WeatherBrains Episode 1026 is now online (September 15th, 2025). If you are crazy about weather, this is THE podcast for you!
Our Guest WeatherBrain for this week’s episode is Melissa Marcelloni, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Brownsville, Texas. Melissa has worked a variety of high-impact events, including hurricanes, microbursts, and flooding, and she’s also an experienced storm chaser. Before joining the NWS, she served as a catastrophe claim specialist, giving her a unique perspective on the intersection of meteorology, disaster impacts, and community recovery. Melissa, welcome to WeatherBrains!
Tonight’s Guest Panelist is Chris White — a proud Virginia Tech alumnus and a retired federal government scientist. He’s well-known in the weather community as a storm chaser for @WDBJ7Weather and @MLseverewxcon, where he also serves as founder and coordinator. In addition, Chris is a dedicated weather blogger, sharing his passion for severe weather with the public and the storm chasing community. Chris, thanks for joining us tonight.
Our email officer Jen is continuing to handle the incoming messages from our listeners. Reach us here: email@weatherbrains.com.
- Hot air balloons and meteorology (16:00)
- Melissa’s educational journey (18:00)
- Diversification is key (21:30)
- Melissa’s transition from working in insurance into the NWS (24:00)
- Defining core partners in the aftermath of major weather disasters (31:00)
- Historical hurricanes (34:30)
- Outreach efforts to the community in order to help them prepare for major weather events (36:30)
- Toughest weather to forecast in south Texas/Airmass thunderstorms (41:00)
- Issues with microbursts in south Texas (43:30)
- Challenges with rip current risk, and what those in the community should/shouldn’t do to mitigate risk (49:00)
- Storm chasing experiences and notable storms (51:30)
- Frustrating storm chasing days (01:05:00)
- National Storm Chasers Summit (01:08:00)
- The Astronomy Outlook with Tony Rice (01:14:20)
- This Week in Tornado History With Jen (01:17:15)
- E-Mail Segment (01:18:15)
- and more!
Web Sites from Episode 1026:
Melissa Marcelloni on Instagram
Picks of the Week:
Melissa Marcelloni – Tornadoes destroy multiple homes in Utah
Chris White – Sterling, VA September 17th, 2004 tornadoes
James Aydelott – An incredible tornado intercept in Caragabal, NSW, Australia
Jen Narramore – Aaron Rigsby on X: Tornado video in Dakotas
Rick Smith – Out
Troy Kimmel – Helene in Southern Appalachia story map
Kim Klockow-McClain – Foghorn
John Gordon – Mark Gray on X: Saturday splashes at sunset in Bonavista NL
John Gordon – Gord Follett Photography on X: Unique coastline photo near Madrock Bay Roberts Newfoundland
Bill Murray – Foghorn
James Spann – PolarWx
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.