Weather Geeks

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!

Guests: Dr. Tanya-Brown Giammanco & Dr. Ian GiammancoIntro:  What if you could recreate a Great Plains hailstone in a laboratory? What could we learn from hurling dozens of these stones toward a building? Today’s guests hail from the Insurance Institute for Business and Home Safety where a team of scientists is doing just that! This team, led by Dr. Tanya Brown-Giammanco and Dr. Ian Giammanco, is using 3D printers to replicate hailstones collected across the Plains and test how well structures can withstand an impact. Hail damage across the U.S. can total over $1 billion annually, and we’ll discuss how their research can be used to reduce costly property losses in the future.

Guest: Mike Chesterfield, Director of Weather Presentation, The Weather ChannelIntro:  Weather affects all 5 senses. You can TASTE the snowflakes on your tongue during the first snowfall of the year. You can TOUCH the raindrops as they fall from the sky. You can HEAR the rumbles of thunder as a storm rolls your way. You can SMELL the rain when you step outside on a wet day. And finally, sight. You SEE weather EVERYWHERE. And my guest today, Mike Chesterfield, is bringing the weather to life THROUGH your television screen using The Weather Channel's Immersed Mixed Reality technology. It is something you have to see to believe...  

Guest: Forbes TompkinsIntro: With the transition from winter to spring upon us, some may find themselves swapping snow shovels for sandbags. The right policies can help communities be better prepared before the next flood. Today’s guest, Forbes Tompkins, an officer for The Pew Charitable Trust’s flood-prepared communities initiative, leads work to modernize federal policies so the country’s infrastructure is more flood-ready. Today we’ll talk about solutions that can keep U.S. communities safe during the peak flood season of spring and beyond.

Guest: Rear Admiral David TitleyDescription: David Titley is a retired Rear Admiral and Chief Oceanographer of the US Navy, former NOAA Chief Operating Officer, Director of the Center for Solutions to Weather and Climate Risk and professor of meteorology at Pennsylvania State University. It is an impressive resume for a well respected individual that is so involved with raising awareness on the challenges and opportunities climate change presents to the world. David shares with us some of his latest work, successes, and also discusses the greatest hurdles that remain in the policy arena when it comes to climate change action.

Guest: Jon Davis, Chief Meteorologist at RiskPulseDescription: More than 20% of the US Economy is directly affected by the Weather.  The energy and agriculture sectors are particularly vulnerable to losses that can mount as a result of heat waves, droughts, flooding and cold. Just a couple of degrees can make or cost companies millions of dollars. There is a group of meteorologists who make it their jobs to connect the weather to these lucrative markets and their forecasts can ultimately give their clients that competitive edge.  Today we’ll talk with Jon Davis, Chief Meteorologist at RiskPulse, about the fascinating world of weather forecasting for the commodity markets.

Guest: Dr. Walker Ashley, professor & researcher at Northern Illinois UniversityDr. Walker Ashley is a professor at Northern Illinois University who focuses onexamining the impacts of severe and hazardous weather on society. With more extremeweather events on the rise, we see an increasing number of vulnerabilities being exposedwithin communities, leading to wide spread loss of life and property. Improving thecommunication of risks imposed by severe weather is a major focus of scientists and somepolicy-makers. Today we’ll discuss how urban sprawl and development, local infrastructure,and even socioeconomic factors have been found to play a major role in how a disasterunfolds. We’ll also explore ways we can mitigate or prevent future disasters throughpreparedness and risk assessment.

Guest: Phil Magney, Founder & Principal Advisor for VSIDescription: While we listened to our record collection years ago, some of us dreamed of a future with cars flying through the air...while that may not be where we are headed, self-driving vehicles are here and there are big businesses working on the challenges to bring this to fruition. Weather is perhaps the biggest challenge...how can technology handle changing road conditions while keeping everyone safe? We are joined by Phil Magney, founder of VSI, a leading researcher of active safety and automated vehicle technologies to discuss what is being done to make sure weather doesn’t put on the brakes to the future of automated vehicles.

Guest: Stephen Bennett, Founder and Chief Operating Officer at Riskpulse Your package is shipped, but it is still 3 days out...3 days of traversing through weather to get to you. Will storms cause a delay? Does the product need refrigeration? Can the product be left out in the cold? What if the answers to these questions started before the order went out for shipping? Taking the weather forecast into account - charting and changing the way your package gets delivered...it could mean big savings for you and companies. Well...this technology exists and Stephen Bennett, Founder and Chief Operating Officer for Riskpulse if here to tell us all about it. 

Guest: Matthew Cappucci, Undergraduate at Harvard & Capital Weather Gang Contributor Description: It’s been a special weather phenomenon for meteorologists for a long time, but Jim Cantore took it to a whole new level in 2015...Thundersnow!! Winter storm fans routinely share their videos of lighting during a heavy snow, but just how does lighting form in winter storms? How rare is it? There are many open questions and today we are joined by a rising star in the meteorological community, Matthew Cappucci to get some answers. Matthew has researched thundersnow, is a contributor to Capital Weather Gang and will be graduating from Harvard in a few weeks! So, let’s dive in and breakdown how a flash of light and clap of thunder can give so many people a jolt of excitement!

Guest: Ovie Mughelli, Former NFL Pro Bowl Running Back, Sustainability Advocate, Creator of Comic  Book Gridiron GreenDescription: Former NFL pro bowl running back Ovie Mughelli talks about his incredible journey from All Pro NFL running back to sustainability advocate. Mughelli will fill us in on why he feels a comic book that features a superhero character that becomes the guardian to the plant could be the key to changing the climate narrative and what role did his kids play in launching his unexpected second career choice….This is a discussion that is not one you’ll want to miss.

We go inside the storm with Jim Cantore. As we dive deep into his 30 plus year journey at The Weather Channel, we find out: how have things changed; some of Jim’s most memorable moments; and what will the future bring. All that and more from one of Weather’s most influential names.

Guest: Brett Kern, NFL Punter for Tennessee TitansDescription: In a game where inches can mean the difference between the thrill of victory or the agony of defeat, punters can make all the difference in the world. One NFL punter has found a way to turn his inner weather geek into a real advantage on the gridiron. Today we’ll talk with two time pro-bowl punter and current member of the Tennessee Titans, Brett Kern, to talk about how his dream of one day chasing tornadoes is helping him excel at his NFL career.  

GUEST: Jim Bridenstine, Administrator of NASADESCRIPTION:From flying high above the battlefields of Iraq and Afghanistan, to being elected as a Congressman of Oklahoma in the U.S. House of Representatives, our guest has dedicated his life to serving his country. Today we’re excited to welcome newly confirmed NASA Administrator, Jim Bridenstine.  Jim hails from Tulsa, OK where he became all too familiar with extreme weather, so he understands the importance of improving our forecasting capabilities. We’ll discuss the major piece of legislation he helped pass to support the expansion of weather research and forecasting. Plus, we’ll hear about his evolution on issues like climate change and how the work at NASA can further our understanding of its impacts. If that’s not enough, we’ll also get Jim’s thoughts on the future of space exploration. Could it include a visit to Mars? It’s all next!

Guest: Mark Maxwell, founder and owner of sportsweather.comDescription:  This week on Weather Geeks, we sit down with Mark Maxwell. He is the creator of sportsweather.com, a data-driven weather service site he created to give sports gamblers and fantasy players a competitive edge in an increasingly popular and lucrative niche in the world of sports. So if you want to add never-before-available weather-related insights to your sports betting or fantasy strategy, this podcast’s for you!

Guests: Dr. Jon Martin & Dr. Michael Morgan - Professors, University Of Wisconsin-MadisonDescription: They can cancel school, shut down airports and the big ones can even paralyze cities for days...winter storms track all across the country ever year. They are complicated weather systems where details of temperature structure, pockets of dry air and subtle bands of intense snowfall make all the difference between a few flurries and feet of snow. University of Wisconsin - Madison professors Dr. Jon Martin and Dr. Michael Morgan join us today to discuss why winter storms behave the way they do, how we can understand them better and how a shrinking cold pole in the northern hemisphere might alter these storms in the near future. Get ready weather geek fans...we are really going to roll up our sleeves and get into the details of winter storms!   

Guest: Steve Bowen, Director (Meteorologist), Aon When natural disasters strike they can impact just about every aspect of life... The ultimate cost of such disasters is a science of its own and no one is more familiar with those costs than those charged with insuring all that is important to us. Today we’ll talk with Steve Bowen, Director and meteorologist at Aon, to look back at the weather related disasters of 2018...plus…fascinating conversation that will explain how Mr. Bowen utilizes analytics to help communicate & prepare the world for the risks associated with a future that promises to bring more and more extreme weather events.

Guest: Dr. James McClintock, Endowed University Professor of Polar and Marine BiologyUniversity of Alabama at BirminghamThis week on Weather Geeks we go to the bottom of the earth….Antarctica! A white desert covered in snow and ice. But did you know plants and algae make up an underwater forest at its edges and that these plants can be used to develop drugs to help with cancer and the flu?! Dr. James McClintock from The University of Alabama - Birmingham joins us to discuss why studying this part of the world is important and why so many people are making the trip down to Antarctica to learn more about the region and experience climate change in action. 

Guest:  Gabriel Sassone & Jacques Kerner - Avalanche StudiosDescription:Today on Weather Geeks we dive into a world where extreme weather is the most dangerous game. Video games continue to push the bounds of depicting accurate atmospheric physics in virtual worlds. But how are these gaming “engines” built? How is weather recreated in a virtual world? We’ll get the answers from Gabriel Sassone and Jacques Kerner from Avalanche Studios, which recently released Just Cause 4, a game where weather is not only a main character but a core element of the story and how you play. The experience is amazing, the weather is realistic, and the process to get there is fascinating.