Weather Geeks

Weather Channel expert Dr. Greg Postel and Meteorologist & Weather Geeks Producer Sarah Dillingham discuss the latest forecast and impacts expected from Hurricane Dorian. Look for more updates here on the Weather Geeks podcast and on air at the Weather Channel as we track this dangerous hurricane!

Guest: Jeff Lindner, Harris County Flood Control District MeteorologistIntro:  Hurricane Harvey is one of the costliest tropical cyclones on record, even though it stalled out for days over a small area. However, that area was the 4th largest city in the United States: Houston, Texas. Communities and government agencies had to come together to mitigate Harvey’s unrelenting rainfall that was nearly 5 feet in some areas. Today, we have Jeff Lindner, nicknamed the “Hero of Harvey,” who worked tirelessly as a meteorologist for the Harris County Flood Control District. We’ll ask him about his experience living and working in Houston during Harvey and what the city has done since to prevent another flooding catastrophe.

Guest: Ray BanIntro: The Weather Channel has been around for over 37 years and has seen the evolution in both the television and digital space over multiple decades.  My guest today was an integral part of The Weather Channel’s growth for nearly 27 of those 37 years. Ray Ban was TWC’s Executive Vice President of Programming and Meteorology and is now a consultant for the company, while teaching a broadcasting class at his alma mater, Penn State.  After so many years in the weather communication industry, Ray has a great deal of experiences and wisdom to pass down to the next generation of meteorologists that you may be watching on TV someday!

Guest: Art SmithIntro:  A lot of you listeners geek out about more than just the weather...myself included!  You have other passions and hobbies that you explore and expand over time, whether that be reading, biking, or...like my guest today...cooking!  Renowned and award-winning chef Art Smith has cooked for many notables including President Barack Obama, Oprah Winfrey and Lady Gaga. He is also a successful restaurateur, bringing his signature southern cuisine all across the country.  However, what you may NOT know about Art is that he is also a geek like us when it comes to the weather and climate, especially since they have an impact on the success of his wonderful restaurants. 

Guest:  Paul Newman, Chief Scientist at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center Intro:  With the daily discussions regarding climate change and rising sea levels, one may forget one of the first environmental crises that the world needed to come together to stop: the hole in the Ozone layer.  Today’s guest has not only never forgotten, but he has been a leader in combating the increase of the Ozone hole ever since it was discovered in the 1970’s. Paul Newman is a chief scientist at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center and is the co-chair of the Scientific Assessment Panel to the Montreal Protocol.  Newman has recently taken the scientific spotlight as a main voice in the new PBS special about the Ozone Hole and what was done to heal it. Now he lends his voice to our podcast today...

Guest: Dr. Ellen Prager, Marine Scientist & AuthorIntro: You can always find my next guest anywhere that there is a coastline, and odds are, she may be getting ready to dive into it!  Dr. Ellen Prager is one of the biggest names in earth and ocean science communication, having done countless speaking engagements and written a handful of books.  The ocean is one of Earth’s most unexplored avenues and Dr. Prager has made it her mission to understand this landscape, or should I say waterscape, and make it understandable to all audiences, fellow doctors and children alike!

Guests: Dr. Rick Knabb, Weather Channel Hurricane Expert, & Rebecca Moulton, Natural Hazards Planning & Disaster Response Meteorologist for FEMA2018’s hurricane season thrust itself upon the history books, starting on Memorial Day weekend with subtropical storm Alberto making landfall, then Hurricane Florence scraping North Carolina with flooding rains in September, and finally Category 5 hurricane Michael destroying homes and lives along the Florida panhandle in October.  With all of these storms, meteorologists and emergency managers had to CONSTANTLY work together to refine their communication to keep everyone in the storm’s path safe. Today, I have two of those people who are at the top of their game: Dr. Rick Knabb, previous NHC director and current Weather Channel hurricane expert, and Rebecca Moulton, Natural Hazards Planning & Disaster Response Meteorologist for FEMA.  Today we will be looking back at how we ALL did in 2018 and what we can improve going into the new hurricane s

Guest: Dr. Paul Sutter, AstrophysicistIntro: 50 years ago, mankind took a giant leap as America successfully landed 3 humans on the moon! Today, we’re remembering this monumental event in world history as we celebrate Apollo 11’s mission and what it meant for the future of space exploration.  We’ve invited Astrophysicist Paul Sutter, Agent to the Stars, to discuss the science behind this lunar mission and how it set the stage for human spaceflight for decades to come. Plus, we’ll explore what’s next on the horizon as our country is making new strides to return to space...and maybe even put a human on Mars! Buckle up as we take this discussion to infinity....AND BEYOND!

Guest: Stephanie Pilkington, PhD Candidate & researcher with the NIST Center for Risk-Based Community Resilience PlanningIntro: For decades the Saffir-Simpson Scale has been the scale used to warn people about the destructive power of an approaching hurricane…..but recently it has come under fire because it is based solely on wind and does not speak to the other hazards hurricane present. So, a group of civil engineers has developed a model in which they say can truly forecast the power of a hurricane….Today we talk to a member of that group...Stephanie Pilkington….to discuss the inner workings of this model.  We’ll dive into a discussion on how we one day can use such models to protect both life and property as we explore the true measure of a hurricane….

Guest: Dr. Kristen Rasmussen, CSU Asst. ProfessorIntro: Today’s guest is no stranger to researching some of Mother Nature’s most powerful storms! Dr. Kristen Rasmussen is an Assistant Professor at Colorado State University, and today we’ll get an inside look at her team’s recent trek to Argentina for the RELAMPAGO field campaign. We’ll discuss what makes these storms so powerful and find out how the local weather services and communities respond to such extreme conditions. Plus, we’ll discuss how severe storms may behave in a warming world. Could climate change be setting the environment up for even more explosive storms? We’ll unravel the details next...

Guest: Dr. Kevin Kloesel, Director of Oklahoma Climatological SurveyIntro: The word “bust” when describing the outcome of a high profile event in forecasting has become more frequently used as of late. It's even referred to, at times, as “the b word”. But why is this word thrown around so much when forecasts have become so good? These high profile events seem to be held at a higher standard. Today Dr. Kevin Kloesel, of the University of Oklahoma, joins us to talk about this very thing!Find him on Twitter as @texasembassy, and make sure to follow us while you're there! @WeatherGeeks

Guest:  Dr. Neil Jacobs,  Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Environmental Observation and Prediction  Intro:  Meteorologists look at a handful of different models when making their forecasts. This includes the ECMWF, or Euro model and the GFS, or American model. The latter has been under some scrutiny in the community, as it tends to be less accurate than the European, model.  Some believe its shortcomings are tied to the lack of government funding for research initiatives to improve it. My guest today has an EPIC proposal on how we can fix this! Dr. Neil Jacobs serves as the acting head of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, or NOAA, and has already had his hand in the creation and improvement of weather modeling systems. He’s already taking that experience to the White House, and we’re excited to hear his future plans!

Guest: Stewart Williams, DTN/PGA MeteorologistIntro:  Fore!!!  From the skies above to the finely-manicured blades of grass beneath their feet, today’s guest knows how important it is to get it right when forecasting for the PGA Tour.  We’re sitting down with DTN’s Lead Senior Meteorologist, Stewart Williams, who has spent more than 20 years providing forecasts for the Tour and its world-renowned golfers. While the players have their own game plan, Mother Nature doesn’t always play nicely.  We’ll discover how a simple wind shift or a wilted blade of grass can make a huge impact on course conditions. Plus, when severe weather threatens, we’ll get an inside look into the decision-making process that helps keep people safe.

Guest: John RossIntro: On June 6th, 1944, more than 160,000 allied forces stormed the beaches of France during WWII. This day would be etched into the pillars of history as D-day. This year, as we remember the 75th Anniversary of landing on the beaches of Normandy, we look back at the forecast behind the mission and how weather prompted one of the biggest scheduling changes in modern history. Today we’re joined by John Ross author of The Forecast for D-Day, And the Weatherman behind Ike’s Greatest Gamble.

Guest: Dr. Louis UccelliniIntro: Today’s guest needs no introduction… We’re sitting down with Dr. Louis Uccellini, Director of the National Weather Service and NOAA Assistant Administrator for Weather Services.  Dr. Uccellini has been making major contributions to the meteorological field for more than 40 years and has been a driving force in positioning the U.S. to be a Weather-Ready Nation.  He recently announced his candidacy to become the next President of the World Meteorological Organization, and we’ll discuss his future goals for the organization and its Members across the globe.  Finally, as NOAA prepares for the upcoming U.S. GFS Model upgrade, we’ll explore what this means for our country’s forecasting capabilities and its position within the numerical modeling community.

Guest: Jenni Evans, AMS PresidentIntro:The American Meteorology Society is very close to my heart, as I was its president back in 2013.  During that time, I had to learn about what it takes to lead an organization with thousands of people from different backgrounds and ages, but all with one common passion...the weather!  My next guest knows EXACTLY what I’m talking about, as she is the CURRENT AMS president! Jenni Evans is a professor at Penn State University and director of PSU’s Institute for CyberScience, where she leads over 200 faculty members...but leading AMS is an entirely different ballgame, especially when you are leading the organization through its 100th year!

Guest: Dr. Adam Houston, University of Nebraska-LincolnIntro: If you are a Weather Geek, odds are you have seen the movie Twister, where two storm chasers are fighting to research strong tornadoes in the heart of Tornado Alley.  To conduct the research, they are using a device called DOROTHY, which was revolutionary in the movie. Now, what if I told you that my next guest is also using revolutionary technology to study tornadoes...but it is utilized more commonly than you think?  Adam Houston from the University of Nebraska - Lincoln and his team are using drones as a pivotal tool in their study of supercells, which is aiming to aid forecasters in predicting tornado formation.

Guest: Dr. Karen Kosiba, Atmospheric Scientist at CSWRIntroduction: From lake-effect snow bands to destructive tornadoes, today’s guest has studied them all!  Dr. Karen Kosiba’s research is focused on unraveling the intricate dynamics behind some of nature’s most dangerous weather.  She believes that taking her work into the field is key to helping us better understand and predict severe weather. We’ll get an inside look on what it’s like to experience a storm from inside a mobile radar, plus we’ll discuss one of her latest research endeavors which took her south of the equator to chase some of the world’s most intense storms.

For some of you listeners that may or may not know, Weather Geeks used to be a television show on The Weather Channel. However, one year ago this week, we re-launched the program on this podcast format. This gave us the ability to have more in-depth discussions and really geek out with our favorite guests. For our one year anniversary, we are going to count down our Top 10 favorite episodes of the podcast so far.

GUEST: Gina McCarthy, former EPA AdministratorDESCRIPTION: ACHOOO!!! It’s springtime for millions of Americans, and unfortunately, that IS something to sneeze at. Today we’re sitting down with former EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy to find out how climate change could actually be making our allergy seasons worse. What could this mean for millions of allergy sufferers? We’re also counting down to April 22, 2020 when we’ll celebrate the 50th anniversary of Earth Day. We’ll talk about how this passionate global movement began and how it continues to bring international communities together to help protect and repair our amazing planet. Join us as this becomes the biggest global environmental movement in history!