Tonight's show is all about radar and reflectivity. Guest WeatherBrain Charles Kuster works in the radar division of NSSL. He started his career at the OU Cooperative Institute. Then, moved to NSSL and has been there ever since. He attended the University of Oklahoma, where he completed his Bachelor's degree in 2012 and eventually his Master's in 2014. Charles was a Graduate Research Assistant with OU CIMMS before securing a position as Research Associate in January of this year. Charles, welcome to WeatherBrains!

Second Guest WeatherBrain Jami Boettcher came to CIWRO/NSSL after retiring from the National Weather Service, comprised of about 10 years in operations, and 25 years as an Instructor for the Warning Decision Training Division. Her first area of expertise as a trainer focused on the WSR-88D system updates, with the most significant being the conversion to dual polarization. Developing and delivering training that focused on the needs of the NWS operational community was always the priority. Her second area of training expertise was on the cognitive domain of NWS warning operations and its three components: science, technology, and human factors. Jamie, welcome to the show!

Our email officer Jen is continuing to handle the incoming messages from our listeners. Reach us here: email@weatherbrains.com.

• Side lobe contamination (16:00)
• ZDR column radar signature (19:30)
• Precursor radar signatures (25:30)
• Dual-polarization radar general concepts and variables (27:00)
• Correlation coefficient definition (28:30)
• KDP/Specific Differential Phase (29:30)
• Radar spectrum width (43:00)
• Mitigating side lobe contamination? (55:00)
• Difference between WSR-88D and phased array radar (01:05:00)
• Well-known radar gaps and the ensuing issues (01:10:30)
• X-Band radar vs WSR-88D (01:12:00)
• The Astronomy Outlook with Tony Rice (01:27:20)
• This Week in Tornado History With Jen (01:29:05)
• E-Mail Segment (01:31:00)
• and more!

Web Sites from Episode 1049:

Alabama Weather Network

Picks of the Week:

Charles Kuster - NOAA NSSL

Jami Boettcher - NWS/OCLO Warning Decision Training Division

James Aydelott - Out

Jen Narramore - Record snowstorm for Providence, Rhode Island

Rick Smith - Dual-Polarization Radar Training for NWS Partners

Troy Kimmel - NWS Weather and Hazards Data Viewer

Kim Klockow-McClain - Foghorn

John Gordon - Journal of Operational Meteorology "Operational Diagnostic Applications of Isentropic Analysis" by Louis Uccellini

Bill Murray - Out

James Spann - PRESSURE official trailer - Releases May 29th

James Spann - CIRA on X: "May NE US locations received over a foot of snow since yesterday morning due to powerful blizzard and NorEaster...."

The WeatherBrains crew includes your host, James Spann, plus other notable geeks like Troy Kimmel, Bill Murray, Rick Smith, James Aydelott, Jen Narramore, John Gordon, and Dr. Kim Klockow-McClain. They bring together a wealth of weather knowledge and experience for another fascinating podcast about weather.

Tonight's Guest WeatherBrain is Melinda Beerends. She is the MIC (Meteorologist in Charge) of Grand Forks, ND. Welcome!

Our Guest WeatherBrain No. 2 tonight is meteorologist Carl Jones. He's a forecaster for the NWS in Grand Forks, ND. He earned his Bachelor of Science from Florida State University. His professional focus remains operational forecasting and photography. Thanks for joining us tonight!

Last but certainly not least, Guest WeatherBrain No. 3 is a meteorologist from the NWS office in Grand Forks, ND. He is a St. Cloud State graduate and is seasoned photographer who previously worked in the private sector for several years before entering government service. Tyler Thomas, welcome to the show!

Our email officer Jen is continuing to handle the incoming messages from our listeners. Reach us here: email@weatherbrains.com.

• Deep South Valentine's Day Weekend QLCS controversy (01:15)
• Importance of being connected with the people you serve! (06:00)
• Environmental setup for June 2025 EF5 event (13:00)
• ND has never had a High Risk outlook (15:30)
• Flaws/misses in that event's forecast prior to EF5 event (18:00)
• Did the June 2025 Enderlin event meet the SPC thresholds in place? (21:00)
• LCL heights and radar data on day of Enderlin EF5 (22:30)
• Reflectivity data presentation of Enderlin EF5 (29:30)
• QRT ( NWS Quick Response Team) preliminary tornado rating of EF3 (50:00)
• Outside data and sources concerns/review (01:03:00)
• Rarity of direct observational evidence in these types of events (01:12:30)
• The three fatalities in the Enderlin EF5 and what we know (01:22:00)
• The Astronomy Outlook with Tony Rice (01:28:30)
• This Week in Tornado History With Jen (01:30:35)
• E-Mail Segment (No segment this week - stay tuned!)
• and more!

Web Sites from Episode 1048:

Alabama Weather Network

Picks of the Week:

Tyler Thomas - Copernicus Browser

Carl Jones - NWS Probabilistic Precipitation Portal

Melinda Beerends - YouTube: What clues from tornado outbreaks can help improve prediction?

James Aydelott - WeatherFront on X: February 14-15 QLCS

Jen Narramore - The Historical Marker Database

Rick Smith - Out

Troy Kimmel - The Blue Board - United Airlines Flight Tracker and Live Status

Kim Klockow-McClain - Louis Uccellini, NWS Director, visits Oklahoma

John Gordon - John Kucko on X: Ice Volcano Erupts

Bill Murray - Out

James Spann - Brian Emfinger video of Enderlin, ND EF5 damage indicators

The WeatherBrains crew includes your host, James Spann, plus other notable geeks like Troy Kimmel, Bill Murray, Rick Smith, James Aydelott, Jen Narramore, John Gordon, and Dr. Kim Klockow-McClain. They bring together a wealth of weather knowledge and experience for another fascinating podcast about weather.