If you are crazy about weather, this is THE netcast audio program for you!

Dr. Tim Samaras is a big time tornado chaser with a web site called thunderchase (see link below). Tim holds the Guinness World Record for measuring the lowest pressure of a tornado and is the only person to collect video from inside a tornado. Tim’s fascination with tornadoes started with a movie, The Wizard of Oz. Now he spend every May and June traveling 25,000 miles after those elusive storms. And he catches more than his fair share. As an engineer, Samaras has developed a unique instrument called a “turtle” which he places in front of approaching tornadoes. One such placement caught a direct hit of an F-4 tornado near Manchester, SD, recording the largest pressure drop ever. The probe sensors measure humidity, pressure, temperature, wind speed, and direction. Tim has a passion for what he does and he’s lucky to combine his electrical engineering with his interest in tornadoes.

Dog trainer Jolanta Benal joins us to talk about dogs and thunder.

Other discussions in this weekly podcast include topics like:

Beginning of Fall

High pressure plunging southward bringing cooler, drier air

Super flash flooding in Atlanta

Coldest air in northern Alaska with single digits

109 in Death Valley and in Arizona

Snow expected in northern Rockies

Drought lessened in Texas

and more!

Our mail bag continues to have good attention, and Kevin gives time to our writers.

From The Weather Center:

WeatherBrains 101: This episode of the 101 segment starts at the troposhere and works upward to identify the various layers in our atmosphere. This is part one and part two will air in the next episode.

TWIWH: Bill Murray looks back at the week of September 28th. 1995 was a busy year for hurricanes including Hurricane Opal which posed a unique challenge for forecasters.

Listener Surveys: Okay, we continue to drive this topic into the ground, but we really do like to hear from you. Many thanks to everyone who has taken the time to fill out the Listener Survey. The survey takes just a minute or two to complete and provides us with an opportunity to learn where you are and hear your thoughts and comments on the show. Click here to take the survey.

Web Sites from Episode 192:

Tim Samaras web site

Tornado Hunter

Picks of the Week:

Dr. Tim Coleman – Pictures of springs in a river

JB Elliott – No Pick so he gets the HORN!!!

Bill Murray – liveatc.net

Brian Peters – Viewing Glaciers from Space

Kevin Selle – NOAA’s strategic plan input
U. S. Drought Monitor
Boston Big Picture

James Spann – Plymouth State Weather Center (check out the tutorial section)

Join James Spann, JB Elliott, Kevin Selle, Dr. Tim Coleman, Bill Murray, and Brian Peters as they come together for another fascinating netcast about the weather.

We love to hear from you! To leave a recorded message, call 1-888-247-8627. Some calls may be used in future episodes. Also, feel free to post comments to the site and drop us an email at email at (at symbol) weatherbrains dot com.

Our guest this week is Robert Henson, Bob to his friends. Born and raised in Oklahoma City, he grew up with wild weather and a fascination for it. He attended Rice University where he got his Bachelors degree featuring an unusual combination of meteorology and psychology. His Masters from the University of Oklahoma was also interdisciplinary with journalism and meteorology. His thesis focused on the broadcasting of severe weather warnings on local television. He has been at UCAR since 1989 writing about the wide range of research and related activities at UCAR, UOP, and UCAR’s members and affiliates. When not writing, Bob enjoys bicycling and storm photography.

Other discussions in this weekly podcast include topics like:

James and Dr. Tim get cranky and take Mr. Henson to task about his position on “global warming”

Dr. Tim goes on a solo rant about the “global warming” movement

So, what did J.B. Elliott eat at the Southeast Severe Storms Symposium last week at Mississippi State

Do you remember the song about the 21st night of September???

and more!

From The Weather Center:

WeatherBrains 101: The professor goes over the edge with a new word for weather enthusiasts that also helps your Scrabble game. Nope, no hints on what it is, so you’ll just have to listen to find out.

TWIWH: Bill Murray looks back at the week of September 22nd with a special look at 1975 Hurricane Eloise.

Web Sites from Episode 191:

Robert Henson biographical notes

Robert Henson’s book, A Rough Guide to Climate Change

Picks of the Week:

JB Elliott – Daily Satellite Analysis of Snow and Ice Cover

Bill Murray – NCAR Surface Analysis Page

Kevin Selle – Twitter Information Pipeline

James Spann – Dr. John Christy Responds to Report on Global Climate Change

Join James Spann, JB Elliott, Dr. Tim Coleman, and Bill Murray as they come together for another fascinating netcast about the weather.

We love to hear from you! To leave a recorded message, call 1-888-247-8627. Some calls may be used in future episodes. Also, feel free to post comments to the site and drop us an email at email at (at symbol) weatherbrains dot com.

Other discussions in this weekly podcast include topics like:

An interview with Rob Lightbown of Crown Weather Services

An interview with Paul Brill of the NWS iPhone App

Spann goes off with another rant about Adobe

J.B. and Spann are planning their restaurant stops during the annual Southeast Severe Storms Symposium at Mississippi State University this week

and more!

Our mail bag has been getting some attention and Kevin puts it in perspective.

From The Weather Center:

WeatherBrains 101: Anyone who is a weather enthusiast knows that our atmosphere is anything but standard. But did you know that there actually is a standard atmosphere? The professor takes us on a tour of what makes a standard atmosphere.

TWIWH: Bill Murray looks back at the week of September 14th.

Web Sites from Episode 190:

Crown Weather Services

Picks of the Week:

Dr. Tim Coleman – UAH MIPS Real-time weather

JB Elliott – Fall colors

Bill Murray – Tom Skilling’s web blog

Brian Peters (absent from the show, but still kind enough to send in a pick!) – video of the Perito Moreno Glacier

Kevin Selle – NWS Coop Program

James Spann – Joe Bastardi/Bill O’Reilly video

Join James Spann, JB Elliott, Kevin Selle, Dr. Tim Coleman, and Bill Murray, as they come together for another fascinating netcast about the weather.

We love to hear from you! To leave a recorded message, call 1-888-247-8627. Some calls may be used in future episodes. Also, feel free to post comments to the site and drop us an email at email at (at symbol) weatherbrains dot com

This week we bring in two MICs or Meteorologist in Charge. One you’ve heard before (check out Weather Brains 176) because we pick on him since he’s in the backyard of many of the Weather Brains regulars – that’s Jim Stefkovich of the Birmingham National Weather Service (NWS) Forecast Office. To add to the evening we also have John Gordon, MIC of the Louisville, KY, NWS Forecast Office.

John Gordon has been the MIC at Louisville since 2005. A 14-year NWS veteran, Gordon has held a variety of forecast and management positions in Mississippi, Alabama, Missouri, and Tennessee. Gordon earned his bachelor’s degree in meteorology from Park College of St. Louis University in 1986 and earned a master’s in teaching of geosciences at Mississippi State University in 2002. As a member of the Air Force Reserve since 1993, Gordon serves as a flight meteorologist with the Air Force Hurricane Hunters out of Keesler AFB, MS. Gordon flew six missions into the Category 4 hurricanes Frances and Ivan in 2004 and has made 112 hurricane-penetrating flights.

Other discussions in this weekly podcast include topics like:

Lunch for JB was a bowl of cabbage soup along with blueberry yogurt

Heat waning in Texas but drought still holding tough

TD7 may become a storm

and more!

Our mail bag has not been overworked, but the way our EMO (email officer) puts it, you would be sure he needs a raise to handle all of it.

From The Weather Center:

WeatherBrains 101: Much of our weather occurs on two scales, the synoptic and the mesoscale. A mesoscale feature that we experience a great deal during the summer months is the outflow boundary. This week the professor’s topic looks at some aspects of outflow boundaries and how they impact our weather.

TWIWH: Bill Murray looks back at the week of September 7th. And what a big week this is in US weather history – the week of the Galveston Hurricane, the most devastating natural disaster in the history of this country.

Listener Surveys: Okay, we continue to drive this topic into the ground, but we really do like to hear from you. Many thanks to everyone who has taken the time to fill out the Listener Survey. The survey takes just a minute or two to complete and provides us with an opportunity to learn where you are and hear your thoughts and comments on the show. Click here to take the survey.

Web Sites from Episode 189:

NWS Birmingham

NWS Louisville

Weather Innovations

Picks of the Week:

JB Elliott – The Full Fog Horn with no pick

Bill Murray – Tornado Hunter

Brian Peters – Extreme Weather and Climate Events at NCDC

Kevin Selle – WeatherCall

James Spann – Forecast Soundings

Join James Spann, JB Elliott, Kevin Selle, Bill Murray, and Brian Peters as they come together for another fascinating netcast about the weather.

We love to hear from you! To leave a recorded message, call 1-888-247-8627. Some calls may be used in future episodes. Also, feel free to post comments to the site and drop us an email at email at (at symbol) weatherbrains dot com.

Our special guest for this episode recorded on September 1st is Tom Skilling. Thomas E. Skilling, III, born February 20, 1952, is known on-air as Tom Skilling and he is a popular meteorologist on WGN-TV in Chicago, IL. He is the weather anchor for WGN News at Noon, 5:30, and Nine.

Skilling began his career in broadcasting at age 14, working for WKKD/WLXT-TV Channel 60 in Aurora, IL, while attending school at West Aurora High School. He studied meteorology and journalism at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. After college he worked as a weatherman in Jacksonville, FL, Madison, WI, and Milwaukee, WI. In January 1995, Tom received an Honorary Doctorate of Humanities from Lewis University in Romeoville, IL.

Skilling returned to the Chicago area and began working for WGN-TV Channel 9 in 1978. He is currently WGN’s chief meteorologist and is rumored to be the highest paid broadcast meteorologist in the United States. He also writes the daily weather column in the Chicago Tribune whose corporate parent, the Tribune Company, owns WGN. His weather broadcasts have always featured the latest technology in computer imagery and animation techniques. He has long been hailed for his in-depth reports and striking accuracy. “Skillful”, as his late WGN colleague Bob Collins called him, was consulted for the movie The Weather Man which was set in Skilling’s hometown of Chicago at a fictionalized version of WGN.

Skilling is a member of the American Meteorological Society and the National Weather Association. He hosts annual tornado and severe weather seminars at the Fermi National Accelerator Lab in Batavia, IL. 2006 marked the 25th year of the seminar.

Other discussions in this weekly podcast include topics like:

No breakfast for JB but a meatloaf sandwich yesterday for lunch

WeatherInsiders closes temporarily after this week

and more!

We are always happy to see our mail bag getting some attention and our Email Officer, Kevin, gives a rundown on what has come in. The topic of sirens and weather radio comes up again.

From The Weather Center:

WeatherBrains 101: James Espy was one of the earliest meteorologists in the US, so this week we take a look at a person who was once described as “a foremost American meteorologist” who also developed a theory on convection.

TWIWH: Bill Murray looks back at the week of September 1st focusing on the Hurricane Hunters.

Listener Surveys: Okay, we continue to drive this topic into the ground, but we really do like to hear from you. Many thanks to everyone who has taken the time to fill out the Listener Survey. The survey takes just a minute or two to complete and provides us with an opportunity to learn where you are and hear your thoughts and comments on the show. Click here to take the survey.

Web Sites from Episode 188:

WGN-TV Channel 9 Chicago, IL

Weather Toolbox

Picks of the Week:

JB Elliott - No Pick this week

Bill Murray - Hurricane, an iPhone app from Kitty Code, LLC

Brian Peters - Weather Satellite Tracking at NASA

Kevin Selle - Weather Bug cameras

James Spann - Snow Leopard

Join James Spann, JB Elliott, Kevin Selle, Bill Murray, and Brian Peters as they come together for another fascinating netcast about the weather.

We love to hear from you! To leave a recorded message, call 1-888-247-8627. Some calls may be used in future episodes. Also, feel free to post comments to the site and drop us an email at email at (at symbol) weatherbrains dot com.

Our guest on this episode of Weather Brains is Dr. Ivor van Heerden. Dr. Van Heerden holds a doctorate degree in Marine Sciences and is the deputy director of the Louisiana State University (LSU) Hurricane Center. He is also the director of the Center for the Study of Public Health Impacts of Hurricanes.Dr. Van Heerden was born in South Africa. He created a hurricane modeling program at LSU. For the last decade he has been one of the most persistent voices warning of the inevitable effects of a major hurricane on the Louisiana coast. He was one of several hundred participants at the Hurricane Pam exercise in July 2004. He claims that his warnings during the Hurricane Pam exercise were ignored, which may have contributed to the Hurricane Katrina disaster. He has also taken the Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) to task for their misdesigns which caused the Levee failures in Greater New Orleans, 2005. He has been the focus of controversy from time-to-time, too. For a time LSU told him not to talk to the media, amid concerns that his book, The Storm was endangering federal grant money flowing to the university.

Plus Bill Murray brings a quick interview about El Nino and the impact on Atlantic hurricane seasons.

Other discussions in this weekly podcast include topics like:

vienna sausage was on the lunch menu

Central and South Texas have 100+ heat along with drought

Along with hay rustling

Not much severe weather in the US

Tropics somewhat quiet after A, B, and C storms

Bill’s waves engulfed more than 2 dozen people sitting on rocks in coastal Maine

and more!

Thanks for the attention to our mail bag. Kevin provides the rundown on your emails.

From The Weather Center:

WeatherBrains 101: Weather and climate - two words with different meanings that are occasionally used interchangeably. This week the Professor takes a look at how the two topics are different.

TWIWH: Bill Murray looks back at the week of August 25th with a timely focus on Hurricane Katrina.

Listener Surveys: Okay, we continue to drive this topic into the ground, but we really do like to hear from you. Many thanks to everyone who has taken the time to fill out the Listener Survey. The survey takes just a minute or two to complete and provides us with an opportunity to learn where you are and hear your thoughts and comments on the show. Click here to take the survey.

Web Sites from Episode 187:

Dr. Ivor van Heerden’s site, “The Storm”

Picks of the Week:

J. B. Elliott - No Pick from JB

Bill Murray - Hurricane Link

Brian Peters - Date and times of Earth’s Seasons

James Spann - An Old WeatherBrains Interview with Robert Ricks

Kevin Selle - NOAAWatch Widgets

Join James Spann, JB Elliott, Kevin Selle, Dr. Tim Coleman, Bill Murray, and Brian Peters as they come together for another fascinating netcast about the weather.

We love to hear from you! To leave a recorded message, call 1-888-247-8627. Some calls may be used in future episodes. Also, feel free to post comments to the site and drop us an email at email at (at symbol) weatherbrains dot com.

This week’s show focuses on the 40th anniversary of Hurricane Camille… our special guest is Jack Williams, author of the AMS Weather Book, the Ultimate Guide To America’s Weather. Jack and our regular panelists relive the Category 5 hurricane that brought so much destruction to the Mississippi Gulf Coast in August 1969. You also hear from some people who survived that incredible storm.

Other discussions in this weekly podcast include topics like:

Spann’s rant on TV news coverage of marginal tropical storms

J.B. has a sandwich named after him?

Where was Kevin last week?

and more!

Our mail bag has been getting some attention and Kevin puts it in perspective.

From The Weather Center:

WeatherBrains 101: When you think of radar, you usually think of precipitation. But clear air mode is another option available to the WSR-88D Doppler radar network and the topic for this week in WeatherBrains 101.

TWIWH: Bill Murray looks back at the week of August 18th.

Picks of the Week:

Bill Murray - Perilous Place, Powerful Storms

James Spann - Florida State Tropical Model Page

JB Elliott - National Interagency Fire Center, Boise, ID

Kevin Selle - iMap Weather

Join James Spann, JB Elliott, Kevin Selle, Bill Murray, and Brian Peters as they come together for another fascinating netcast about the weather.

We love to hear from you! To leave a recorded message, call 1-888-247-8627. Some calls may be used in future episodes. Also, feel free to post comments to the site and drop us an email at email at (at symbol) weatherbrains dot com.

This week’s special guest is Abby Sallinger, author of “Island In A Storm”, a book about the unnamed hurricane that blew across Louisiana’s barrier island of Isle Derniere, on Aug. 10, 1856.

Other discussions in this weekly podcast include topics like:

 

Dr. Tim’s trip last week to Oklahoma City

The tropics are coming alive

Bill takes over this week as e-mail officer with Kevin AWOL

A talk with Tanya King of the Hurricane Hunters about their mission in Hawaii in recent days

and more!

From The Weather Center:

WeatherBrains 101: With apologies to our infamous weather historian, Mr. Murray, the professor tackles some interesting hurricane facts even as the 2009 season has yet to get underway.

TWIWH: Bill Murray looks back at the week of August 11th.

Picks of the Week:

Dr. Tim Coleman - National Severe Storms Lab web site

Bill Murray - Spaceweather.com iPhone App

James Spann - Saharan Air Layer satellite image

JB Elliott - No pick this week… he gets the horn!

Join James Spann, JB Elliott, Dr. Tim Coleman, and Bill Murray as they gather for another fascinating netcast about the weather.

We love to hear from you! To leave a recorded message, call 1-888-247-8627. Some calls may be used in future episodes. Also, feel free to post comments to the site and drop us an email at email at (at symbol) weatherbrains dot com.

Our guest for this out of sync show is David Hoadley, storm chaser extraordinaire. David began chasing tornadoes in June, 1956, after a severe thunderstorm knocked over trees and power lines in town. He spent the next day driving around, taking 8mm movies of the damage and was soon hooked on the power and fascination of mother nature. Since then, David has developed his skills as a storm chaser and was the recipient of the 2006 TESSA “Meat Wagon Award.” David talks about some of the early days of storm chasing and some of the techniques he uses. He has seen a total of 199 tornadoes and photographed 181. Dave also started Storm Track, the first newsletter for storm chasers, and he did all the art work for the issues.Other discussions in this weekly podcast include topics like:

Tornadoes near Memphis and Olive Branch unusually strong

Heat in the Northwest

40 days at 100 or higher in South Texas

Severe drought over South Texas

102 in Seattle for hottest ever

122 today in Death Valley (July 31st)

and more!

Our mail bag is a little short since the shows are close together and the regular email officer is AWOL so Bill fills in for Kevin.

From The Weather Center:

WeatherBrains 101: The word comes from Spanish for straight ahead or direct, but it can be one mean thunderstorm situation. This episode of 101 looks at the Derecho including some of the conditions needed for it and just how bad some of them can become.

TWIWH: Bill Murray looks back at the week of August 4th. Firefighters going after forest fires need to know the weather well especially for smoke jumpers.

Listener Surveys: Okay, we continue to drive this topic into the ground, but we really do like to hear from you. Many thanks to everyone who has taken the time to fill out the Listener Survey. The survey takes just a minute or two to complete and provides us with an opportunity to learn where you are and hear your thoughts and comments on the show. Click here to take the survey.

Web Sites from Episode 184:

Roger Edwards on David Hoadley

Gene Roden tribute to David Hoadley

TESSA Home Page

Picks of the Week:

Bill Murray - “The Storm” by Ivor van Heerden

Brian Peters - Derecho facts at SPC

James Spann - A complete list of things caused by global warming

JB Elliott - IWIN Web Site

Twitter list: Here is a list of all the Twitter addresses for the WeatherBrains crew.

James Spann	Kevin Selle	Bill Murray
J. B. Elliott	Dr. Tim Coleman	Brian Peters
	WeatherBrains

Join James Spann, JB Elliott, Bill Murray, and Brian Peters as they gather for another fascinating netcast about the weather.

We love to hear from you! To leave a recorded message, call 1-888-247-8627. Some calls may be used in future episodes. Also, feel free to post comments to the site and drop us an email at email at (at symbol) weatherbrains dot com.

Our guest this week comes from the Mid-Atlantic states and is Tony Pann, meteorologist with WUSA-TV in Washington, DC. Tony Pann first joined 9NEWS NOW in October of 2001. He spent eight years at WBAL in Baltimore, and also worked at WCBS in New York. Tony has been seen on the nationally-aired NBC Weekend Today Show and the Weekend Early Show on CBS. He has a Bachelor of Science Degree in Meteorology from Northern Illinois University and the AMS Seal of Approval. Tony’s wife, Mary Ellen, is also a TV meteorologist, working at FOX 43 in York, PA. Yes, there are many “discussions” about the weather forecast at home. Tony recently moved back to Baltimore with WUSA-TV. Tony delves into his thinking on why the Internet has ruined weather forecasts - giving up accuracy for ease.Other discussions in this weekly podcast include topics like:

114 in Phoenix - all days in July over 100

No 90-degree weather in New York City

Flash Flooding in Massachusetts

Corpus Christie dry with less than an inch of rain

and more!

Seeing objects in clouds on WeatherBrains 101 last week got a response from England. Here is Paul’s photo (you can click for a larger image):

Mail keeps pouring in, so Kevin does a complete review of what has come in this last week. Topics include volcanoes, photos of clouds, tornado warnings, and others.

From The Weather Center:

WeatherBrains 101: The professor sees lots of things in the atmosphere, so it is no surprise that the topic of discussion this week is the green flash. No, it is not a character from a comic book, but it is tough to see.

TWIWH: Bill Murray looks back at the week of July 27th with apologies to David Letterman.

Listener Surveys: Okay, we continue to drive this topic into the ground, but we really do like to hear from you. Many thanks to everyone who has taken the time to fill out the Listener Survey. The survey takes just a minute or two to complete and provides us with an opportunity to learn where you are and hear your thoughts and comments on the show. Click here to take the survey.

Web Sites from Episode 183:

Tony Pann

Tony’s Web Site

Tony Pann’s Book

WeatherInsiders

Picks of the Week:

Dr. Tim Coleman - Current Temps over Antarctica

Bill Murray - Live New Cameras

Brian Peters - No Pick This Week

James Spann - Space Weather

JB Elliott - No Pick AGAIN

Kevin Selle - Italian Weather

Join James Spann, JB Elliott, Kevin Selle, Dr. Tim Coleman, Bill Murray, and Brian Peters as they come together for another fascinating netcast about the weather.

Twitter list: Here is a list of all the Twitter addresses for the WeatherBrains crew.

James Spann	Kevin Selle	Bill Murray
J. B. Elliott	Dr. Tim Coleman	Brian Peters
	WeatherBrains

We love to hear from you! To leave a recorded message, call 1-888-247-8627. Some calls may be used in future episodes. Also, feel free to post comments to the site and drop us an email at email at (at symbol) weatherbrains dot com.