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@weatherbrains.com.

• 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@weatherbrains.com.

• 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@weatherbrains.com.

• 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.