Archive for September, 2008

WeatherBrains 140: A Potpourri of Topics

WeatherBrains Episode 140 is now online (September 29, 2008). If you are crazy about weather, this is THE netcast audio program for you!

The WeatherBrains crew goes into free form mode that can sometimes take the podcast into some strange topics. These topics in addition to some current weather. And Dr. Tim has a microphone, so hopefully this is the dawning of a new era as Dr. Tim becomes a regular part of the ‘The Crew.’

Other discussions in this weekly podcast include topics like:

  • WeatherBrains listener submits some WeatherBrains bumper music
  • the crack that comes right before a close lightning strike
  • near-death experience with lightning from JB Elliott during a hurricane
  • James relates another near-death experience in the Storm Chaser
  • a discussion of good characteristics for a storm chase vehicle
  • Ike impact and recovery of Houston and Galveston
  • the picks from the crew (see links below)
  • and more!
  • Our mail bag has not gotten a great deal of attention lately, but the Email Officer, Kevin, is on the job, so he delves into the mail to see what has been coming in. And thanks to everyone who has been writing. Please keep it up – we love to hear from you. And topics run from FAR, POD, and global warming to barbecue!

    From The Weather Center:

    Luke Howard, an early pioneerWeatherBrains 101: Last week the name of Luke Howard came to the forefront in the discussion on heat islands. This week our lead professor tells us a little more about this early pioneer in the field of meteorology who was responsible for the system of cloud classification that we use today.

    TWIWH – This Week in Weather History: Bill Murray discusses a worse case scenario for hurricane forecasters.

    Listener SurveyListener Surveys: Okay, we continue to drive this topic into the ground, but we really do like to hear from you. Many thanks to everyone who has taken the time to fill out the Listener Survey. The survey takes just a minute or two to complete and provides us with an opportunity to learn where you are and hear your thoughts and comments on the show. Click here to take the survey.

    Web Sites from Episode 140:

    Birch Aquarium, San Diego

    The Long Tail by Chris Anderson

    SPC Sounding Page

    State University of New York at Albany Weather Page

    Iowa State web cam shots

    Join James Spann, JB Elliott, Brian Peters, Dr. Tim Coleman, and Kevin “Galveston” Selle come together for another fascinating netcast about the weather.

    We 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 drop us an email at email at (at symbol) weatherbrains dot com.

    WeatherBrains 139: Dr. Marks Marks the Spot

    WeatherBrains Episode 139 is now online (September 22, 2008). If you are crazy about weather, this is THE netcast audio program for you!

    Dr. Frank Marks, NOAA HRDIt is with a great deal of pleasure that we welcome Dr. Frank Marks to the program for this episode. Dr. Marks is a research meteorologist and Director of NOAA’s Hurricane Research Division (HRD) based in Miami, FL. Dr. Marks obtained his formal education in meteorology from Belknap College and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Dr. Marks has been a research meteorologist since 1980 and Director of the HRD since 2003. His specialty is radar remote sensing of tropical cyclones and mesoscale convective systems to understand storm structure. Dr. Marks and Brian Peters of the WeatherBrains crew actually crossed paths in 1983 when they were both in the Galveston NWS office during Hurricane Alicia. And it was in Richmond, VA, that Kevin Selle and Dr. Marks met.

    Other discussions in this weekly podcast include topics like:

  • an apology to JB Elliott who is no “twitter quitter”
  • bumper music gets more air time
  • did Mr. Galveston really call AT&T officials “pinheads?”
  • the introduction of our “pick of the week”
  • and more!
  • Our mail bag has not gotten a great deal of attention lately, but the Email Officer, Kevin, is back on the job, so he delves into weeks of mail to see what has been coming in. And thanks to everyone who has been writing. Please keep it up – we love to hear from you.

    From The Weather Center:

    WeatherBrains 101: The topic for this episode is the heat island. A WeatherBrains listener has asked about them, so the internationally renowned professor looks into what they are with a plain language explanation.

    This Week in Weather History: Bill Murray discusses more hurricanes which take the center stage. 1975 brought Eloise, 2005 occurred in Southwest Louisiana and Southeast Texas, plus a hurricane makes landfall in California. Plus this week marks the lose a hurricane reconnaissance plane.

    Listener SurveyListener Surveys: Okay, we continue to drive this topic into the ground, but we really do like to hear from you. Many thanks to everyone who has taken the time to fill out the Listener Survey. The survey takes just a minute or two to complete and provides us with an opportunity to learn where you are and hear your thoughts and comments on the show. Click here to take the survey.

    Web Sites from Episode 139:

    NOAA’s Hurricane Research Division

    Hurricane Alicia, 1983

    Watts Up with That? An interesting web site on unusual science related items.

    Is the Saffir-Simpson Scale outdated?

    Join James Spann, JB Elliott, Brian Peters, and Kevin “Galveston” Selle come together for another fascinating netcast about the weather.

    We 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 drop us an email at email at (at symbol) weatherbrains dot com.