WeatherBrains Episode 1056 is now online (April 13th, 2026). If you are crazy about weather, this is THE podcast for you!

This week’s episode of WeatherBrains is all about Colorado weather!

Tonight’s show features Guest WeatherBrain and Colorado State Climatologist Dr. Russ Schumacher.  He’s also a Professor at Colorado State University and is Director of the Colorado Climate Center.  He’s been involved in extreme precipitation, weather prediction, and is the guru of Colorado weather.  Dr. Schumaker, welcome to the show!

Second Guest WeatherBrain is the project manager of CoCoRaHS (Community Collaborative Rain, Hail, and Snow Network).  He is the CoCoRaHS East Central Region Illinois State Coordinator and has been an active observer in Illinois for over 19 years.  He retired as the director of the MRCC and is a big fan of winter weather.  Steve Hilberg, thanks for joining us tonight!

Third Guest WeatherBrain Noah Newman is a Research Associate with the Colorado Climate Center at Colorado State University.  He’s been the Education Coordinator at CoCoRaHS since 2008, and has teaching experience from astronomy to rocketry to various Earth sciences.  Noah, welcome to WeatherBrains!

Our email officer Jen is continuing to handle the incoming messages from our listeners. Reach us here: email@weatherbrains.com.

• Upper Midwest severe weather event (03:00)
• What is it like to be a State Climatologist?  (07:00)
• 2019 Colorado hail record (14:30)
• How did Noah get into meteorology?  (24:30)
• Deep dive into CoCoRaHS (Community Collaborative Rain, Hail, and Snow Network) (27:00)
• Snowfall vs snow depth and the confusion between them (41:00)
• CoCoRaHS Significant Weather Reports (48:45)
• Moderate risk busts vs overachieving conditional systems (57:00)
• Dr. Schumacher’s current research in Colorado (01:05:00)
• Process to get involved at CoCoRaHS (01:10:00)
• The Astronomy Outlook with Tony Rice (01:15:30)
• This Week in Tornado History With Jen (01:18:15)
• E-Mail Segment (01:20:00)
• and more!

Web Sites from Episode 1056:  

CoCoRaHS

Alabama Weather Network

Picks of the Week:

Steve Hilberg – Ag Weather

Noah Newman – CoCoRaHS Data Explorer

Dr. Russ Schumacher – CoCoRaHS All About Hail

James Aydelott – NWS Norman Observed Sounding

Jen Narramore – County Road 69 Tornado April 15th, 2011

Rick Smith – Out

Troy Kimmel – Out

Kim Klockow-McClain – Reed Timmer tornado video

John Gordon – NWS Louisville Shareholders Report 2025

Bill Murray – Out

James Spann – James Spann on X: Emmetsburg, IA tornado video

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.