WeatherBrains Episode 1076 is now online (August 31st, 2026). If you are crazy about weather, this is THE podcast for you!
This week’s WeatherBrains episode is all about hydroplaning and why it happens.
Guest WeatherBrain for tonight’s episode is the Assistant Director of the Vision of Maintenance for the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet. Discussing a national hydroplaning project with the panel in the episode, she has over two decades experience in transportation and is a friend of the field. Randi Feltner, thanks for joining us!
Joining us as Second Guest WeatherBrain is very special guest Zion Powell. He’s pursuing his dream to become a meteorologist with an emphasis on mesoscale weather events. He’s currently a senior at Salisbury State in Maryland majoring in meteorology and geoscience. He was selected as a NOAA Lapenta Intern for 2025 in Louisville, Kentucky where he worked on a national hydroplaning campaign. Zion, welcome!
We are excited to have Guest WeatherBrain and WeatherBrains veteran Alan Sealls joining us tonight. A 16-time Regional Emmy Winner, he’s now the president of the American Meteorological Society and has had a legendary career in the field. He earned his degree in meteorology at Cornell and earned a Master’s Degree at Florida State University. He is a professor at the University of South Alabama. Alan, welcome back!
Our email officer Jen is continuing to handle the incoming messages from our listeners. Reach us here: email@weatherbrains.com.
- Tropical Storm Eduard forms in the Gulf (01:00)
- Record heat for Alabama football’s home opener? (02:30)
- Zion’s early background in weather (09:30)
- All about Salisbury State’s Atmospheric Science program (11:00)
- What is the William M. Lapenta Scholarship? (12:00)
- Randi’s early background and path to second in command at KDOT (13:30)
- Experiences during 2021 Mayfield, KY tornado (19:00)
- “Wet Lanes, Don’t Hydroplane” (24:00)
- Role of tire pressure and speed in hydroplaning (26:00)
- Complicated nature of getting national hydroplaning statistics (47:00)
- What is spectrum allocation? (01:02:45)
- AMS Annual Meeting 2027 in Denver (01:04:00)
- All about the AMS and its history (01:08:00)
- The Astronomy Outlook with Tony Rice (01:22:45)
- This Week in Tornado History With Jen (01:25:00)
- E-Mail Segment (01:27:00)
- Sneak peak at future WeatherBrains episodes! (01:34:00)
- and more!
Web Sites from Episode 1076:
Picks of the Week:
Zion Powell – Zion Powell on Instragram
Zion Powell – Zion Powell on TikTok
Randi Feltner – Kentucky Transportation Cabinet
Alan Sealls – National Severe Weather Archive Display
James Aydelott – Tulsa Hits 102F
Jen Narramore – Out
Rick Smith – Out
Troy Kimmel – NOAA boosts weather data collection capabilities with new Mesonet contract
Kim Klockow-McClain – Principal Saved 900 Students Before His School Was Washed Away in Nepal
John Gordon – Monstrous Flash Flood & Debris Flow l Johnson Canyon, UT 7/16/2018
Bill Murray – Out
James Spann – Basics of the Arizona Monsoon and Desert Meteorology
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.
