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@weatherbrains.com.

• 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:

Alabama Weather Network

Picks of the Week:

Tom Paylor - Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD) has reached a new record weekly negative value

James Aydelott - Nick Gilby on X: Large hail photo in Ingleside, Texas

Jen Narramore - Out

Rick Smith - Out

Troy Kimmel - NWS Atlanta weather observation comment controversy

Kim Klockow-McClain - Why Counting Disaster Deaths Is Complicated and How NORC Is Helping Get It Right

John Gordon - Ben Noll on X: Record-setting water vapor pulsing across Earth's skies

Bill Murray - Foghorn

James Spann - iCyclone Facebook page

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 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.

Tonight's Guest WeatherBrain is Jen Carfagno, co-host of America's Morning Headquarters and the Weather Geeks podcast on The Weather Channel. A Penn State meteorology graduate with over 25 years of experience, she has covered major weather events like hurricanes, tornadoes, and blizzards, helping audiences understand storm science. Starting behind the scenes before becoming an on-air meteorologist, she earned an Emmy Award for her coverage of Hurricane Helene in 2024. Known as the "Dewpoint Diva," Jen is recognized for her expertise and enthusiasm in meteorology. Jen, 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.

• Origin of "Dewpoint Diva" (12:00)
• Handling demands of the digital world with time constraints in the weather business (20:00)
• Dealing with negativity and harassment online (22:00)
• Innovations/major changes in recent years in the weather business (26:00)
• Support staff at TWC (33:30)
• TWC providing local forecasts for Allen Media Stations? (38:00)
• Reporting in the field vs in studio (49:00)
• Communication difficulties during major events like Helene and Harvey (56:30)
• Importance of recognizing past impactful weather events and learning from them (01:01:00)
• Does the public understand what a wind advisory is and are those warnings heeded? (01:11:00)
• Jen Carfagno as a guest DJ (01:18:00)
• Fox Weather vs TWC (01:26:00)
• The Astronomy Outlook with Tony Rice (01:29:00)
• This Week in Tornado History With Jen (01:31:00)
• E-Mail Segment (No segment this week - stay tuned!)
• and more!

Web Sites from Episode 1031:

Alabama Weather Network

Jen Carfagno on X

Picks of the Week:

Jen Carfagno - Everything Weather App

James Aydelott - Ermont, France tornado

Jen Narramore - Violent tornado in France

Rick Smith - Out

Troy Kimmel - Out

Kim Klockow-McClain - Weather Star 4000+

John Gordon - Beach umbrellas go flying in the wind at Florida beach

Bill Murray - Out

James Spann - Lightning strike kills teenage hunter during weekend storms

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.