WeatherBrains Episode 1039 is now online (December 15th, 2025). If you are crazy about weather, this is THE podcast for you!
On WeatherBrains this week are meteorologist Jim Abraham with Environment Canada and meteorologist Ken MacDonald. Jim actually started the Canadian Hurricane Center in Halifax, and has been working in meteorology for over four decades. Ken MacDonald has been in the weather field for over 48 years. He launched his career in 1975, and has been an instructor, a forecaster, and a researcher in areas all over Canada. It’s great to see you both and thank you for joining us tonight!
Our email officer Jen is continuing to handle the incoming messages from our listeners. Reach us here: email@weatherbrains.com.
- Origin of “Boomer Sooner” (07:15)
- NWS vs Canadian forecast offices (12:00)
- Canadian forecast offices and their relationship with the Canadian military (18:00)
- Monitoring/Observational networks across Environment Canada (21:00)
- Importance of cloud typing in Mexican and Canadian forecast offices vs NWS (27:00)
- US and Canadian weather radio equivalents (33:30)
- Environment and Climate Change Canada (56:00)
- June 2021 British Columbia Heat Dome (01:02:00)
- 2022 Hurricane Fiona (01:07:00)
- “Fire Weather: A True Story from a Hotter World” by John Vaillant (01:17:00)
- Canadian weather warning Color Coded System (01:18:00)
- POD/FAR in Canada (01:22:00)
- The Astronomy Outlook with Tony Rice (No segment this week)
- This Week in Tornado History With Jen (01:30:00)
- E-Mail Segment (01:33:00)
- and more!
Web Sites from Episode 1039:
Picks of the Week:
Jim Abraham – 11 jaw-dropping videos from the Fort McMurray wildfire
James Aydelott – Out
Jen Narramore – Anniversary of the 2021 Historic December 15tyh Derecho
Rick Smith – All Things Radar: Severe Weather/From the Girls Who Chase special workshop series
Troy Kimmel – Foghorn
Kim Klockow-McClain – Western launches Canadian Severe Storms Laboratory
John Gordon – Snow tarp video on X
Bill Murray – Out
James Spann – December 16th, 2000 Tuscaloosa Tornado coverage on YouTube
The WeatherBrains crew includes your host, James Spann, plus other notable geeks like Troy Kimmel, Bill Murray, Rick Smith, James Aydelott, Jen Narramore, John Gordon, and Dr. Kim Klockow-McClain. They bring together a wealth of weather knowledge and experience for another fascinating podcast about weather.
