Guest: Dr. Stella Kafka, AMS Executive Director

The world of meteorology is vast, with the options of different career paths spreading far and wide! You don’t have to be on TV in order to be a successful meteorologist, nor do you have to work for the government at the National Weather Service. In that same vein, you don’t have to be a meteorologist to be involved in the American Meteorological Society, even though it’s in the name! Your career may take you in a different direction, but there is always a weather geek in there somewhere. That’s why today on Weather Geeks, we have the new Executive Director of the AMS Dr. Stella Kafka on the show to talk about her journey into this position and where she wants to take the organization in the future…

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Guest: Kurt Shickman

We’ve been naming tropical systems since the late 1940s and the Weather Channel has been naming winter storms in the United States since 2012 while other nations have been naming storm systems for over a decade. But what about heat waves? The point of naming storm systems is to raise awareness, preparedness, and prevent the loss of life and property… and extreme heat is the deadliest weather-related killer in the United States, taking more lives on average each year than hurricanes and tornadoes combined. Joining us today is Kurt Shickman, director of Extreme Heat Initiatives at the Adrienne Arsht-Rockefeller Foundation Resilience Center to talk about bringing more awareness to the deadly heat that affects our country.

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Guest: Dr. Tyler WInkler

Introduction: The 2020 and 2021 hurricane seasons were among the top 3 most active on record. But, for now, the hurricane “record” extends only as far back as historical stories or modern weather data.  Could we actually be at a historical low in tropical cyclone activity?  Scientists, like Dr. Tyler Winkler, have discovered a new way of uncovering the past using sediment cores from Blue Holes. Tyler’s work was featured on an episode of the Nat Geo documentary “Years of Living Dangerously”, and he joins us on Weather Geeks.

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Guest: Dana Nuccitelli

On Aug 16, 2022, President Joe Biden signed the Inflation Reduction Act into law. This piece of legislation is the single biggest step forward by the U.S. Government focusing on our changing climate. Today on Weather Geeks we will be joined by environmental scientist and climate journalist Dana Nuccitelli to discuss the impacts that the Inflation Reduction Act will have on our climate.

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Guest: Jennifer Walton

Storm chasers range from professionally trained photographers to research meteorologists to thrill seekers watching radar on their phones. And yet, still even today, the majority of them are male.  Girls Who Chase is an organization born out of the desire to elevate the efforts of women chasers.  To give them a community.  And to empower them - to do that thing they most long to do, no matter how daunting, non-stereotypical, or mathematical it might seem.  The founder of Girls Who Chase, Jen Walton, joins us today on Weather Geeks.

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Guest: Melissa Roberts

Introduction: In recent decades, extreme rainfall events have been on the increase. There have been 36 billion dollar flood disasters since 1980, and 11 of them have happened in the last 5 years. Sea level rise is leading to more coastal flooding, even in the absence of rain.  Who is going to organize the charge to address these rising flood concerns?  Melissa Roberts founded the American Flood Coalition to raise awareness to the reality of higher seas, stronger storms, and more frequent flooding.  She is here today on Weather Geeks to tell us more.  

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Guest: Mike Kozar & Robert Muir-Wood

Introduction: With August now in full swing, it’s just a matter of time before the tropics start to stir and the risks start to rise for communities. Risk Management Solutions is tackling and transforming the catastrophe risk industry, including hurricane risks. RMS HWind is a tool that is crucial to understanding as well as dealing with tropical cyclone risks. Joining us today are Mike Kozar and Robert Muir-Wood of RMS. Kozar is the lead on all their HWind products, and Muir-Wood has been with RMS over 18 years and is the Chief Research Officer.

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Guest: Tim Walsh

Introduction: Weather satellites in the Earth’s orbit supply vital information to meteorologists across the globe. Did you know that over 90% of the data that is used in weather forecast models comes from satellites? Our next guest has spent plenty of time working on improving weather satellites and the information that they obtain and share. From the heart of hurricane season to the middle of the winter, satellites are an integral part of keeping people safe. Today on Weather Geeks we are joined by Tim Walsh, Deputy Director of the Joint Polar Satellite System Program at NOAA. Thanks for being with us Tim…

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Guest: Victoria Ludwig

Introduction: When the temperature heats up, people living in cities are often even hotter. That's because the parking lots, roads, and human activities in cities cause the urban heat island. Victoria Ludwig is the national program manager for the Heat Island Reduction Program at the US Environmental Protection Agency. She is here today to explain what urban heat islands are, how we can reduce them, and why the EPA is concerned. 

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Guest: Derrick Herndon

Introduction: After two back-to-back supercharged hurricane seasons, 2022 is again expected to be well above average. When tropical systems are spinning far out in the ocean and away from land, meteorologists compare satellite imagery of the current storm to past storms to estimate its intensity. It's a technique that dates back to the ‘70s called the Dvorak Technique, and it is still used today.  Satellite meteorologist Derrick Herndon joins Weather Geeks today to share how the Dvorak technique has been upgraded. 

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Guest: Ken Graham

The National Weather Service needs no introduction here on Weather Geeks and recently, a new director was appointed to lead the agency in charge of disseminating vital weather information across the U.S.. Ken Graham is taking the reins of the NWS as its 17th director and if that name sounds familiar, it’s because he’s been a guest of the podcast before while leading the National Hurricane Center! Today, we’re going to discuss his vision for the future of the National Weather Service as well as his past endeavors that have led up to this point.

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RECORDED MARCH 15, 2024 Originally released JUNE 12, 2024

Guest: Dr. Jason Senkbeil, Associate Professor at the University of Alabama

Hurricane season is rapidly approaching! Many elements that go into a busy tropical season, like warm SST’s and the ENSO phase, already have forecasters worried that we could have a blockbuster season. I’m sure a lot of us Weather Geeks are prepared for what that could entail, but is the rest of the general public ready? And today we’re not talking about prep kits or boarded up windows, we’re talking about how the public understands the risks that they are under during a landfalling tropical cyclone. Let’s discuss that and many more topics with the University of Alabama’s Dr. Jason Senkbeil…

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Guest: Eric Klinenberg

 When we talk about preventing deaths from natural disasters, we often look at our physical infrastructure and how to build it to withstand withering conditions. But what about our social infrastructure: the network of spaces, institutions, and groups that help foster social connections? What role do they play in protecting the vulnerable? Our guest today is Eric Klinenberg, author of Heat Wave: A Social Autopsy of Disaster in Chicago, and it's an in depth look at the factors that led to one of America's deadliest heat waves.

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Guest: Dr. Tim Marshall

Introduction: When natural disasters strike, those affected work to rebuild their lives and livelihoods; but before we rebuild, we must assess the damage that has occurred. By doing this, we can work to improve the structures where we live and work and hopefully prevent the same damage from happening again. Dr. Tim Marshall is joining us today and is one of the nation’s preeminent forensic engineers. He was also involved in the development team that produced the Enhanced Fujita Scale for tornado damage assessment as well as a major contributor to the committee to update the Saffir-Simpson scale.

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Guest: Joseph Trujillo Falcón

Bilingual communities across the country are at a disadvantage when weather warnings are issued because the current infrastructure does not adequately translate the weather terminology into Spanish. Some progress has been made in recent years, but there is still a long way to go. Our next guest on Weather Geeks, Joseph Trujillo Falcón, is working to bridge the gap between weather warnings and bilingual communities…

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Guest: Dr. Jim Kossin

The 2020 and 2021 hurricane seasons were both above average based on the number of named storms. The changing climate and its impact on the strength and frequency of tropical cyclones is constantly being studied. Our next guest has focused his studies on hurricanes and the impacts that the climate and climate change are having on these systems. With another active hurricane season expected in 2022, we welcome Senior Scientist with The Climate Service, Dr. Jim Kossin, to this week’s episode of Weather Geeks…

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Guest: Ali Van Fleet

Introduction:  All-time record heat waves… mega-droughts & record large wildfires…flash floods from incredible rain… often come with a Climate Change fingerprint on them. Is there anything we can do?  Pattrn is a social and streaming media brand with a mission to explore, inform, and engage in Earth’s changing patterns.  Ali Van Fleet, meteorologist and Climate Science Producer at The Weather Channel, is here today to tell us more about Pattrn and share her personal experience with several historic climate-fueled weather events.

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Guest: Dr. Adam Houston

It’s been more than 25 years since the movie Twister came out, depicting scientists trying to gather data from inside tornadoes by leaving instruments in their paths. As happens with time, technology improves and now it’s not just in the movies where scientists are attempting to get data from inside a tornado. One group of scientists are using drones to intercept tornadoes to gather data to help shed light on their inner workings and also to help the National Weather Service issue more accurate tornado warnings with longer lead times. The head of that project, Dr. Adam Houston, is here with us today.

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Guest: Dr. Phil Klotzbach

Introduction: “Is it going to be a busy hurricane season?” is one of the most commonly asked questions to meteorologists, especially this time of year. After two back-to-back seasons with a super-charged Atlantic basin, this year is indeed expected to be above average again.  What that means for impacts and how those predictions are made are just some of the topics to talk about with atmospheric scientist and premier hurricane season predictor - Dr. Phil Klotzbach - on this episode of Weather Geeks.

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Guest: Dr. Ed Kearns

If you’ve been keeping tabs on the natural disasters impacting our country, you may have noticed that wildfires have become more intense, larger, and are occurring more frequently, scorching everything in their path. First Street Foundation, a science and technology nonprofit, has released a new study evaluating the wildfire risk to our nation’s critical infrastructure. But just how do you model out something with so many variables that differ from one part of the country to the other? Joining us today is Dr. Ed Kearns, the chief data officer at First Street Foundation, to break down the methodology, findings and impacts of this expansive research study.

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Guest: Dr. Andrew Grundstein

Many of us have seen first-hand the impacts weather can have on our daily lives, and today we’re going to focus on the dangers associated with heat and thunderstorms. Heat related illnesses are often underrated and sadly, this can lead to many trips to the emergency room...or worse. Today’s guest, Dr. Andrew Grundstein of the University of Georgia, has been focusing on one particular aspect of the heat: how it impacts athletes and children in hot cars. These situations can lead to dozens of deaths each year, so we’re going to discuss the meteorological and even some of the psychological factors at play in these events. Finally, we’ll discuss the impacts of thunderstorms on asthma...an idea which may be counterintuitive to many of you...

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Guests: Jen Carfagno, Kelly Cass, Felicia Combs, Paul Goodloe, Jacqui Jeras, Dr. Rick Knabb, Molly McCollum

On May 2, 1982, The Weather Channel launched and changed the way we received weather information forever. Over these past 40 years, technology has changed not only the way we study meteorology, but also how we get life saving information out to the public, a core tenet of The Weather Channel’s mission. Joining us today are several meteorologists at the Weather Channel to discuss their experiences and where they see the next 40 years going.

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Guest: John Ross, author

Whether you’ve heard about D-Day or the Battle of Normandy through a textbook at school many years ago or from a documentary on TV, the images you’ve seen of the seaborne invasion surely are etched into your mind. All of the troops storming the beaches from the sea, flanked by gunfire and explosions. Of course the logistics of conducting such an organized siege is one thing, but one aspect that many people don’t know is how much of an impact the weather had on that pivotal battle. And if that battle did not happen, there would be cascading effects that would change our history forever. Ahead of the 80th Anniversary of D-Day, we have author John Ross on the podcast today

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Guest: Dr. Craig Clements

We saw a record number of acres of beautiful countryside go up in flames in 2020. In recent years, many across the West have seen some of the deadliest & most destructive wildfires that our country has ever experienced.  Whether they have been accelerated by climate change or extreme drought conditions, there is no denying that millions of lives have been changed forever as these millions of acres are scorched beyond repair.  Today on the show, we are talking with someone who wants this trend to stop and wants to forecast the wildfires before they cause their destruction.  His name is Dr. Craig Clements from the SJSU Fire Weather Research Lab in California and we are so excited to sit down with him today...

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Guest: Dr. Kevin Petty

Introduction: As technology has progressed over the past century, scientists and engineers have discovered ways to make technology smaller and smaller and still yield the same or even greater results. Satellite technology is no exception to this progress of miniaturization. Nanosatellites are satellites that have a mass between 1 and 10 kg and are populating low-level orbit more and more frequently. As of August 2021, over 1,600 nanosatellites were in orbit around Earth. Joining us is Dr. Kevin Petty, Vice President of Earth System Science and Technology at Spire, a company that utilizes nanosatellites to predict environmental change.

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Guest: Dr. Kevin Petty

Introduction: As technology has progressed over the past century, scientists and engineers have discovered ways to make technology smaller and smaller and still yield the same or even greater results. Satellite technology is no exception to this progress of miniaturization. Nanosatellites are satellites that have a mass between 1 and 10 kg and are populating low-level orbit more and more frequently. As of August 2021, over 1,600 nanosatellites were in orbit around Earth. Joining us is Dr. Kevin Petty, Vice President of Earth System Science and Technology at Spire, a company that utilizes nanosatellites to predict environmental change.

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Guest: Dr. Karen Kosiba

When we assign a rating to a tornado, it’s based on the damage it’s left behind. But what happens when a powerful tornado roars through a field? Is the rating assigned accurate if there wasn’t a building there to damage? Dr. Karen Kosiba joins us to talk about the research she and her colleagues have done in this subject and we’ll get an inside look on what it’s like to experience a storm from inside a mobile radar, the tool used to help determine tornadic wind speeds in these rural tornadoes. She’s also part of the PERiLS research team we talked about a few weeks ago here on the podcast and we’ll get an update on the research after the storms we’ve seen roll through the south over the past few weeks.

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Guest: Dr. Stephen Strader

Introduction: Severe weather comes in many forms, and tornadoes are amongst the deadliest on a yearly basis. When severe weather strikes, many people feel as if the safest place to be is their home, but is that the case for all types of homes? Our next guest has studied the vulnerability of humans that live in mobile and manufactured homes during severe weather events. Dr. Stephen Strader, assistant professor at Villanova University, is here today to discuss his findings and ways that we can improve safety throughout tornadic events…

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Guest: Tony Lyza

When you think of tornadoes, you probably think of a big supercell in Tornado Alley in Texas or Oklahoma or Kansas. However, the idea of a “tornado alley” can be misleading.  Tornadoes in the Deep South are just as likely to occur and perhaps more deadly than in the Great Plains.  Today’s guest is part of one of the largest and most comprehensive severe storm field campaigns in the Southeastern United States. The field program is called PERilS - Propagation, Evolution, and Rotation in Linear storms. Tony Lyza, from the University of Alabama Huntsville, is here today to discuss the plan for the research and what scientists hope to discover.

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Guest: Kevin Cooley

When life-threatening weather is occurring, the National Weather Service not only monitors the threat, but also puts out products through a variety of sources in order to convey the severity and timing of the threat. But how exactly do they accomplish this? In the age of technology where a tweet can be seen just as widely as a bulletin on television, how does the NWS balance the juggling act of ensuring their message is seen by as many people as possible but also staying on top of the threat as it’s unfolding? Joining us today is Kevin Cooley, the Director of Office of Planning & Programming for Service Delivery for the N-W-S, and that’s exactly what his job handles.  

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Guest: Harrison Prieto

Student athletes at the collegiate level have to balance a plethora of responsibilities, both academic and athletic. For one of those student athletes, meteorology plays a huge role on the academic side of things: Harrison Preito is a student at Florida State University and also pursuing his Masters in Meteorology. We’re sitting down today to talk about that balance, how weather became such an important part of his life, and where he sees himself moving forward.

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GUEST: David Hondula

INTRODUCTION: Weather is an awe-inspiring phenomenon that captures the attention of everyone at some point in their lives, but it’s also powerful and can be deadly as well. When we think of life threatening weather, hurricanes, severe storms, and flooding come to mind first, but did you know extreme heat is one of the leading killers when it comes to weather-related fatalities? The city of Phoenix, Arizona is keenly aware of this, ranking near the top for hottest cities in the United States. This is also one of the reasons why the city became the first in the nation to have a publicly funded office for heat response and mitigation. A Heat Officer, if you will. David Hondula is that officer and he’s joining us today! Welcome, David!

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Guest: Steve Bowen

Looking back to last year, 2021 continued the trend of increasing damage from weather-related disasters with 20 Billion-dollar events. While there weren’t as many events as the record year of 2020, the actual damage amount was higher, giving another data point to the trendline demonstrating the heightened costliness and severity of these events. Steve Bowen, meteorologist and head of Catastrophe Insight at Aon, is here today to dive deeper into the data that highlights not only the increasing financial impact of these disasters, but the increasing humanitarian toll as well.

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Guest: Dr. Katherine Calvin

Dr. Katherine Calvin has been an Earth Scientist at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory’s Joint Global Change Research Institute since 2008.  Just recently, Dr. Calvin was appointed as NASA’s Chief Scientist AND Senior Climate Advisor.  She’s here today to talk about that new dual role at NASA and share how NASA observations, measurements, and technologies will help us as we look for ways to mitigate and adapt to climate change.

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Guest: Dr. Michael Farrar

Introduction: 

A man of many meteorological backgrounds, our next guest is taking on a new journey as he steps into the role as the new director of the National Centers for Environmental Prediction, commonly referred to as “NCEP.” In today’s episode we will be joined by Dr. Michael Farrar where we will discuss his expectations for the future of NCEP as well as his past endeavors that have led up to this point…

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Guest: Art delaCruz

When disaster strikes, help may not arrive wearing a cape, but it very well may be wearing a Grey shirt. The men and women wearing grey shirts that make up Team Rubicon descend on areas hit by a weather disaster or humanitarian crisis. Team Rubicon is a disaster relief organization, founded by veterans, that mobilizes veterans, first responders and civilians to serve communities in need. Today we talk to a veteran - the CEO of Team Rubicon- Art delaCruz.

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Guest: Bob Henson

Introduction: On December 30, 2021, The Marshall Fire ripped through suburban neighborhoods in the Denver-Boulder metropolitan area - spread by high winds and fueled by months of drought. The wildfire left two people presumed dead, burned more than 6000 acres and destroyed more than 1000 homes.  Bob Henson is one of several atmospheric scientists who call that area near Boulder, Colorado home.  He joins us today to talk about the fire on this edition of Weather Geeks.

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Dr. Keith Seitter

The American Meteorological Society has been a collective of meteorologists and a fixture in the professional community since its foundation in 1919. Since then, numerous achievements in the field have taken us through the discovery of the radar, the satellite era, and the constant advancement in atmospheric modeling. The AMS has been there throughout this technological journey. Since 2004, Dr. Keith Seitter has been the Executive Director of the AMS and almost 20 years later, he is retiring from the organization. He’s here joining us today to reflect on his time with the Society; so please welcome, Dr. Keith Seitter!

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Guest: Dr Amy McGovern

Introduction:

Artificial intelligence continues to make advances in leaps and bounds across the scientific spectrum. Our guest today is looking to apply this growing technological field to high-impact weather phenomena, including: tornadoes, hail, flooding, drought, turbulence and more. Dr. Amy McGovern leads the NSF AI Institute for Research on Trustworthy AI in Weather, Climate, and Coastal Oceanography and is joining us today, to talk about AI, the applications of it in the field of meteorology and more. Welcome, Dr. McGovern!

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Guest: Dr. Lisa Graumlich

Introduction:

From a young child who witnessed the Cuyahoga River burning... to a pioneer in connecting tree-ring data to climate change, Dr. Lisa Graumlich has become a powerful voice in climate change communication, adaptation and solutions.  She will take us through what we learned at COP26 and from the latest IPCC report, and give us a preview of what's to come at this year’s big Fall meeting of the American Geophysical Union which is themed “Science is Society.”

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Guests: Sarah Dillingham, Jason Disharoon, Josh Vexler & Brian Kucinski

As 2021 comes to a close, the Weather Geeks team takes a look at the biggest weather moments and stories from 2021 and what we’ve learned from them to take into the new year. 

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Guest: Steve Conney & Luke Stone, Powderchasers

When you were a kid, you would fall asleep on a winter night dreaming of waking up to a snow day, though children that lived in the southern tier of the U.S. had a dream a little bit harder. You didn’t have to go to school and you could play in the snow all day! Well my guests today spend their days playing in the snow and have made a career out of it! Steve Conney and Luke Stone are members of the Powderchasers team that travels across the Rockies to forecast the biggest snowstorms to give you the freshest powder for your weekend ski trip! How will this upcoming La Nina winter impact their chases? Let’s find out...

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Guest: Dr. Rick Spinrad

Introduction:

Earlier this year in June there was a change in leadership at the top of NOAA. Appointed by President Joe Biden, our next guest has spent decades in atmospheric sciences. Today we are joined by the 11th, and current, NOAA Administrator Dr. Rick Spinrad. Dr. Spinrad is going to share with us how his first few months on the job have gone as well as goals for the future...

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Guest: Charlie Peachey, Mount Washington Weather Observer

The United States sees almost every kind of meteorological phenomena imaginable, but there’s one place where the weather can be amplified. Located at over 6000 feet in New Hampshire, Mount Washington is famous for its weather extremes. The Mount Washington Observatory is a world renowned institution with a mission to advance understanding of the natural systems that create Earth’s weather and climate. Our guest today is a Weather Observer and Research/IT Specialist with the observatory… welcome to the show Charlie Peachey!

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Guest: Dr. Craig McLean

Introduction:

When we think of NOAA, a multitude of things can come to mind from our planet’s oceans and atmosphere. The research in these fields has yielded us scientific advancements in weather forecasting, oceanography, and atmospheric chemistry just to name a few. But what is the process for conducting this research and allocating the resources across such a broad spectrum? Today’s guest helps to do just that. He is the Active Chief Scientist and Assistant Administrator for Oceanic and Atmospheric Research at NOAA. Please welcome Craig McLean! 

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Dr. Marty Ralph

Introduction:

You can’t row a boat in an atmospheric river, but it is a powerful force of nature that transports massive volumes of water vapor. The director of the Center for Western Weather and Water Extremes at Scripps Institution of Oceanography Dr. Marty Ralph is a pioneer in the study of atmospheric rivers affecting the Western US and has been leading the development of a category scale, like the hurricane saffir-simpson scale, to classify the strength of atmospheric rivers. He’s here today to talk about atmospheric rivers, the scale, and why it's important for forecasting and communication.

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Al Roker has been giving forecasts for ‘your neck of the woods’ for over 20 years...He is America’s Weatherman, appearing on the TODAY show, Nightly News and a host of other television and news shows over the years. He has a knack for channeling his on-air charisma into many different media platforms, including penning a New York Times best seller, dishing out award-winning cookbooks, and lending his voice to critically-acclaimed movies. In this week's Weather Geeks podcast we learn about Al’s deep passion for weather, how he continues to evolve with the ever-changing media landscape and how he manages to balance it all.

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Guest: Eric Fisher, Author of Mighty Storms of New England

Meteorologist Eric Fisher says there are few places on earth that produce weather like New England.  It offers the challenges of blockbuster snowstorms, hurricanes, tornadoes, heat waves, frigid cold snaps and dramatic seasonal shifts. Eric just penned a book:  “The Mighty Storms of New England - The Hurricanes, Tornadoes, Blizzards, and Floods that Shaped the Region”.  He writes that knowing the past is a critical part of understanding and forecasting the weather.  The stories in his book describe not only the loss and damage caused by the storms but also the progress made as a result.  Perhaps one of the most valuable lessons we can learn from the past is how to better communicate the risks.  And Eric is just the meteorologist to talk about this…

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Guest: Ryan Lanclos

Introduction:

    When disasters strike, emergency responders and government agencies must act quickly, but large-scale events make it difficult to determine where resources should be allocated first.  Technological advances in Geographic Information Systems, or GIS, have helped improve disaster responses across the globe and become an invaluable way to process data.  Today we’re joined by Ryan Lanclos, Director of Public Safety Solutions at Esri, who will share how GIS is being used to supplement a variety of natural and man-made disasters. Plus, we’ll discuss other GIS applications that are used in our everyday lives, even though we may have taken it for granted... 

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Guest: Dr. Scott Braun

After a record-breaking 2020 Atlantic hurricane season and this season’s forecast to be above average, it might be a good time to get a grip on the tropics. In this case: GRIP is an acronym for Genesis and Rapid Intensification Processes and is the name of a NASA field experiment that was designed to understand how tropical systems form and develop into major hurricanes. Dr. Scott Braun worked on the GRIP project and joins us today to dive into the project and other hurricane research of which he’s been a part.

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