{"id":11740,"date":"2026-10-06T10:25:41","date_gmt":"2026-10-06T15:25:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/weatherbrains.com\/?p=11740"},"modified":"2026-10-06T10:25:41","modified_gmt":"2026-10-06T15:25:41","slug":"weatherbrains-1081-deep-in-the-weeds","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/weatherbrains.com\/?p=11740","title":{"rendered":"WeatherBrains 1081:  Deep in the Weeds"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><a title=\"Episode 1081\" href=\"https:\/\/traffic.libsyn.com\/weatherbrains\/wb100526.mp3\">WeatherBrains Episode 1081<\/a> is now online (October 5th, 2026). If you are crazy about weather, this is <strong>THE<\/strong> podcast for you!<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" style=\"border: medium;\" title=\"Embed Player\" src=\"https:\/\/play.libsyn.com\/embed\/episode\/id\/43194458\/height\/192\/theme\/modern\/size\/large\/thumbnail\/yes\/custom-color\/87A93A\/time-start\/00:00:00\/playlist-height\/200\/direction\/backward\/download\/yes\/font-color\/FFFFFF\" width=\"100%\" height=\"192\" scrolling=\"no\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"YouTube video player\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/CFWnBdi8NFM?si=tq3103CWMfc4WFBW\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><strong>This week&#8217;s WeatherBrains episode is all about fire weather from both a historical and modern perspective. \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Our Guest WeatherBrains for tonight&#8217;s episode is NWS meteorologist <strong>Tom Hultquist<\/strong>. \u00a0Our discussion begins with the Peshtigo Fire of 1871, the deadliest wildfire in U.S. history. \u00a0<strong>Dr. Stephanie Hoekstra<\/strong> and <strong>Robyn Heffernan<\/strong> also join us to explore how fire weather information is used today &#8211; from risk perception and decision support to operational forecasting, interagency coordination, and the challenges facing wildland fire professionals.<\/p>\n<p>Guest Panelist <strong>John Cameron<\/strong> is a TV meteorologist at News Channel 6 from Wichita Falls, TX who also joins us tonight. \u00a0Welcome to WeatherBrains!<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"css-9pa8cd\" draggable=\"true\" src=\"https:\/\/pbs.twimg.com\/media\/HT5AzDDXAAAcjHb?format=jpg&amp;name=large\" alt=\"Image\" width=\"773\" height=\"435\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Our email officer Jen is continuing to handle the incoming messages from our listeners. <strong>Reach us here: email@weatherbrains.com.<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Invest 92L in SW Gulf (04:00)<\/li>\n<li><strong>Dr. Stephanie Hoekstra&#8217;s<\/strong> early background in weather (06:00)<\/li>\n<li><strong>Robyn Heffernan&#8217;s<\/strong> early background in weather (07:00)<\/li>\n<li><strong>Tom Hultquist&#8217;s<\/strong> early background in weather (09:00)<\/li>\n<li><strong>John Cameron&#8217;s<\/strong> journey into the field of meteorology (12:30)<\/li>\n<li>Analysis of Peshtigo Fire of 1871 (17:30)<\/li>\n<li>Meteorological\/anomalous setup that set the stage for the Peshtigo Fire (19:00)<\/li>\n<li>Fuel management is a key player in driving wildfires (31:00)<\/li>\n<li>Predominate tribes that inhabited the Peshtigo area in 1871 (43:00)<\/li>\n<li>Peshtigo area vegetation\/forestry and the role it played (46:30)<\/li>\n<li><strong>National Interagency Fire Center<\/strong> (NIFC) (48:00)<\/li>\n<li>History of Red Flag Warning terminology (54:30)<\/li>\n<li>Concerns over nefarious actors\/arson in the wake of public fire forecasts (01:01:30)<\/li>\n<li>Financial incentives for arson: Strict guidelines needed to prevent this criminal activity (01:03:30)<\/li>\n<li>All about <strong>NOAA&#8217;s<\/strong> <strong>Fire Weather Testbed<\/strong> (01:09:00)<\/li>\n<li>Clarifying Red Flag Warning vs Fire Warning (01:22:00)<\/li>\n<li><strong>The Astronomy Outlook with Tony Rice<\/strong> (01:33:00)<\/li>\n<li><strong>This Week in Tornado History With Jen<\/strong> (01:35:00)<\/li>\n<li><strong>E-Mail Segment\u00a0<\/strong>(01:36:30)<\/li>\n<li><strong>Sneak peak at future WeatherBrains episodes!<\/strong> (01:40:00)<\/li>\n<li>and more!<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Web Sites from Episode 1081: \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nifc.gov\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">National Interagency Fire Center<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/alabamaweathernetwork.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Alabama Weather Network<\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Picks of the Week:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>John Cameron &#8211; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=ycxQnTNWheI\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">KAUZ-TV 6 Wichita Falls, Texas 1964 tornado<\/a><\/p>\n<p>John Cameron &#8211; <a href=\"https:\/\/soundcloud.com\/texascameron2021\/this-drummers-gone-to-heaven\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">J. Fitz Kennedy on Soundcloud<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Dr. Stephanie Hoekstra &#8211; <a href=\"https:\/\/repository.library.noaa.gov\/view\/noaa\/76033\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">&#8220;Operationalizing the Fire Warning: distinguishing structural constraints from training-sensitive perceptions&#8221; by Dr. Stephanie Hoekstra<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Tom Hultquist &#8211; <a href=\"https:\/\/peshtigofiremuseum.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Official Website of the Peshtigo Historical Society<\/a><\/p>\n<p>James Aydelott &#8211; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/100064918742776\/posts\/1511293917711219\/?mibextid=wwXIfr&amp;rdid=ROZBOJ23Zq9LfV97\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">iCyclone on X: NOLO&#8217;s center crossing the International Date Line<\/a><\/p>\n<p>James Aydelott &#8211; <a href=\"https:\/\/weatherbrains.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/aydellotpow1005-scaled.jpeg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Okie James and family at Peshtigo Museum<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Jen Narramore &#8211; <a href=\"https:\/\/doorcountypulse.com\/the-tragedy-of-williamsonville\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">The Tragedy of Williamsonville<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Rick Smith &#8211; <a href=\"https:\/\/journals.ametsoc.org\/view\/journals\/bams\/106\/6\/BAMS-D-24-0204.1.xml\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">NOAA Fire Weather Testbed Launches First In-Person Evaluation<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Troy Kimmel &#8211; Foghorn<\/p>\n<p>Kim Klockow-McClain &#8211; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ametsoc.org\/ams\/about-ams\/ams-statements\/statements-in-process\/precis\/call-for-volunteers-ams-statement-on-prediction-markets-and-weather-information\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Call for Volunteers: AMS Statement on Prediction Markets and Weather Information<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Bill Murray &#8211; Out<\/p>\n<p>John Gordon &#8211; <a href=\"https:\/\/weatherbrains.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/GordonPOW1005.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Germany&#8217;s Rhine river hits new low<\/a><\/p>\n<p>James Spann &#8211; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.al.com\/weather\/2026\/10\/weather-service-deals-with-radar-issues-along-gulf-coast.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">NWS deals with radar issues along Gulf Coast<\/a><\/p>\n<p>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.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>WeatherBrains Episode 1081 is now online (October 5th, 2026). If you are crazy about weather, this is THE podcast for you! This week&#8217;s WeatherBrains episode is all about fire weather from both a historical and modern perspective. \u00a0 Our Guest WeatherBrains for tonight&#8217;s episode is NWS meteorologist Tom Hultquist. \u00a0Our discussion begins with the Peshtigo [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":19492,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-11740","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-shows"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/weatherbrains.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11740","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/weatherbrains.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/weatherbrains.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/weatherbrains.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/19492"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/weatherbrains.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=11740"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/weatherbrains.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11740\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11750,"href":"https:\/\/weatherbrains.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11740\/revisions\/11750"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/weatherbrains.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=11740"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/weatherbrains.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=11740"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/weatherbrains.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=11740"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}