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.

Tonight's Guest WeatherBrain is Illinois Congressman Eric Sorensen. He last joined the WeatherBrains panel in 2022 when he was first running for office. He is now in his second term in Congress and is a meteorologist who has represented Illinois's 17th congressional district since 2023, covering much of western and central Illinois, including Moline, Rock Island, parts of Peoria, Rockford, and the Illinois side of the Quad Cities. Congressman, we are honored to have you join us tonight!

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

• Update on Dr. Jacobs (0:45)
• June 20th, 2025 North Dakota EF5 (02:45)
• Meteorologists in Congress (09:00)
• Weather and politics (17:00)
• Bipartisan SST Committee (18:00)
• U.S. Government shutdown and how it has affected the weather community (21:30)
• Science-focused legislators (29:00)
• Learning to admit you can be wrong and don't know (45:00)
• Social media reaction to the end of the EF5 drought (46:00)
• Ted Fujita's tornado scale was created in 1973 (53:00)
• Is the door open to change ratings of long-past tornadoes and hurricanes? (56:00)
• Tornado damage vs straight-line wind damage (01:08:00)
• Inaction during Severe Thunderstorm Warnings (01:12:00)
• The Astronomy Outlook with Tony Rice (No segment this week - stay tuned!)
• This Week in Tornado History With Jen (01:13:30)
• E-Mail Segment (01:15:20)
• Tropics discussion (01:19:00)
• and more!

Web Sites from Episode 1029:

Alabama Weather Network

Congressman Eric Sorensen on X

Picks of the Week:

James Aydelott - EF5 tornado drought is over

Jen Narramore - Helpful tornado technology created by MU meteorology student

Rick Smith - New study reveals potential cause of a 'drought' in violent EF5 tornadoes

Troy Kimmel - Delta Flight Museum

Kim Klockow-McClain - Foghorn

John Gordon - Rain, snow and a double rainbow in Laramie, Wyoming

Bill Murray - Out

James Spann - Tim Marshall: We have an EF5 tornado in North Dakota!

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 a Professor of Meteorology at Penn State University. He's a former Weather Channel Storm Analyst and co-author of "Philadelphia Area Weather Book". Dr. Jon Nese, it's great to have you back on the show tonight.

Our second Guest WeatherBrain is the author of "Gettysburg's Lost Love Story: The Ill-Fated Romance of General John Reynolds and Kate Hewitt" and has over three decades of experience working with naval intelligence. Jeffrey Harding, welcome to WeatherBrains!

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

• "Second Summer" vs "Indian Summer" (05:00)
• Extreme hardships of Civil War soldiers (12:00)
• NOAA reanalysis capability regarding the Gettysburg Campaign (15:00)
• Weather observations available to Civil War-era professionals in early 1860s (21:30)
• When the reanalysis data disagreed with the soldier's diaries (25:30)
• 1863's meteorological impacts and the turning point of the Civil War (32:00)
• Temperature difference between gray and blue uniforms while in blazing heat (37:00)
• Wet bulb globe temperature guidelines (49:45)
• Flash flooding and Lee's retreat after Battle of Gettysburg (53:00)
• Greg Forbes and his involvement in the Gettysburg book (01:02:00)
• The Astronomy Outlook with Tony Rice (No segment this week - stay tuned!)
• This Week in Tornado History With Jen (01:21:20)
• E-Mail Segment (01:22:45)
• and more!

Web Sites from Episode 1028:

Alabama Weather Network

"The Philadelphia Area Weather Book" by Jon Nese, Glenn Schwartz and Edward Rendell

"Gettysburg's Lost Love Story: The Ill-Fated Romance of General John Reynolds and Kate Hewitt" by Jeffrey J Harding

Picks of the Week:

James Aydelott - Okie J in front of funnel cake stand

Jen Narramore - Tornado Talk Podcast: September 30th, 1959 Ivy-Mechums River, VA F3 Tornado

Rick Smith - Out

Troy Kimmel - Two hunters die after being struck by lightning while hunting in Florida flatlands

Troy Kimmel - Young elk hunting friends who vanished in Colorado wilderness were both killed by lightning strike

Kim Klockow-McClain - Fujiwhara typologies discussion

John Gordon - What is a sting jet?

Bill Murray - Spanning Alabama Ep. 3 - Rickwood Field (YouTube)

James Spann - 403rd Wing on X: Lightning Cockpit 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 comes to us by way of a suggestion from friend of the podcast and WeatherBrains veteran Kevin Laws. Randy Bowers currently serves as the Severe Weather Program Lead at the National Weather Service, a role that involves strategic planning, technical execution, and maintaining operational consistency across all severe weather services. Before this position, he worked in forecast operations at offices in Indianapolis, Norman (OK), Amarillo (TX), and others. His primary interests lie in mesoscale meteorology and radar, and he has participated in several testbeds aimed at advancing forecasting techniques and technologies. Randy, we're delighted to have you with us tonight.

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

• Nashville April 16th, 1998 tornado (10:30)
• April 8th, 1998 Birmingham, AL F5 and complications with nighttime tornadoes (13:30)
• Randy's A Day In The Life (23:30)
• Ongoing major projects at the NWS (25:00)
• Moving forward with weather apps in the future (29:00)
• "Do No Harm" standard with new weather technology (31:00)
• Indefinite holding pattern with NWS app timeline (40:00)
• Household penetration of weather radios (44:30)
• Twelve minute lead time is not sufficient to move patients to safety in a hospital/Manufactured home residents (56:00)
• Remote mesoanalysis program (58:30)
• FAR/Excessive severe thunderstorm warnings (01:01:00)
• The Astronomy Outlook with Tony Rice (01:23:50)
• This Week in Tornado History With Jen (01:26:00)
• E-Mail Segment (No segment this week - stay tuned!)
• and more!

Web Sites from Episode 1027:

Alabama Weather Network

Picks of the Week:

Randy Bowers - NSSL Warn-On Forecast

Kevin Laws - Texas Tech University Dr. Ted Fujita Archival Records

James Aydelott - James Aydelott on Facebook: Snowplow photo

Jen Narramore - Foghorn

Rick Smith - Weather Safety Information For Deaf and Hard of Hearing

Troy Kimmel - WPC Experimental Urban Rain Rate Dashboard (URRD)

Kim Klockow-McClain - U.S. Senate: Nominations Confirmed (Civilian)

John Gordon - UPS Fog Technique

Bill Murray - Foghorn

James Spann - Experienced hunters found dead in Conejos County last week were struck by lightning, authorities say

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.