Weather Geeks

Guest: Dr. Stephen Nesbitt Five years ago, Dr. Steve Nesbitt joined us to unpack the fundamentals of radar meteorology. Since then, atmospheric science has undergone a massive evolution moving from how we capture severe weather to how we decode it using artificial intelligence and cloud computing. As a UIUC Professor, incoming Associate Dean, and newly named AMS Fellow, Steve has spent his career studying Earth’s most explosive storms. Today, he’s leading a new frontier in meteorology, building open-source tools like Radar DataTree to turn decades of legacy radar files into AI-ready intelligence. We’re sitting down with Steve to catch up on what’s changed since his last visit, how AI is reshaping weather science, and the physics behind the Midwest’s wild tornado season.Chapters00:00 Introduction and Guest Background01:05 How Dr. Nesbitt Became a Weather Geek03:59 AI's Impact on Meteorology and Weather Resilience06:57 Recent Tornado Trends in Illinois and the Midwest09:58 Break 109:59 Remote Sensing Technologi