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WeatherBrains 310: Ghost Riders in JB’s Eye

| January 4, 2012 @ 1:55 am

WeatherBrains Episode 310 is now online (January 3, 2012). If you are crazy about weather, this is THE netcast audio program for you!

Tonight’s show is an idea from listener Dan Goff. In August, he wrote, “I think it would be great if you guys had someone from the NWS IMET program on the show. Fire weather experts are definitely in high demand these days. Even if it’s not a glamorous as severe weather, it’s a crucial part of operational meteorology.” Quite right.

So it’s another two for one on WeatherBrains as we head into 2012. First up on the guest menus is Jaret Rogers. Jaret is a Mesoscale Assistant Forecaster at the Storm Prediction Center (SPC) in Norman, Oklahoma. Part of his routine duties include issuing fire weather forecasts, convective outlooks, and mesoscale discussions. Prior to working at SPC, Jaret worked at the Phoenix, Arizona, weather forecast office as a meteorologist intern. Jaret holds a M.S. degree in Atmospheric Science from Texas Tech University in 2007, and a B.S. degree in Geography from Arizona State University in 2005. Some of his research interests include boundary interactions in the local storm environment, the relationship between tornadoes and thunderstorm mergers, and the Southwest Monsoon.

And number two guest WeatherBrain is Joseph Goudsward. Joseph is a Senior Forecaster and Incident Meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Little Rock, AR. He is a graduate of Lyndon State College in Vermont. He did television weather in Wausau, WI, before entering the NWS. He caught the fire weather big during a fire camp in Great Falls, MT, where he worked at the NWS for a time. He jumped at the chance when an IMET position opened in Little Rock in 2001 and has been there since. Many thanks to Renee Fair, the MIC at Little Rock and Jim Stefkovich, the Birmingham MIC, for recommending Joseph.

Other discussions in this weekly podcast include topics like:

  • Coldest in the lower 48 – minus 19 at Embarrass, MN
  • Warmest in the lower 48 – 91 at Riverside, CA
  • National radar picture shows only a few showers in Northwest and some snow in Great Lakes
  • Bitter cold in South
  • and more!
  • Our email officer always has some sort of excuse about the mail bag, but he usually comes through with all the news that our listeners write to us about.

    From The Weather Center:

    WeatherBrains 101: Surface observations help to lay out the picture of what weather is happening to us. But how are these observations taken? Are they machine or human, real or Memorex? This episode of 101 takes a look at the ASOS system.

    TWIWH: Bill Murray looks back at the week of January 3rd. Tornadoes in January? Yes, plus ice in Hawaii? Another affirmative. The week also featured some snow events and a big wind gust.

    Listener SurveyListener Surveys: Okay, we continue to drive this topic into the ground, but we really do like to hear from you. Many thanks to everyone who has taken the time to fill out the Listener Survey. The survey takes just a minute or two to complete and provides us with an opportunity to learn where you are and hear your thoughts and comments on the show. Click here to take the survey.

    Web Sites from Episode 310:

    NWS Little Rock, AR

    SPC, Norman, OK

    12 Billion Dollar Disasters in 2011

    Picks of the Week:

    JB Elliott – Earth Science Picture of the Day – snow crystals

    Bill Murray – ESPN3

    Brian Peters – National NWS Radar Site

    Kevin Selle – Gets the horn! !

    James Spann – Google+ Weather

    The WeatherBrains crew includes your host, James Spann, plus other notable geeks like JB Elliott, Kevin Selle, Bill Murray, and Brian Peters. They bring together a wealth of weather knowledge and experience for another fascinating netcast about weather.

    Category: WeatherBrains

    About the Author ()

    Brian Peters is one of the television meteorologists at ABC3340 in Birmingham and a retired NWS Warning Coordination Meteorologist. He handles the weekend Weather Xtreme Videos and forecast discussion and is the Webmaster for the popular WeatherBrains podcast.

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