Weather Geeks Team

What began as Fourth of July thunderstorms in Kerr County, Texas rapidly evolved into a catastrophic flash flood that overwhelmed campgrounds, highways, and homes. Today on Weather Geeks, we’re dedicating our episode to understanding the flood disaster in Texas’ Hill Country, how it happened so fast, and how we can better prepare for the next time the sky opens up. We’ll unpack the meteorological setup as well as the human and infrastructural challenges in warning, evacuation, and rescue. This isn’t just a weather story—it’s a community story, and a wake-up call for every corner of the country vulnerable to sudden flooding.

Chapters

1. 00:00 Understanding the Texas Hill Country Flood Disaster
2. 01:39 Meteorological Insights and Communication Challenges
3. 05:00 Analyzing the Meteorological Setup
4. 09:32 The Role of Terrain and Hydrology
5. 18:12 The Impact of Communication on Preparedness
6. 25:02 Cloud Seeding Myths and Misunderstandings
7. 27:22 Lessons Learned for Future Flood Events
8. 27:50 The Deadly Overnight Flooding Event
9. 29:02 The Importance of a Nightly Weather Check
10. 29:30 Enhancing Flood Warnings and Public Response
11. 31:18 The Role of Forecasting in Emergency Management
12. 33:44 Public Perception and Weather Warnings
13. 35:41 Psychology of Weather Response
14. 37:31 The Need for Effective Warning Systems
15. 39:54 Advocating for Weather Radios
16. 41:22 The Impact of Climate Change on Flooding
17. 43:49 Understanding Extreme Weather Events
18. 45:57 The Role of Sea Surface Temperatures
19. 51:30 The Human Element in Weather Events

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Guest: Chris Van Arsdale, Google Climate & Energy Research Lead

Wildfires aren’t just a summer problem anymore. This past January, California faced an unusual and intense wildfire outbreak, with flames ripping through communities and forcing thousands to evacuate. What if we could catch wildfires in their earliest stages, before they spiral out of control? That’s the goal of Google’s FireSat, a revolutionary satellite system designed to spot fires as small as a campfire and deliver updates every 20 minutes. Today on Weather Geeks, we’re talking to Chris Van Arsdale, a leader behind the FireSat project, about how it all works and how they are using AI to help the firefight before it even starts

Chapters

1. 00:00 Introduction to Wildfire Challenges and Firesat
2. 03:10 Chris Van Arsdale's Journey to Google and Climate Research
3. 06:09 Understanding the Firesat Satellite System
4. 09:01 Operational Use and Future of Firesat
5. 11:48 The Role of Google in Wildfire Detection
6. 15:06 Machine Learning and Data Challenges in Fire Detection
7. 18:10 Implications for Firefighting Strategies
8. 20:52 Future Data Applications Beyond Fire Detection
9. 23:58 Global Interest and Collaboration on Firesat
10. 26:49 Environmental and Security Considerations
11. 29:59 Sustainability and Future Launch Plans for Firesat
12. 32:50 Global Applications and Community Engagement
13. 35:56 Final Thoughts on Firesat's Impact

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Guests: Nelson & Louis Tucker

When it comes to tornadoes, getting close is both the goal and the danger. For decades, scientists have relied on radar, storm chasers, and ground-based instruments to study these violent storms. But what if we could send something right into the heart of a developing tornado? Maybe something small, nimble, and packed with sensors? That’s the mission behind the OTUS Project. Using cutting-edge drone technology, this team is pushing the boundaries of what we can safely and accurately observe from inside tornadic storms. Today on Weather Geeks, we’re joined by members of the OTUS Project to talk about how UAVs are changing the way we study tornadoes, what it’s like to deploy them in the field, and how this data could lead to better forecasts and ultimately, save lives.

Chapters

1. 00:00 Introduction to the Otus Project
2. 01:37 Personal Journeys into Meteorology
3. 06:12 Understanding Tornadoes: The Need for Data
4. 10:17 Drone Technology in Tornado Research
5. 14:59 A Day in the Life of a Tornado Chase
6. 19:39 Challenges and Risks in the Field
7. 21:32 First Experiences Inside a Tornado
8. 24:50 Collaborations and Data Sharing
9. 26:34 Measuring Wind Inside Tornadoes
10. 30:19 Choosing Storms and Navigating Obstacles
11. 32:12 Regulatory Hurdles and Networking
12. 34:17 Future Aspirations for the Otus Project

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Guest: Dr. Brian Bledsoe, University of Georgia

When a hurricane makes landfall, we expect the strongest impacts to hit the coast. But Hurricane Helene proved that the story doesn’t end there. With hurricane-force winds reaching more than 350 miles inland, this storm challenged the way we think about extreme weather risk. Are we truly prepared for the full reach of a hurricane, not just this decade but for centuries to come? Today on Weather Geeks, we’re joined by Dr. Brian Bledsoe from the University of Georgia, who is an expert on infrastructure and making future building more resilient. There are many opportunities to build back better, smarter, and safer after these events happen, and hopefully strive to not have to rebuild in the same places over and over. From infrastructure challenges to communication gaps, we’ll explore what needs to change to keep these communities—both coastal and inland—safe.

Chapters

1. 00:00 Understanding Hurricane Helene's Impact
2. 04:58 Assessing Infrastructure Resilience
3. 15:11 Lessons Learned from Hurricane Helene
4. 28:02 Addressing Multiple Natural Disasters
5. 40:00 The Importance of Comprehensive Infrastructure Planning

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Guest: Dr. Anne Heggli, Assistant Research Professor at the Desert Research Institute

Weather forecasts are more than just high and low temperatures or the chance of rain—they’re a complex mix of data, models, and probabilities. But how do we effectively communicate uncertainty in forecasts? And why do so many people struggle with understanding probability-based predictions? It may be easy for us Weather Geeks, but we need to make weather forecasts accessible to as many people as possible, which is exactly the challenge our guest today is tackling! Dr. Anne Heggli wears many hats in her professional life, but her excellence in water resource management across the western United States will teach all of us how to process data and uncertainty just a little better after this episode of Weather Geeks…

Chapters

1. 00:00 Understanding Weather Forecasts and Uncertainty
2. 03:00 The Importance of Water Resource Management
3. 05:53 Communicating Probabilistic Forecasts
4. 09:13 Visual Communication in Weather Forecasting
5. 12:03 Challenges in Communicating Weather Risks
6. 14:51 Hurricane Forecasting and the Cone of Uncertainty
7. 19:07 The 40% Chance of Rain Explained
8. 29:52 The Future of Data Visualization in Weather
9. 36:00 Engaging Communities in Weather Preparedness

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Guest: Pamela James, CEO & Founder of Paloma St. James

It’s no mystery that industrialization has a negative impact on the environment; however, an unexpected contributor is the fashion industry. Recent studies have shown that the production of textiles contributes nearly to 8-10% of global carbon emissions, superseding emissions from the aviation and shipping industries combined. Designer and CEO, Pamela James, joins us today to discuss her take on sustainable fashion and the concept of modularity. We’re a society of mass production and overconsumption, but today you’ll see that less really is more.

Chapters

1. 00:00 The Environmental Impact of Fashion
2. 05:48 Defining Sustainable Fashion
3. 11:57 Sourcing and Sustainability in Fashion
4. 19:51 The Disconnect in Textile Production
5. 26:14 The Impact of Super Capitalism
6. 36:48 Innovations in Modular Fashion

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Guest: Dr. Levi Boggs, Georgia Tech Research Institute

When we think of lightning, we picture bolts striking the ground during a thunderstorm—but not all electrical activity stays within the lower atmosphere. High above the clouds, mysterious and fleeting flashes of light dance across the sky—sprites, blue jets, and gigantic jets—phenomena that are still not fully understood. Today on Weather Geeks, we’re exploring the enigmatic world of upper atmospheric electrical phenomena with Dr. Levi Boggs, whose latest research is shedding new light on these elusive events. From cutting-edge observations to the impact these events may have on aviation, space weather, and even our understanding of lightning itself, we’re thrilled to have Dr. Boggs here to break it all down!

Chapters

1. 00:00 Introduction to Upper Atmospheric Electrical Phenomena
2. 04:58 Transient Luminous Events: Types and Characteristics
3. 10:58 Differences Between TLEs and Traditional Lightning
4. 16:02 Observing TLEs: Opportunities and Challenges
5. 20:58 Research Focus: Gigantic Jets and Their Impacts
6. 25:14 Challenges in Studying Transient Luminous Events
7. 28:22 The Importance of Observations in TLE Research
8. 31:31 Field Campaigns and Citizen Science
9. 33:05 Understanding Lightning Through TLE Research
10. 36:24 Future Aspirations in TLE Research

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