Tonight’s guest is Dr. Jerry Brotzge, Kentucky State Climatologist and Director of the Kentucky Climate Center and Mesonet. The discussion focuses on climatology, observational data, and building a mesonet network. Dr. Brotzge earned his Bachelor’s degree from the University of St. Louis and his Master’s and Ph.D. from the University of Oklahoma. Dr. Brotzge, welcome to WeatherBrains!

Our second Guest WeatherBrain is Dr. Stu Foster. He is the former head of the Kentucky Climate Center. He built the mesonet in the state of Kentucky and earned his PhD from Ohio State University. Welcome to the show, Dr. Foster!

Guest Panelist for tonight's episode is the former chief meteorologist for WBKO-TV. Shane Holinde is the Outreach Manager for the Kentucky mesonet and the Kentucky climate center. 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.

• Category 5 Melissa aims for Jamaica (05:30)
• December 11th, 2021 Bowling Green, KY tornadoes (08:00)
• What exactly does a State Climatologist do? (08:45)
• Seeds of the Kentucky mesonet (12:00)
• What is a mesonet? (13:30)
• Mesonet station offers in very unlikely/ineffective locations (26:00)
• Major challenges of building the mesonet network in Kentucky (29:30)
• Decisions made based on precise mesonet data (43:30)
• Critical importance of NWS wind tables (50:30)
• Equipment damage due to nature/critters (01:16:30)
• Representativeness error issue in mesonet data (01:19:20)
• The Astronomy Outlook with Tony Rice (01:37:00)
• This Week in Tornado History With Jen (01:38:15)
• E-Mail Segment (01:39:15)
• and more!

Web Sites from Episode 1032:

Alabama Weather Network

Shane Holinde on X

Picks of the Week:

Dr. Jerry Brotzge - Kentucky Mesonet at WKU

James Aydelott - No Thunderstorm Forecast from SPC on Wednesday

Jen Narramore - Roger Hill on X: June 23rd, 2002 tornado video

Rick Smith - Storm Front Freaks final episode

Troy Kimmel - Out

Kim Klockow-McClain - "On the Economic Nature of Crop Production Decisions Using the Oklahoma Mesonet" by Dr. Kim Klockow-McClain

John Gordon - AF Reserve Hurricane Hunters on Facebook

John Gordon - Hunter Live Reconnaissance

Bill Murray - Out

James Spann - Third pass through Melissa 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.