WeatherBrains Episode 1075 is now online (August 24th, 2026). If you are crazy about weather, this is THE podcast for you!
This week’s WeatherBrains episode is all about the July 2025 flooding tragedy in Texas.
Our Guest WeatherBrain for tonight’s episode is Dr. JJ Gourley. An Oklahoma native, he’s a senior research hydrometeorologist at NOAA’s National Severe Storms Laboratory. He manages an interdisciplinary team there that is developing the FLASH product, which is a flash flood forecasting product that Dr. Garley will discuss on this week’s episode. He’s won the Department of Commerce’s silver medal award, as well as the AMS Journal of Hydrometeorology Editor’s Award. He’s even written a radar hydrology textbook! Welcome to tonight’s show, Dr. Gourley!
Our Guest Panelist tonight is Dr. Keri K. Stephens from the University of Texas at Austin. She’s the George Christian Centennial Professor. With over 25 years of interdisciplinary research experience, Dr. Stephens’ expertise includes organizational communication, mobile technologies, artificial intelligence (AI), crisis and disaster communication, infrastructure communication, and health communication. In her professional service, Dr. Stephens currently serves on the National Weather Service NOAA Central Texas Integrated Warning Team and on the Executive Advisory Council of the Schreiner University Institute for Hazard Risk and Readiness. Dr. Stephens, thanks for joining us tonight!
Our email officer Jen is continuing to handle the incoming messages from our listeners. Reach us here: email@weatherbrains.com.
- Oklahoma heat trivia from NWS chat (04:30)
- Dr. Gourley’s hydrometeorology background (9:00)
- Multi-Radar Multi-Sensor System (MRMS) (13:00)
- FLASH project (13:30)
- Meteorological setup leading up to July 2025 Texas floods (17:30)
- Area creeks around Camp Mystic that became major players (29:00)
- Process determining approximate lead time before event (34:30)
- Warn-on-Forecast System (WoFS): From experimental to operational? (36:30)
- Combining organizational communication and disaster studies (42:30)
- Lessons learned about public safety infrastructure in the wake of post-flood hearings (58:00)
- Protocol for severe/winter weather warnings at campgrounds/RV parks (01:16:30)
- Turn Around, Don’t Drown! (01:29:00)
- The Astronomy Outlook with Tony Rice (01:38:15)
- This Week in Tornado History With Jen (01:40:30)
- E-Mail Segment (01:42:30)
- Sneak peak at future WeatherBrains episodes! (01:44:00)
- and more!
Web Sites from Episode 1075:
NOAA National Severe Storms Laboratory
Picks of the Week:
Dr. JJ Gourley – Watch Duty – Wildfire Maps & Alerts
Dr. Keri K. Stephens – Texas Institute for Hazard Risk and Readiness (TIHRR) – Schreiner University
James Aydelott – Tornado video in France
James Aydelott – Tornado video in France – Secondary Angle
James Aydelott – More absurd footage of the tornado in Pomas, France
James Aydelott – Exceptional video of the tornado that struck the area around Carcassonne!
James Aydelott – Strong tornado in France, north of the Pyrenees
Jen Narramore – University Archives and West Florida History Center
Rick Smith – IEM (Iowa Environmental Mesonet) Severe Weather Products
Troy Kimmel – United States Power Outage Map
Kim Klockow-McClain – WoFS-FLASH coupled forecasts for the July 2025 Texas Hill Country Flash Flood Disaster
Kim Klockow-McClain – Hydrometeorological Analysis of the July 2025 Texas Hill Country Flash Flood Disaster
Kim Klockow-McClain – Indiana Governor Calls for NIPSCO to be Investigated Over Power Outages After Gary Storms
John Gordon – Photo from Mike Olbinski: Moonbow
Bill Murray – Out
James Spann – ENSO: Recent Evolution, Current Status and Predictions
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.
