WeatherBrains 81 “Talking Tropics”
WeatherBrains Episode 81 is now online (August 13, 2007). The netcast audio program for people who love weather.
In this week’s Episode:
Hurricane Forecasts Updated:  We catch up on the latest forecasts for the current Atlantic hurricane season with Dr. William Gray at Colorado State University. And NOAA has also updated its hurricane forecasts. Find out what the two forecasts have in common, but also what the current data says about the season just as we are about to enter the peak phase.  And what’s this about a bell Dr. Gray rings on August 20th?Â
You Make The Landfall Call: What happens when you mix a very unscripted show like WeatherBrains and an interesting looking tropical weather system? You get an impromptu contest where listeners can make a guess about landfall … and maybe win a prize!  Â
Tipping the Hat:Â Â James Spann tips his hat to a journalist – now what could that be all about?
Heat and Drought:Â Â The two do have a relationship and parts of the country are feeling the effects. Learn about how one contributes to the other.
What? No Air Conditioning in the Heat? J.B. Elliott looks at how the needs of a New York City printing plant led to the first version of air conditioning, courtesy of Willis Carrier, a young engineer who came up with a cool idea…
From The Weather Center:
- WeatherBrains 101: Weather Folklore. Professor Peters gives us a ring! No, not that kind, a ring around the sun and/or the moon. Find out what makes those rings. And what could they mean for the weather ahead?  Or is it just folklore?
- This Week In Weather History: Camille – a name that is well known to weather buffs as one of the strongest storms ever to affect the Gulf Coast. But did you know that reconnaissance data contributed to some last minute changes in warnings? Bill Murray talks about Camille and some of the events surrounding that catastrophic event.
Websites From This Episode:
Tropical storms and human induced climate change (study by Greg Holland and Peter J. Webster)
Hurricanes and Hot Air: William Gray’s Wall Street Journal Commentary
Join J.B. Elliott, Bill Murray, James Spann, Brian Peters, and David Black for the latest look at the field of weather in the newest episode of WeatherBrains.
We would love to hear from you! To leave a recorded message, call 1-888-247-8627. Some calls may be used in future episodes. Also, feel free to post comments to the site and send us an email at question@weatherbrains.com.
Prepare for the Perseids! This weekend marks the annual Perseid meteor shower, and according to scientists, it should be a very good show. Bill Cook with NASA’s Meteroid Environments Office shares details about this annual display, as well as your best chances of seeing it.
People on the Move: Max Mayfield, former director of the National Hurricane Center and a guest on previous WeatherBrains Episodes, is in the news once again. And you probably won’t be too surprised to hear that he is in a rather select group.
People on the Move 2: Another former guest on WeatherBrains is headed to a new job. Dan McCarthy, Warning Coordination Meteorologist (WCM) at the Storm Prediction Center in Norman, OK, will be headed east to a new job where there may be a few less tornadoes to deal with.
Proenza Fights Back: Bill Proenza, removed July 9th as Director of the National Hurricane Center, files an appeal to get his job back. Lawyers for Proenza, who was a guest on WeatherBrains Episodes 69 and 70, described NOAA Administrator Conrad Lautenbacher, Jr.’s decision to remove him as “simply unacceptable for a career, nonpolitical appointee to have been treated with such disrespect.”
WeatherBrains 101: When is a Hurricane not a Hurricane? Tropical weather systems occur in the various oceans around the world. But, as we see with Professor Peters in this edition of WeatherBrains 101, they don’t all go by the same name, even though these storms share common traits.
This Week In Weather History: Bill Murray recounts two tragic weather-related bridge collapses that happened during this week in 1904 and 1997 … The profound discovery a meteorologist made during this week in 1968 … The cyclone that transported butterflies more than 600 miles … And the day it didn’t rain cats and dogs, but rained fish!
