WeatherBrains 1035: Sass Not Class
WeatherBrains
Tonight’s Guest WeatherBrain is Corey Bunn. He's a full time Operational Meteorologist with Coastal Weather Research Center. He prepares daily forecasts and also has a responsibility of issuing severe weather warnings and he also maintains the company website and assists in hurricane forecasting operations. He joined the CWRC in 2012 after completing his Bachelor's Degree in Meteorology at the University of South Alabama. Corey, welcome to WeatherBrains! Our next Guest WeatherBrain (in order of appearance) is Jeff Medlin, the founder and CEO of Medlin Meterological...
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WeatherBrains 1034: A Little Fitz'd Out
WeatherBrains
We discuss on this week's episode the sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald and the loss of her 29-member crew during a violent fall storm on November 10th, 1975. Tonight’s Guest WeatherBrain is an author of over thirty books on maritime history. He's been a consultant to the US Park Service and an on-air expert for National Geographic and Fox and Friends among over ventures. Dr. Frederick Stonehouse, welcome to WeatherBrains! Tonight's Guest Panelist is Tom Hultquist. He is the technical program lead for the Analysis and Forecast Branch of the National Weather Service, working...
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WeatherBrains 1033: Maximum Hemorrhoid Outage
WeatherBrains
Tonight’s Guest WeatherBrain is a meteorologist and trader focused on weather risk management, currently with Munich Re Trading LLC. His career includes experience with the National Weather Service, energy trading, and weather derivatives—blending forecasting expertise with financial market knowledge. Welcome, Tom Paylor! Our email officer Jen is continuing to handle the incoming messages from our listeners. Reach us here: email@weatherbrains.com. Correct weather ballon launch procedures (25:00) What are weather derivatives? (35:30) What is a weather derivative sales group?...
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WeatherBrains 1032: Wasteland of Nothing
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 second Guest WeatherBrain is Dr. Stu Foster. He is the former head of the Kentucky Climate Center. He built the mesonet in the state of Kentucky and earned his PhD from Ohio State...
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WeatherBrains 1031: Date With A Razor
WeatherBrains
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 meteorologist, she earned an Emmy Award for her coverage of Hurricane Helene in 2024. Known as the “Dewpoint Diva,” Jen is recognized for her expertise and enthusiasm in meteorology. Jen, thanks for...
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WeatherBrains 1030: Bad Hombre Not Far Away
WeatherBrains
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 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...
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WeatherBrains 1029: The Guy That Looks Like Big Bird
WeatherBrains
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 the Illinois side of the Quad Cities. Congressman, we are honored to have you join us tonight! Our email officer Jen is continuing to handle the incoming messages from our listeners....
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WeatherBrains 1028: Spanking Going On
WeatherBrains
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 three decades of experience working with naval intelligence. Jeffrey Harding, welcome to WeatherBrains! Our email officer Jen is continuing to handle the incoming messages from our...
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WeatherBrains 1027: Toilets Were Overflowing
WeatherBrains
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 forecast operations at offices in Indianapolis, Norman (OK), Amarillo (TX), and others. His primary interests lie in mesoscale meteorology and radar, and he has participated in several testbeds...
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WeatherBrains 1026: Together Is The Best Way
WeatherBrains
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 intersection of meteorology, disaster impacts, and community recovery. Melissa, welcome to WeatherBrains! Tonight’s Guest Panelist is Chris White — a proud Virginia Tech alumnus and a...
info_outlineTonight'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 David Payne, who is the Chief Meteorologist of KWTV Channel 9 in Oklahoma City. He replaced Gary England when he retired in mid-2013. He is a native Oklahoman and an OU graduate and previously he spent 19 years at KFOR-TV in Oklahoma City.
Appearing second on the show is the morning broadcast meteorologist at News Channel 9 in OKC. She's an OU graduate and has been at News Channel 9 since 2011. She previously interned with Gary England for several years while she was a student at OU. Lacey Swope, it's great to see you again.
Last but certainly not least, we introduce Barbara Merckx, who is now the News Director for OU Nightly at the OU Gaylord College of Journalism and Mass Communication. She previously worked with our very own James Aydelott at NBC 5 in Fort Worth, TX. Thanks for joining us tonight, Barbara!
Our email officer Jen is continuing to handle the incoming messages from our listeners. Reach us here: email@weatherbrains.com.
- Lacey's experience with meeting and working with Gary England (10:30)
- Experiences working with Gary (25:00)
- Gary-isms (48:30)
- Looking back at 2013 El Reno, OK tornado (50:00)
- Importance of building rapport with the public as a broadcast meteorologist (01:14:00)
- Gary England paving the way for future generations (01:28:30)
- Warning process during devastating Texas floods (01:34:30)
- The Astronomy Outlook with Tony Rice (01:29:45)
- This Week in Tornado History With Jen (01:31:00)
- E-Mail Segment (01:32:00)
- and more!
Web Sites from Episode 1018:
Meteorologist Lacey Swope on Facebook
Picks of the Week:
David Payne - Drummond charges Oklahoma City man for damaging TV station's weather radar
Barbara Merckx - Willie Gillespie on LinkedIn
James Aydelott - "Those Terrible Twisters And The Weather Of Oklahoma" by Gary England
Jen Narramore - Guin, AL F5 Tornado Series
Rick Smith - Oral history interview with Gary England: Oklahoma Mesonet YouTube
Troy Kimmel - Foghorn
Kim Klockow-McClain - Senate Report
Kim Klockow-McClain - House Report
John Gordon - HDSC World Record Point Precipitation Measurements
Bill Murray - Foghorn
James Spann - NOAA Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory
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.