WeatherBrains 220: WB Goes Hollywood

WeatherBrains Episode 220 is now online (Apr. 13, 2010). If you are crazy about weather, this is THE netcast audio program for you!

WeatherBrains - April 13, 2010

Tonight’s Guest Panelist is the morning meteorologist for WSFA in Montgomery, AL, and an Alabama native, Josh Johnson. Josh graduated from the Broadcast Meteorology Program at Mississippi State and worked for WTOK in Meridian as the Chief there. He went to Atlanta and was on the NBC affiliate before returning home to Alabama. All that work outside of Alabama didn’t make him any better looking, but it is nice to have Josh back on the show.

Our Guest WeatherBrain tonight is really a brain. Dr. Randy Cerveny is a professor of geographical sciences at Arizona State University where he has taught since 1986. He is a President’s Professor and is in charge of the Meteorology Department. He serves as Rapporteur on Extreme Records for the United Nations/World Meteorological Organization, and in this connection, he is responsible for researching and verifying global weather records (http://wmo.asu.edu/about-weather-archive). At ASU, he directs the meteorology program and was awarded the title of President’s Professor in recognition of his contributions to undergraduate education. He is contributing editor for the magazine Weatherwise and has authored numerous journal articles as well as two books, Freaks of the Storm, Thunder’s Mouth Press, 2006, and Weather’s Greatest Mysteries Solved!, Prometheus Books, 2009.

Other discussions in this weekly podcast include topics like:

Weather relatively quiet across the US

6-12″ of snow in Yellowstone National Park today (April 13)

8 percent snow cover in Lower 48

90 at Symrna, TN, for Nation’s high

and more!

Our mail bag has been getting some attention and Kevin puts it in perspective.

From The Weather Center:

WeatherBrains 101: Radar is a wonderful tool, and like many scientific breakthroughs, was discovered in part by accident during its application for one job which uncovered its usefulness for another. This episode begins a multi-part look at some of the aspects of weather surveillance radar.

TWIWH: Bill Murray looks back at the week of April 13th. Politics and weather were in the news.

Listener 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 220:

Rapporteur (derived from French) is used in international and European legal and political contexts to refer to a person appointed by a deliberative body to investigate an issue or a situation and report to that body.

Arizona Thunderstorm Chasers

Dr. Randy Cerveny

Weather’s Greatest Mysteries Solved

Picks of the Week:

JB Elliott – Get’s the Fog Horn

Josh Johnson – Twisterdata.com

Bill Murray – NPR Science Program Forecasting Tornadoes

Brian Peters – Pirates versus the Weather

Kevin Selle – Digital Meteorologist

James Spann – Sea Surface Temperature (SST) Contour Maps

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.