WeatherBrains 994: Disregard Everything I Said

WeatherBrains Episode 994 is now online (February 4th, 2025). If you are crazy about weather, this is THE podcast for you!

Tonight we look back almost 100 years ago to March 18, 1925. A tornado event occurred that few people will ever experience in a lifetime. 219-mile path across the states of MO, IL and IN
13 counties and over 19 communities affected. 15,000 homes destroyed. 2,027 people injured, many severely. 695 killed.

Our guest tonight is Angela Mason, author of Death Rides the Sky: The Story of the 1925 Tri-State Tornado, It is one of now five books to emerge about this deadly event, but this book is different than the others: it tells the story through the eyes of those who experienced it—the survivors, many of whom were children when the tornado swept down from the skies and left its irreversible mark on their lives. Angela is originally from Wayne County, Illinois, one county north of the Tri-State Tornado’s path. She spent most of her life in music and vocal performance. She had always been intrigued by the Tri-State tornado and embarked upon a journey on learning more about this event through the eyes of survivors. We welcome Angela to WeatherBrains!

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

  • Angela’s interest in weather early in life and career path (14:00)
  • Bill’s dream to be a D.J.  (17:20)
  • How Angela got interested in the Tri-State tornado (22:00)
  • How folks learned about these disasters to go help in 1925 (24:30)
  • The book idea and process of gathering information (27:00)
  • The 1932 tornado (34:00)
  • What did the Tri-State tornado look like? (42:00)
  • Analysis of the path (51:00)
  • How did survivors describe the damage? (54:25)
  • Where did people shelter? (56:00)
  • How did folks respond to weather events after the Tri State? (1:01:00)
  • Why is important to remember these events?  (1:31:00)
  • The Astronomy Outlook with Tony Rice (1:39:00)
  • This Week in Tornado History With Jen (01:40:40)
  • E-Mail Segment (01:42:00)
  • Regulating storm chasing (01:45:00)
  • National Weather Round-Up
  • and more!

Web Sites from Episode 994:

Death Rides the Sky: The Story of the 1925 Tri-State Tornado

Picks of the Week:

James Aydelott – Startling statistics for the Tri-State tornado, from NWS Paducah. 

Jen Narramore – The 1925 Tri-State Tornado Damage Path and Associated Storm System

Rick Smith – National Weather Persons Day

Neil Jacobs – Out

Troy Kimmel – Terminal Aerodome Forecasts

Kim Klockow-McClain – Foghorn

Bill Murray – 2032 Asteroid

James Spann – Historic January 21, 2025 Snowstorm

The WeatherBrains crew includes your host, James Spann, plus other notable geeks like Troy Kimmel, Bill Murray, Rick Smith, James Aydelott, Jen Narramore, Dr. Neil Jacobs, and Dr. Kim Klockow-McClain. They bring together a wealth of weather knowledge and experience for another fascinating podcast about weather.

WeatherBrains 993: Friends In High Places

WeatherBrains Episode 993 is now online (January 27th, 2025). If you are crazy about weather, this is THE podcast for you!

Tonight’s Guest WeatherBrain is a storm chaser, and is the driver and equipment technician for storm chaser Brett Adair.  He has over twelve years of experience, and he’s chased 22 tornadoes and 9 hurricanes across 39 states.  He’s a Pell City, AL native.  Heath Lollar, welcome to the show!

Our Second Guest WeatherBrain is a WeatherBrains veteran and the founder of Girls Who Chase, a movement empowering women in storm chasing.  A self taught chaser and forecaster, she has been chasing since 2018.  Jen Walton, thanks for joining us!

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

  • January snow on the beach (01:30)
  • Close to 8 inches of snow fell on New Orleans on Jan 21st (05:30)
  • Rating a tornado based on wind speed/Explaining EF-Scale (19:00)
  • Learning lessons from getting too close when storm chasing (35:00)
  • Dealing with devastating/violent scenes when storm chasing (36:30)
  • Pets and other animals after destructive tornadoes (51:00)
  • Psychological shock/Acute stress reaction for extended periods after a violent severe weather event (01:04:00)
  • Girls Who Chase and what they stands for (01:07:50)
  • Going through phases in storm chasing (01:30:45)
  • Storm chasing ethics (01:45:10)
  • The Astronomy Outlook with Tony Rice (No segment this week)
  • This Week in Tornado History With Jen (01:35:43)
  • E-Mail Segment (No segment this week)
  • National Weather Round-Up
  • and more!

Web Sites from Episode 993:

Girls Who Chase

Picks of the Week:

Jen Walton – Fire tornadoes a risk under California extreme wildfire conditions

James Aydelott – James Aydelott on X: “It’s an oldie, but a reminder…Spring is just around the corner”

Jen Narramore – Ohio Genealogical Society

Rick Smith – SPC Mesoscale Discussion 36/Western North Florida

Neil Jacobs – Foghorn

Troy Kimmel – Foghorn

Kim Klockow-McClain – Where Have the EF5s Gone? A Closer Look at the “Drought” of the Most Violent Tornadoes in the United States

Bill Murray – NOAA Snowfall Extremes

James Spann – Gulf Shores, Alabama 01/22/2025 Snow on the beach just before sunrise

The WeatherBrains crew includes your host, James Spann, plus other notable geeks like Troy Kimmel, Bill Murray, Rick Smith, James Aydelott, Jen Narramore, Dr. Neil Jacobs, and Dr. Kim Klockow-McClain. They bring together a wealth of weather knowledge and experience for another fascinating podcast about weather.