WeatherBrains Episode 1058 is now online (April 27th, 2026). If you are crazy about weather, this is THE podcast for you!

Tonight is a homegrown show with our regular WeatherBrains panelists.  Tonight we mark the somber 15th anniversary of the April 27th, 2011 super outbreak.  So much has changed in the field of meteorology, in the field of technology/AI, and society in general since 2011.  Where do we go from here?  Also, the panel discusses the EF4 tornado that occurred in Oklahoma last week, as well as other hot topics in the field of weather.  Thanks for listening!

Our email officer Jen is continuing to handle the incoming messages from our listeners. Reach us here: email@weatherbrains.com.

• Dangers of saying the wrong thing on social media (05:00)
• Processing the April 27th, 2011 anniversary (10:45)
• April 27th warning process:  What they got right and what they got wrong (17:00)
• Origins of “Respect the Polygon” (22:00)
• Improving False Alarm Ratio (FAR) (26:00)
• Most stressful aspect of any significant severe weather event (31:00)
• Rick’s perspective of recent EF4 Enid OK tornado (36:00)
• Weather-savvy nature of Oklahomans and people who live in tornado-prone areas (46:00)
• Do NWS employees take any cues from broadcasters and make decisions based on streamers?  (52:30)
• Increasing issue of wildfire threats and call to action (55:30)
• The Astronomy Outlook with Tony Rice (01:09:00)
• This Week in Tornado History With Jen (01:11:30)
• E-Mail Segment (01:13:15)
• and more!

Web Sites from Episode 1058:  

Alabama Weather Network

Picks of the Week:

James Aydelott – 4/26/26 James Aydelott tornado coverage

James Aydelott – Photo of 4/26/26 Oklahoma tornado on ground

James Aydelott – Photo of 4/26/26 James Aydelott coverage

Jen Narramore – Overview of the April 25-28, 2011 Super Outbreak

Rick Smith – Enid OK EF4 and Braman OK EF1 tornado paths

Troy Kimmel – Camp Mystic failed to train teenage counselors for floods, expert tells lawmakers

Kim Klockow-McClain – Out

John Gordon – Curiosity on X: Red Sprite photo

Bill Murray – Autumn Sky VWP Hodographs

James Spann – Spanning Alabama Episode 15: April 27, 2011

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.