Off the Radar

Here's a special message from OTR host, Emily Gracey.

Dr. David Beuther, a pulmonologist, reveals how climate change is creating a quiet respiratory health crisis - one where patients with lung disease are increasingly trapped indoors by poor air quality. In this conversation, we explore the growing impact wildfire smoke, extended pollen seasons, and shifting weather patterns are having on our ability to breathe. Dr. Beuther shares practical strategi...

In January 2025, astronomers mistook Elon Musk's space-launched Tesla Roadster for a asteroid. It took seventeen hours to realize the "near-Earth object" was actually a seven-year-old sports car orbiting the Sun. We're losing track of what we've sent into space. This week, Emily sits down with Dr. Jonathan McDowell, an astrophysicist at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics who has track...

When Hurricane Melissa, a catastrophic Category 5 storm with 185 mph winds, slammed into Jamaica last week, the world's top hurricane chaser Josh Morgerman was there by choice. For 36 hours after the eyewall passed over him, he went silent, leaving his followers worried and waiting. In this episode, Emily sits down with Josh to explore his incredible three-decade career chasing more than 80 hurric...

Have you ever felt anxious about the weather, or wondered if you should cancel plans due to the forecast? You're not alone. In this episode, we sit down with Dr. Millicent Rose, a Professor of Clinical Psychology at Pepperdine University, to explore the often-overlooked intersection of weather and mental health. Dr. Rose discusses the causes behind weather-related fears, phobias, and trauma, and e...

For 88 years, Amelia Earhart's disappearance over the Pacific Ocean remained unsolved—until a casual discovery on Apple Maps changed everything. In 2020, an anomaly spotted in satellite imagery off a remote Pacific island reignited the search for her lost Lockheed Electra, and this November, researchers will finally investigate what may be the wreckage of her plane. But the Earhart case is just th...

Since 1792, The Old Farmer's Almanac has been helping Americans prepare for the seasons ahead - and it's still going strong 233 years later. In this episode, Emily sits down with Carol Connare, editor-in-chief of The Old Farmer's Almanac, to uncover the secrets behind their famous long-range forecasts and explore the publication's fascinating history. Carol shares surprising finds from centuries-o...

Seven years after losing her home to Hurricane Michael, content creator Meghan Lynn has found an unexpected calling: making hurricane preparedness go viral. She lives just outside of Tallahassee and experienced the Category 5 hurricane firsthand. Rather than let it defeat her, she used this traumatic experience as an opportunity. Now she educates millions through social media. The secret to her pe...

In May 2025, the U.S. government shut down Climate.gov and fired hundreds of NOAA employees, censoring vital climate change information that American taxpayers had already funded. This shocking act of climate science censorship mirrors a disturbing pattern in American history that goes back 75 years. From the lead poisoning cover-up of the 1920s to today's climate information blackout, this episod...

Maria Torres turned her childhood fascination with Puerto Rican storms into a groundbreaking career at the National Hurricane Center, where she serves as the first female Public Affairs Officer and bilingual spokesperson. In this special Hispanic Heritage Month episode, Maria shares her inspiring journey from a curious child watching lightning, to becoming the trusted Spanish-language voice that d...

For decades, fall foliage maps were mostly guesswork. Then meteorologist Evan Fisher, founder of Explore Fall, revolutionized leaf peeping by combining weather data with real-time observations to create the most accurate fall forecasts ever made. In this episode, Evan explains how this year's unusual weather is affecting autumn colors nationwide, demonstrates how his data archive can show you exac...

In 1816, the world experienced something unthinkable: a year without summer. Mount Tambora's catastrophic eruption in Indonesia – the most powerful volcanic blast in recorded history – sent eighty times more ash than Mount St. Helens into the atmosphere, blocking sunlight globally and altering weather patterns worldwide. Thousands of miles from the volcano, people witnessed blood-red sunsets and s...

As the 2025 hurricane season ramps up, we are bringing back this fan favorite from last year. This month marks the 64th anniversary of when Hurricane Carla battered the coast of Texas, instantly becoming one of the most intense and damaging hurricanes recorded in the state. But as houses and ships were battened down and residents fled the storm, some individuals with the Weather Bureau did the unt...

This week marks 20 years since Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans and the surrounding areas. It's a sobering reminder that human lives are at the center of weather forecasting and climate conversations. Today, Emily is going off the radar with Traci Curry, director of the new National Geographic docuseries "Hurricane Katrina: Race Against Time." We'll also hear from Shelton Alexander, a New...

This summer's devastating wildfire season has sent smoke across county, state, and even international borders, affecting air quality thousands of miles away from the flames. Host Emily Gracey dives deep into the science behind the haze, exploring why wildfire seasons are stretching longer each year and how a changing climate is literally adding fuel to the fire. You'll discover the invisible dance...

For nearly four decades, Jim Cantore has been America's most trusted voice in extreme weather. But in this deeply personal conversation, Emily sits down with the meteorological icon to explore the man behind the legend. Jim opens up about his New England childhood and the path that led him to The Weather Channel's early days, when cable television was still finding its footing. He shares candid st...

When the cameras start rolling, there’s one person film and TV productions can’t do without — the meteorologist. This week on Off the Radar, host Emily Gracey is joined by The National Weather Desk’s summer intern Ben Tomfohrde to talk with Brett Zweiback, the on-set weather expert trusted to keep high-budget shoots safe when the weather turns. From hit TV shows like Stranger Things and The Walkin...

When Hurricane Helene knocked out cell towers for weeks and Texas floods left communities without power or internet, one piece of technology kept working: NOAA Weather Radio. In this essential emergency preparedness episode, we explore why this 50-year-old analog technology is more critical than ever in our digital age. The episode opens with a powerful story from Dr. Neil Jacobs, incoming NOAA Ad...

On July 4th, 2024, flash flooding in the Texas Hill Country claimed multiple lives, including children, leaving a nation searching for answers. In this essential episode, host Emily Gracey talks with Dr. Kim Klockow McClain - NOAA meteorologist, social scientist, and mother - about how we move forward from tragedy. Dr. McClain explains why flash flood warnings are more complex than they appear, ad...

For a lot of people, summertime means beach season. But depending on where you live, you may have seen an increase in reported shark encounters over the past few years. In this episode, we're going off the radar with Greg Metzger, the Chief Field Coordinator for the shark work conducted through the South Fork Natural History Museum on Long Island. We'll be discussing how our changing climate is ca...

This week, Emily is going off the radar back to 1863! She'll be talking to Dr. Jon Nese, an Associate Head of Penn State University's Program in Meteorology and Atmospheric Science. Dr. Nese isn't just a meteorologist; he's also studied and written about how weather influenced the American Civil War! We'll explore how different weather elements affected everything about the Gettysburg campaign, di...

Craig Setzer has a unique job - he's Royal Caribbean's Chief Meteorologist. In this episode that originally aired in 2024, Craig shares what it's like predicting storms, waves, and wind along constantly moving cruise routes. Craig offers a behind-the-scenes look at how he works with ship captains to keep passengers and crew safe and comfortable. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and...

In September 1989, NOAA hurricane hunters became the first to encounter Hurricane Hugo—and nearly became its first victims. Flying at 1,500 feet, they hit G-Forces in the Category 5 storm's eyewall, losing control of the aircraft nearly plunging it into the ocean. The flight was so violent that some crew members never flew into another hurricane. Today we'll hear from Dr. Jeff Masters, the meteoro...

A storm surge causes coastal flooding, widespread devastation, and death. When a hurricane hits, the winds can blow away homes; but historically, a storm surge has been the deadliest part of a hurricane in the US. It can sweep houses right off their foundations and lead to a greater loss of life than hurricane winds alone. To better understand this phenomenon - and to grasp just how devastating an...

June 15th is Father's Day, and this week we're going off the radar with author Kelly V. Porter. She's honoring her late father, Alonzo Smith Jr., who was one of the first Black American meteorologists in history and the subject of Kelly's book, The Weather Officer. Join Kelly and Emily for an emotional and eye-opening historical perspective on the history of meteorology and race in America as we p...