WeatherBrains Episode 1029 is now online (October 6th, 2025). If you are crazy about weather, this is THE podcast for you!

Tonight’s Guest WeatherBrain is Illinois Congressman Eric Sorensen.  He last joined the WeatherBrains panel in 2022 when he was first running for office. He is now in his second term in Congress and is a meteorologist who has represented Illinois’s 17th congressional district since 2023, covering much of western and central Illinois, including Moline, Rock Island, parts of Peoria, Rockford, and the Illinois side of the Quad Cities.  Congressman, we are honored to have you join us tonight!

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

• Update on Dr. Jacobs (0:45)
• June 20th, 2025 North Dakota EF5 (02:45)
• Meteorologists in Congress (09:00)
• Weather and politics (17:00)
• Bipartisan SST Committee (18:00)
• U.S. Government shutdown and how it has affected the weather community (21:30)
• Science-focused legislators (29:00)
• Learning to admit you can be wrong and don’t know (45:00)
• Social media reaction to the end of the EF5 drought (46:00)
• Ted Fujita’s tornado scale was created in 1973 (53:00)
• Is the door open to change ratings of long-past tornadoes and hurricanes?  (56:00)
• Tornado damage vs straight-line wind damage (01:08:00)
• Inaction during Severe Thunderstorm Warnings (01:12:00)
• The Astronomy Outlook with Tony Rice (No segment this week – stay tuned!)
• This Week in Tornado History With Jen (01:13:30)
• E-Mail Segment (01:15:20)
• Tropics discussion (01:19:00)
• and more!

Web Sites from Episode 1029:

Alabama Weather Network

Congressman Eric Sorensen on X

Picks of the Week:

James Aydelott – EF5 tornado drought is over

Jen Narramore – Helpful tornado technology created by MU meteorology student

Rick Smith – New study reveals potential cause of a ‘drought’ in violent EF5 tornadoes

Troy Kimmel – Delta Flight Museum

Kim Klockow-McClain – Foghorn

John Gordon – Rain, snow and a double rainbow in Laramie, Wyoming

Bill Murray – Out

James Spann – Tim Marshall: We have an EF5 tornado in North Dakota!

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.