Archive for April 10th, 2012

WeatherBrains 324: Kevin Had His Energy Drink

WeatherBrains Episode 324 is now online (April 9, 2012). If you are crazy about weather, this is THE netcast audio program for you!

Jen Watson, WTVA-TVOur guest panelist is Jen Watson, the morning meteorologist at WTVA in Tupelo, MS. She has her Bachelors from East Carolina and her Masters from Mississippi State.

An upstate New York native, Jennifer was born and raised in Rochester. She loved growing up in the Northeast, especially with the lake effect snow. Her parents, twin sister, and older sister now reside in North Carolina. She loves football and baseball and is a fan of the Buffalo Bills and New York Yankees. Despite growing up in New York, she loves Mississippi and its home town appeal. Jennifer is also a storm chaser, having chased storms locally and in the Great Plains. She has been storm spotter certified by the National Weather Service and is a member of the North Mississippi Intercept Team.

Dr. Laura MyersAnd our guest WeatherBrains is Dr. Laura Myers. Dr. Myers is a disaster preparedness research professor at Mississippi State University. She has been conducting extensive research into the response to the April 27th tornadoes. Laura ran the Town Hall meeting at the NWA meeting in Birmingham last October.

Dr. Laura Myers joined the Social Science Research Center (SSRC) in January, 2011, as a Research Professor. She serves as Principal Investigator on a Department of Homeland Security grant concerning regional disaster response planning; through this grant, she will develop regional emergency planning networks on the Gulf Coast of the United States. Dr. Myers holds a doctorate in criminology from Florida State University, and her publication and training areas include disaster management and planning, criminal justice education, criminal courts, criminal justice ethics, criminal justice administration, and cultural diversity. Her publications can be found in the Journal of Business Continuity and Emergency Planning, the Journal of Criminal Justice Education, and the Prison Journal, among others. Dr. Myers’ latest textbook on criminal justice will be her third book published in this field.

Other discussions in this weekly podcast include topics like:

  • Extremes included 8 at West Yellowstone, MT, and 96 at Death Valley, CA
  • Coffee pot most important invention
  • Anchorage 135 inches of snow, a record
  • Fairbanks – 72 inches of ice on a river near there
  • 2.23″ of rain at DFW which adds to their surplus
  • and more!
  • Our mail bag has been getting some attention and Kevin puts it in perspective.

    From The Weather Center:

    WeatherBrains 101: There’s a lot to tracking the weather. Some people think it’s all about weather observations. But there is another way to figure out what the weather is doing and it’s called phenology. That is the topic for this episode of 101.

    TWIWH: Bill Murray looks back at the week of April 10th. Flooding was one of the biggest weather events going on, but that was eclipsed by the Palm Sunday Tornado Outbreak.

    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 324:

    WTVA-TV Weather Tupelo, MS

    Social Science Research Center, Mississippi State University

    Audible.com

    Picks of the Week:

    JB Elliott – Lenticular Clouds over Las Vegas

    Bill Murray – Weather-Society Community Discussion Board

    Brian Peters – Loves the horn ! !

    Kevin Selle – WFO Dallas/Fort Worth Survey of Tornadoes on April 3, 2012

    James Spann – Hail near Woodward, OK

    JP Spann – Bow echo image

    Jen Watson – Gets the Horn

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