WeatherBrains 1015: Not Clear and Concise
WeatherBrains
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 also an avid storm chaser who's pursued Great Plains supercells and participated in the Hazardous Weather Testbed in Norman, Oklahoma. Lars has been a loyal WeatherBrains listener since 2008 — and...
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WeatherBrains 1014: Among the Daywalkers
WeatherBrains
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 communication in a changing media environment. James Jessel is a friend of the podcast and works with Guest Booking Officer Bill Murray. He works for Pinnacle Communications Corporation...
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WeatherBrains 1013: Underwear Older Than You
WeatherBrains
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 Givens, welcome to WeatherBrains! Difficulties of predicting microclimates (14:15) Notable Iowa tornadoes (19:30) Creation of Durango Snow Lovers page (22:00) Forecast challenges in the...
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WeatherBrains 1012: Regional Hair Club Convention
WeatherBrains
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 Velocity, welcome to WeatherBrains! Also joining us is show regular and Birmingham NWS Science and Operations Officer Kevin Laws. He brings extensive experience in the field and...
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WeatherBrains 1011: Wine Science
WeatherBrains
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 Jen is continuing to handle the incoming messages from our listeners. Reach us here: . Diving into Space City Weather (15:15) Takeaways from 2024's Hurricane Beryl (21:20)...
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WeatherBrains 1010: Chief Smoothing Officer
WeatherBrains
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, Droughts, Nor’easters, Hurricanes and Heat Waves.” The Landrigans explore how New England’s wild weather has influenced history and shaped communities—from killer hurricanes to...
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WeatherBrains 1009: People Are Complicated
WeatherBrains
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. Jason Senkbeil, welcome to WeatherBrains! Tonight's First Guest Panelist is a WeatherBrains regular and is the Science and Operations Officer at the NWS office in Birmingham....
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WeatherBrains 1008: No Cookies In Cookietown
WeatherBrains
Tonight's episode is a homegrown show discussing a wide range of topics. Notably, the panel discusses resume-building and interview skills in a changing world, the controversial topic of non-NWS issued watches and warnings, and so much more. As always, our show is all about YOU. Thanks for listening! Also, Bruce Jones joins us to discuss the importance of NOAA Weather Radio and its integration in order to save lives. Welcome back, Bruce! Our email officer Jen is continuing to handle the incoming messages from our listeners. Reach us here: [email protected]. ...
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WeatherBrains 1007: I Am Unsettled
WeatherBrains
Tonight's Guest WeatherBrain is author and researcher Kati Wylie Ray. Tonight we learn about and discuss the devastating F4 tornado that struck Poplar Bluff, Missouri on May 9th, 1927. She's been on the Board of the Poplar Bluff Museum since 2001, and has been involved with the Butler County Historical Society since 1999. She started researching the people who died in this tornado in 2017 and has written a book about the event. Kati, welcome to the show! Also, Bruce Jones joins us to discuss the importance of NOAA Weather Radio and its integration in order to save...
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WeatherBrains 1006: Farmer McNasty Pants
WeatherBrains
Tonight's Guest WeatherBrain has a 25-year history in aviation. He is an experienced skydiver with over 700 jumps, a fixed-wing pilot with a seaplane rating, and a commercial hot air balloon pilot. His company, Champagne Sunrise, operates out of Meridian, Mississippi, and has safely taken hundreds of passengers on unforgettable balloon rides over the years. Beyond commercial operations, he uses Champagne Sunrise for community outreach, including delivering letters to the North Pole for Santa with local schools and donating tethered balloon rides to the local children’s museum....
info_outlineTonight'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 also an avid storm chaser who's pursued Great Plains supercells and participated in the Hazardous Weather Testbed in Norman, Oklahoma. Lars has been a loyal WeatherBrains listener since 2008 — and we're thrilled to finally have him on the show! Thanks for joining us tonight.
Our email officer Jen is continuing to handle the incoming messages from our listeners. Reach us here: [email protected].
- Is tornado season over? (02:30)
- Forecasting in the Southern Hemisphere and working with oil and gas industry (17:50)
- Compare/Contrast experiences in NOAA Hazardous Weather Testbed (20:00)
- Importance of doing a thorough hand analysis before utilizing model data when assimilating forecasts (21:00)
- Discussing the European Severe Storms Laboratory (23:00)
- Importance of working together internationally/globally when communicating severe weather risks (28:00)
- Breaking down barriers in the science of meteorology through simple human interaction (35:00)
- Approaches/challenges in weather messaging across different cultures and languages across the world (35:30)
- Looking back at Lars's storm chasing experiences (45:30)
- Discussion of deadly July 1916 Austria tornado and it's experiences lost in history due to World War One (55:00)
- European severe weather warning process vs U.S. severe weather warning process (57:45)
- Weather-aware subculture in the United States (01:13:00)
- Rise of Digital Meteorologists (01:16:00)
- NWS budget update/analysis (01:29:30)
- The Astronomy Outlook with Tony Rice (01:26:20)
- This Week in Tornado History With Jen (01:28:00)
- E-Mail Segment (No segment this week)
- and more!
Web Sites from Episode 1015:
Picks of the Week:
Lars Lowinski - Monster HP supercell in France (06/13/2025)
James Aydelott - James Aydelott on Facebook: Three feet of rain in Tulsa, OK since January 1st/Wettest April 1-June 30 on record in Tulsa (Back to 1931)
Jen Narramore - Lightning strike injures 2 at Northland HS soccer field in Columbus
Rick Smith - Out
Troy Kimmel - Out
Kim Klockow-McClain - Earth's Clouds on the Move
John Gordon - Kyle J Gillett on X: Panhandle, TX boundary collision
John Gordon - Ronca-HohnWx on X: Memphis, TN boundary collision
Bill Murray - Out
James Spann - June 28th, 2025 Deuel County, South Dakota tornado
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.