment, including aging infrastructure, supply chain constraints, evolving insurance considerations, and growing pressure to strengthen system resilience.

Listeners will gain practical insights into emerging weather-related risks, and the strategies organizations can consider to improve reliability, build resilience, and prepare for the future.