WeatherBrains 1051: Oh My Cod!
WeatherBrains
Tonight's WeatherBrains is all about the NWS Storm Prediction Center (SPC)'s convective outlooks. Guest WeatherBrain and SPC forecaster Bill Bunting joins us tonight. He grew up in Virginia Beach, VA where we experienced a series of hurricanes and Nor'easters at a very young age. He attended Old Dominion University as well as OU where he earned his Bachelor's Degree. He's been with the National Weather Service since 1985, where he's worked primarily at local offices in Norman (OK), Kansas City (MO) and Fort Worth (TX). He was Chief of Forecasting Operations at SPC in...
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WeatherBrains 1050: VCP Dance
WeatherBrains
Tonight's WeatherBrains episode will cover the Purdue Meteorology Program. The Panel takes a deep dive into both the undergraduate and graduate programs. Guest WeatherBrain Dr. Robin Tanamachi joins us tonight from Purdue University. She's a member of the AMS and is working with UCAR and COMET on a radar meteorology course. She's an avid cyclist and storm chaser. It's great to have you on tonight, Dr. Tanamachi! Guest WeatherBrain Dr Beth Hall joins us to discuss what's happening with the Indiana State Climatologist office. She's also the director of the Midwest...
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WeatherBrains 1049: Say A Little WeatherBrains Prayer
WeatherBrains
Tonight's show is all about radar and reflectivity. Guest WeatherBrain Charles Kuster works in the radar division of NSSL. He started his career at the OU Cooperative Institute. Then, moved to NSSL and has been there ever since. He attended the University of Oklahoma, where he completed his Bachelor’s degree in 2012 and eventually his Master’s in 2014. Charles was a Graduate Research Assistant with OU CIMMS before securing a position as Research Associate in January of this year. Charles, welcome to WeatherBrains! Second Guest WeatherBrain Jami Boettcher came...
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WeatherBrains 1048: Keep Thy Mouth Shut
WeatherBrains
Tonight's Guest WeatherBrain is Melinda Beerends. She is the MIC (Meteorologist in Charge) of Grand Forks, ND. Welcome! Our Guest WeatherBrain No. 2 tonight is meteorologist Carl Jones. He's a forecaster for the NWS in Grand Forks, ND. He earned his Bachelor of Science from Florida State University. His professional focus remains operational forecasting and photography. Thanks for joining us tonight! Last but certainly not least, Guest WeatherBrain No. 3 is a meteorologist from the NWS office in Grand Forks, ND. He is a St. Cloud State graduate and is...
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WeatherBrains 1047: I Hate Miller Bs
WeatherBrains
Tonight's Guest Panelist is a meteorologist and author who is President and CEO of NorCast Media Group. Focusing on the Northeast, NorCast is known for combining detailed forecasting with storytelling. He recently released a book inspired in part by the influence of his grandmother and his lifelong fascination with weather. Nick Pittman, thanks for joining us tonight! Our Guest WeatherBrain for this week's episode is an on-air broadcast meteorologist for FOX Weather. He's known for combining sharp forecasting, energetic and engaging on-camera style. He's...
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WeatherBrains 1046: Commissioner Emeritus
WeatherBrains
Tonight's show is all about the OTUS Project. It's a nonprofit research mission lead by President Nelson Tucker, Drone Builder and Ops Coordinator Louis Tucker, Lead Engineer Tanner Beard, and chasing expert Eric Fox. The OTUS Project was founded by engineering and meteorology students, and is pioneering the use of cutting edge UAV technology, software and sensor engineering to investigate tornadoes in ways never before possible. Their goal is to protect life and property by improving our understanding of wind forces for structural resilience and collecting thermodynamic data...
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WeatherBrains 1045: NAM Kicked Booty
WeatherBrains
Tonight’s show celebrates 20 years of WeatherBrains, still going strong in January 2026! Former show regulars join the panel to reflect on memorable moments, including Aubrey Urbanowicz, Nate Johnson, Dr. John Scala, and Dr. Neil Jacobs. Over the years, WeatherBrains has covered nearly every topic in meteorology, and panelist Jen Narramore shares audio highlights from some of the most memorable episodes. Thanks for being part of the celebration tonight! Our email officer Jen is continuing to handle the incoming messages from our listeners. Reach us here: email@weatherbrains.com. ...
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WeatherBrains 1044: Ape Crazy
WeatherBrains
Tonight's show is dedicated to a deep dive into avalanches! Tonight's Guest WeatherBrain is Dr. Ethan Greene from Colorado Avalanche Center. He's also served as the Director of the NW Pacific Avalanche Center. We will cover a basic understanding of avalanches, the geographic responsibility of the Colorado Avalanche Center, launch of forecasting avalanches and how they try to prevent avalanches during the off-season. We will examine how they prepared in this work with the citizens of Colorado and who they collaborate with make this happen. Dr. Greene joined CAIC as...
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WeatherBrains 1043: The Aliens Are Moving
WeatherBrains
Tonight's Guest WeatherBrain is Canadian meteorologist Ken MacDonald. He started his career way back in 1975, and has been an instructor, a forecaster, and a researcher. He is the former Executive Director of Environment Canada. Our second Guest WeatherBrain James Abraham is a veteran meteorologist with almost four decades of experience who has forecasted in British Columbia, the U. S. East Coast and even was former and first Director of the Canadian Hurricane Center. Ken and James, welcome to WeatherBrains! Our email officer Jen is continuing to handle the incoming...
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WeatherBrains 1042: Two Hour Bag of Nonsense
WeatherBrains
Our Guest WeatherBrain couldn't make it tonight, so our panel holds a homegrown episode to kick off 2026. Discussions include storm-based vs county-warnings, public storm reports, and a deep-dive into fundamentals of modern-day radar. Our email officer Jen is continuing to handle the incoming messages from our listeners. Reach us here: email@weatherbrains.com. Severe storms possible on Friday in Deep South 1/9/26 (05:00) Storm-based warnings vs county-wide warnings (26:00) Pete Wolf Charitable Foundation (38:00) Helping the general public with radar interpretation (48:00) Public storm...
info_outlineTonight’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 meteorologists. Known for his innovative weather programs such as “Guaranteed Weather” and “Instant Weather Network” (for which he holds a U.S. patent), Busby has also served as Chief Meteorologist for the Chiefs Fox Football Radio Network and appears on KMBZ Radio. Nationally acclaimed, he chaired the American Meteorological Society’s Board of Broadcast Meteorologists, was featured by The Weather Channel, and was elected to the National Weather Association’s Board of Directors in 2021. His honors include the AMS Award for Broadcast Meteorology (2010) and lifetime AMS Fellowship (2023).
Joe Lauria is an award-winning meteorologist who has delivered nightly forecasts on FOX 4 since 1995. A New York native fascinated by weather since childhood, he previously served as Chief Meteorologist in Texas, Florida, and Illinois, earning honors such as Texas AP Weathercaster of the Year and multiple Best Weathercast awards in Missouri and Kansas. A Certified Broadcast Meteorologist and longtime leader in the American Meteorological Society’s Kansas City chapter, Lauria is known for educating viewers beyond what apps provide and giving weather talks to the community. A St. Louis University graduate, he lives in Olathe, Kansas, with his wife and two cats and enjoys golf, travel, and Kansas City’s Italian restaurants.
Our email officer Jen is continuing to handle the incoming messages from our listeners. Reach us here: email@weatherbrains.com.
- What is a Billiken? (15:30)
- Today's expectations in TV meteorology vs workload of earlier decades (23:00)
- Streaming is the new frontier (26:30)
- Model data and graphics technological improvements over the last few decades (30:00)
- May 4th, 2003 Kansas City High risk (44:00)
- Relationship issues among TV meteorologists (51:00)
- IWT/NWS relationships (54:30)
- Confusion over Areal Flood Advisories (01:01:00)
- Broadcast meteorologists vs Social Media-0logists (01:09:00)
- Mentoring young people in the weather enterprise and its impacts (01:23:00)
- SLU dropping its meteorology program in 2029 (01:25:30)
- Georgie Global cartoon (01:29:30)
- Dr. Neil Jacobs confirmed by Senate as NOAA Administrator (01:30:00)
- The Astronomy Outlook with Tony Rice (01:32:00)
- This Week in Tornado History With Jen (01:34:20)
- E-Mail Segment (01:35:35)
- and more!
Web Sites from Episode 1030:
Picks of the Week:
Joe Lauria - Winter Storm Warning as 3 feet of snow to hit central California
Bryan Busby - SPC Day 4-8 U.S. Convective Outlook
James Aydelott - James Aydelot on Facebook: Arizona Dryline Photo
Jen Narramore - PSU Electronic Map Wall
Rick Smith - Durham's Neil Jacobs confirmed by Senate as NOAA chief
Troy Kimmel - Weather Wednesday: Building a better Guam, one can at a time
Kim Klockow-McClain - Center for Sportfishing Policy on X: Congratulations to Dr. Neil Jacobs as NOAA Administrator
John Gordon - "Dragon's Tail" powerful tidal bore in China's Qiantang River
Bill Murray - Foghorn
James Spann - Powerful microburst devastates Tempe as Monday storms pushed through
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.