WeatherBrains

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 secon...

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 meteorologis...

Tonight's Guest WeatherBrains are two Kansas City meteorologists who both went to St. Louis for meteorology and both have had incredibly long and storied careers.  They are also unlikely close friends behind camera.  Bryan and Joe, it's great to have you both on the show tonight! Bryan Busby , Chief Meteorologist at KMBC 9 News since 1985, is one of Kansas City's most respected and recognized mete...

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 th...

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...

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...

Our Guest WeatherBrain for this week's episode is Melissa Marcelloni, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Brownsville, Texas.  Melissa has worked a variety of high-impact events, including hurricanes, microbursts, and flooding, and she's also an experienced storm chaser. Before joining the NWS, she served as a catastrophe claim specialist, giving her a unique perspective on the in...

Tonight's show comes to you from the 2025 NWA Annual Meeting in Huntsville at the Von Braun Civic Center. Janice Bunting is the Executive Director of the NWA stops by first to talk to the panel.  She's pulled off an amazing event this year under trying circumstances.  Throughout the evening, other notable leaders in the weather industry will also stop by to chat with our panel about this year's me...

Tonight's Guest WeatherBrain is a meteorologist, climatologist, instructor, and now author.  She has a brand new book just released titled "Wilder Weather:  What Laura Ingalls Wilder Teaches Us About Weather, Climate, And Protecting What We Cherish".  In her book, she digs deep into Wilder's depictions of weather events and helps readers connect past weather to present weather.  She's worked at NO...

WeatherBrains Episode 1023B is a deep dive into 2005's Hurricane Katrina.  It's hard to believe, but the tragedy is approaching its 20th anniversary. Tonight's Guest WeatherBrain for this somber episode is the Curator of the Ground Zero Museum in Waveland, Mississippi.  She's a retired RN and was a former Nurse Administrator in New Orleans, LA.  Bernie Cullen, thanks for joining us. Guest Panelist...

WeatherBrains Episode 1023A is a preview of the upcoming 2025 NWA Annual Meeting in Huntsville, AL.  The meeting is only two weeks away from the date of recording (August 25th, 2025). Show veteran Kevin Laws joins us to dive into the upcoming NWA Annual Meeting in Huntsville.  He currently serves as the SOO (Science and Operations Officer) of the Birmingham, AL NWS office.  Kevin, it's great to se...

Tonight's Guest WeatherBrain is a professor of mechanical engineering and applied mathematics at the University of Pennsylvania.  He previously served as a principal scientist at Microsoft Research, where he led the development of Aurora.  This was the groundbreaking AI foundation model for earth system forecasting.  Dr. Paris Perdikaris, welcome to WeatherBrains! Our email officer Jen is continui...

Tonight's First Guest WeatherBrain is a meteorologist and veteran storm chaser who has documented tornadoes, hurricanes and supercells across the United States since 2015.  He has degrees from Arizona State University and the University of Oklahoma, where he operated a mobile radar under tornado research pioneer Dr. Howie Bluestein.  Trey Greenwood, welcome to the show! Our Second Guest WeatherBra...

Tonight's special Guest WeatherBrain is Evan Fryberger, who is an independent content creator and a weather communicator who has built a loyal following online.  He's a calm and informed voice in the ever-noisy world of weather streaming.  His no-hype approach stands out in an age of rising anxiety and clickbait.  Evan, welcome to WeatherBrains! Our email officer Jen is continuing to handle the in...

Tonight is a late-summer unfiltered homegrown show from the panel, and it's an array of important topics, including the launch of the Alabama Weather Network.  The panel discuss its mission and vision moving forward.  The regulars deep-dive into other pressing topics like confusion over county warning areas, new information about the Texas flooding tragedy, and much more.  Thanks for listening! Ou...

Tonight's Hall of Fame Episode pays tribute to the legendary late broadcast meteorologist and industry pioneer Gary England, who passed away on June 10th 2025.  He was 85 years old.  We have three Guest WeatherBrains tonight to help us honor Gary England, who was a pioneer and a trailblazer in the field of meteorology.  Our first two Guest WeatherBrains appeared on Episode No. 946. First up is Dav...

Tonight's episode features TWO special guests! Our Guest WeatherBrain for tonight is an award winning journalist and author who's latest book "Cloud Warriors" was recently named one of Barnes and Nobles's best science and technology books in 2025 with a background in investigative and narrative journalism.  He brings a deep curiosity and perspective to the world of atmospheric science.  In researc...

Tonight's episode comes on the heels of another horrific weather tragedy; a Texas hill country flash flooding event that killed at least 100 people.   This was a flash flood that we all fear - extreme rainfall, rugged terrain, and was a nocturnal event overnight on a holiday weekend.  It's a home-grown show among our panelists, and it's a critical topic about a historical weather event. Our email...

Tonight's guest joins us from Bonn, Germany — and from the far side of the clock, where it's 2 a.m. local time! Lars Lowinski is a seasoned meteorologist with international experience spanning Europe and New Zealand. He now works with WetterOnline, one of Europe's largest weather platforms, where he connects their U.S. business operations with German-based product development and training. He's al...

Tonight's show features an assortment of guests as we take a deep-dive into the National Weather Association - what it is, and why it matters.  In addition, we examine how the NWA is evolving in its 50th year.  We will talk about the NWA Road Map, the critical role of the NWA seals (both broadcast and digital), the power of professional service and volunteering, and the future of trusted weather c...

Tonight's Guest WeatherBrain is the creator of Durango Weather Guy Hyper Local Weather Blog that is an essential forecasting source for the residents of the San Juan Mountains in southwest Colorado.  He's a former investment banker turned real estate agent and he taught himself meteorology.  He now delivers deeply personalized forecasts to nearly the entire population of Durango, Colorado.  Jeff G...

Tonight's Guest WeatherBrain is one of the rising stars in the new wave of digital storm coverage.  His livestreams have gained national attention for their accuracy, clarity, and his calm demeanor under pressure.  He's part of a growing cadre of content creators that are changing how people experience severe weather in real time.  He also recently graduated with a degree in Meteorology.  Max Velo...

Tonight's Guest WeatherBrain is a show veteran and seasoned meteorologist known for cutting through the noise to clearly communicate impacts in a high-stakes environment.  He has experience in digital media and corporate forecasting.  His insights have earned praise from CEOs, traders and major media outlets like The New York Times and BBC.  Matt Lanza, welcome to WeatherBrains! Our email officer...

Tonight's Guest WeatherBrain is an award winning journalist and author who runs the New England Historical Society.  She's been sharing of New England's past since 2013.  With a background in reporting, she brings history to life through the lenses of food, travel, scandal, immigration, and weather.  She joins us to discuss their new book, "New England Weather: Historic Storms, Twisters, Floods, D...

Tonight's Guest WeatherBrain is a Professor of Geology from the University of Alabama, where he specializes in synoptic climatology, which focuses on the intersection of weather, risk, perception and public response.  His research focuses on how people interpret severe weather messaging; especially tornadoes and hurricanes.  He's also a key contributor to projects on warning communication.    Dr....