Archive for March, 2010

WeatherBrains 214: Weather Myths and Such

WeatherBrains Episode 214 is now online (Mar. 2, 2010). If you are crazy about weather, this is THE netcast audio program for you!

WeatherBrains - March 2, 2010

Paul YeagerOur guest this week is Paul Yeager, a meteorologist for 25 years (he has nothing on JB Elliott or Brian Peters) and publisher of one of the best weather blogs on the Internet, cloudyandcool.com. Paul has done web work for Accu-weather and writes for AOL covering weather from a national perspective. His new book, Weather Whys: Facts Myths and Oddities, was released on March 2. Paul resides in State College, PA.

Mark SchnackenbergJoining in as our guest panelist is Mark Schnackenberg. Mark is Chief Meteorologist with KWWL in Waterloo, IA. He has a degree in meteorologist from Lyndon State College in Vermont, and he has been at KWWL since 1995.

This is the graphic of the WeatherBrains Jeopardy game played by the gang this episode.

Jeopardy game board

Other discussions in this weekly podcast include topics like:

  • snow in Alabama again with 4 inches in some spots
  • Maryland – an all time record snow
  • 47 percent of lower 48 covered in snow
  • 6th coldest winter on record in Birmingham
  • 44 below in Alaska
  • lots of flooding in foreign countries
  • and more!
  • Thanks for all the mail in our mail bag. Kevin gives us a run down.

    From The Weather Center:

    WeatherBrains 101: Winter has been raging across much of the United States and especially across the WeatherBrains area of Central Alabama. So we take a look at a form of winter precipitation that actually goes by two names, sleet and ice pellets. Bet you didn’t know that for the same volumes, sleet weighs more than snow!

    TWIWH: Bill Murray looks back at the week of March 3rd. Ash Wednesday storm in 1962 produced a Great Atlantic Storm which lasted for three days.

    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 214:

    Paul Yeager’s Blog, cloudyandcool.com

    Paul Yeager’s column on AOL

    Paul Yeager’s new book release today

    Mark Schnackenberg’s bio

    KWWL’s weather page

    Mark’s Blog

    Picks of the Week:

    Dr. Tim Coleman – Kaindl handheld anemometer

    JB Elliott – METARs Decoded

    Bill Murray – Severe Studios desktop notifier software

    Brian Peters – A Tornado-free February

    Kevin Selle – NOAA Office of Communication

    James Spann – Earthquake Hazards Information

    Mark Schnackenberg – NWS Peachtree City Warning Simulator

    The WeatherBrains crew includes your host, James Spann, plus other notable geeks like JB Elliott, Kevin Selle, Dr. Tim Coleman, Bill Murray, and Brian Peters. They bring together a wealth of weather knowledge and experience for another fascinating netcast about weather.