Ice Station Housman

The peak of hurricane season is upon us! We discuss some of the storms going on at the time of this recording, as well as some basics about tropical systems. How they work, what sizes they can be and what storm surge is. Show Notes! Recent Weather News How to help Louisiana Flood Victims Midwest Tornado Outbreak Deadly lightning strike kills 323 Reindeer Some Tropical Links:  Tropical Storm Hermine National Hurricane Center Becky's blog on Hermine-impacts to Delmarva, New Jersey and southern New England beaches What are hurricanes? Saffir Simpson Scale Sea Temperatures   This week's musical outro: "Trying To Reason With Hurricane Season" by Jimmy Buffet. The photo above is courtesy of the NASA Earth Observatory taken on September 1, 2016. 

On this week's show, we discuss microbursts, recent flooding, the beginning of hurricane season, "rain bombs", and our recent heat wave. Also, Jimmy doesn't accept that we've exhausted all possible planets we could live on...   Show Notes! Recent Weather News Our recent heat wave Microbursts Recent photogenic Microburst over Phoenix, AZ Delta Air Lines Flight 191 crash "Rain Bombs" Historic flooding in Ellicott City, MD Peak Hurricane Season is upon us Becky telling you what you need to know to prepare and be safe. 2016 Hurricane Names Topic: Alternative Universe Weather Tatooine Westeros Arrakis   This week's outro is ""If you Luke father west....if you're Wookiee" Today's Star Wars weather" courtesy of this video.

In a twist on the normal discussion of weather on Earth, the crew of Ice Station Housman takes a journey through the solar system to see what other planet's weather is like.  The main goal: to determine which planet humans can relocate to in the unfortunate case of Earth becoming inhabitable.  Show Notes! Introductions- The gang's all here! Joel, Jimmy and Becky tackle the complexities of space together.  Topic: Other Planet's Weather Mercury: http://coolcosmos.ipac.caltech.edu/ask/27-What-is-the-weather-like-on-Mercury- Venus: http://www.universetoday.com/36721/weather-on-venus/ Mars: http://mars.nasa.gov/ Jupiter and moons: Europa and Io: http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/planets/jupiter Saturn: http://www.space.com/18473-saturn-temperature.html Saturn's moon: Titan: http://www.space.com/15257-titan-saturn-largest-moon-facts-discovery-sdcmp.html Saturn's hexagon storm: http://www.space.com/30608-mysterious-saturn-hexagon-explained.html Uranus: http://nineplanets.org/uranus.html Neptune: http://coolcosmos.ipac.ca

This week Becky, Jimmy, and Joel are joined by Katie Wheatley, GIS mapping expert, to talk about mapping the weather. Show Notes Introductions Katie's bio on USTornadoes.com Today's Topic: Mapping the weather. Geographic Information System - So, what is GIS again?  Green Screen Difficulties: A pretty good green screen fail The NWS enhanced data display A sea breeze vs. a sea breeze cocktail Tornado Town, USA by Maggie Koerth-Baker at Fivethirtyeight.com. This weeks outro-music is "Maps" by the Yeah Yeah Yeahs.

On this week's show we discuss the four day severe weather outbreak from earlier last week as well as what YOU should do in the event of a tornado warning. Jimmy is out this week, so Becky and Joel review a blog post she wrote in early 2015 covering the topic of tornado safety. We also cover the discussion that popped up this week related to the old vs new method for rating tornado severity and highlight a number of intense videos from the past week's storms. Show Notes! Introductions - Jimmy is out this week at a conference and was unable to co-host - so its just Becky and Joel. Topic: Tornado Safety Becky reviews the severe weather outbreak, day by day. How to Prepare for Severe Weather and Stay Safe During an Outbreak Insane photo of a very lucky young man who followed proper tornado safety procedures Affordable, $25 weather radio More expensive, but better quality weather radio EF3 vs EF5 discussion related to Oklahoma tornado Fujita Scale (for review) Relevant tweet about the discussion Scary Tornado

This is it...the next chapter in Ice Station Housman's history begins with a bang as Becky Elliott,  real-life-no-fooling meteorologist and severe weather junkie joins Joel and Jimmy as a full-time host! Huzzah! Becky gives us an insider's perspective on storm chasing - the good, the bad, and the ugly. Plus, Joel gloats over his LaserDisc copy of Twister, Jimmy makes his demands, and the hyperloop tube back to Virginia adds a second stop in Pennsylvania. Show Notes!   ‘Godzilla’ El Niño is dead NO MORE ALL CAPS WEATHER ADVISORIES FROM THE NWS The all-ASCII weather page Amateur storm chasers can be an asset...or a liability The El Reno, OK Tornado US Tornadoes, a great resource Closing music for this episode: "Riding the Storm Out" by REO Speedwagon.

Intro Follow-up: Coral Bleaching in the Great Barrier Reef Topic: Seasons The Four Seasons: Change Marks the Passing of a Year How Do The Seasons Work? How Seasons Work? (video) 99% Invisible, "The Calendar" Outro Music: "Why Does The Sun Shine?" by They Might Be Giants

Intro Tornados: a Primer General Tornado Information How do tornadoes form How Tornados Form Where do Tornados Form The F-scale Tornado Damage Scale (Fujita Scale) More info on Fujita Scale Predictability? Tornado Forecasting Why are tornado’s so hard to predict Will Tornado Prediction Ever Improve? Storm Prediction Center HRRR model The Feb. 26 Tornado in Tidewater VA Tornado’s aren’t just in the plains... National Weather Service Review of this event The path The damage Jimmy’s first and third-hand accounts of the destruction What to do in the event of a Tornado How to Prepare for Severe Weather and Stay Safe During an Outbreak Fact or Fiction?: If the Sky Is Green, Run for Cover—A Tornado Is Coming   The "evil meteorologist convoy" from Twister (look at that GMC RV in the back!!!) Outro music, "Shania Twain - No One Needs To Know" from the Twister Soundtrack. (Apparently the music video was shot in the house that you saw in the movie Twister that they "aunt"(?) lived in).

This week on the show, El Nino follow-up, listener feedback questions, and winter precipitation. What is the difference between sleet and hail? What is Graupel? What exact atmospheric conditions cause freezing rain? We cover all the answers to these questions and others you might have about winter precipitation.   Show Notes! Introduction El Nino Follow-up El Niño Just Made That Mysterious Warm Blob in the Ocean Disappear Listener Feedback Follow-up - Thanks Steve Owens! The American Meteorological Society's Weather Resources Know Your Snow Winter Weather Precipitation Types Freezing Drizzle Freezing Rain Snow Sleet Hail Graupel Mixed Rain and Snow Ice Crystals Outro Music: "Looks Like Rain" by Bob Weir. [Image Credit: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, "NASA Sees Winter Storm Slamming Eastern United States"]

Harken back to a simpler time: January, 2016. Snowzilla (“Winter Storm Jonas” if you’re a weenie) was bearing down on the DC Metro area. Thrill at this tale of yesteryear as Joel and Jimmy consult Becky Elliott (@AccuWxBeck) about the storm, the hard work that goes into predicting major weather events, professional liability in meteorology, and driving in the snow for…fun? What? That’s ridiculous.    BUT WAIT, THERE’S MORE: Jimmy and Joel recap the storm a few days after and decide once and for all if liking severe weather events (esp. blizzards) is elitist.    BONUS FEATURE: Jimmy, sighing dejectedly as Becky and Joel talk about how much they love snow.    “SNOW” NOTES: Follow Becky on Twitter at @AccuWxBeck The AccuWeather Storm Blog EDITOR’S NOTE: The painting Jimmy is referencing is Judith slaying Holofernes [Wikipedia]. As of this writing, Joel has not been beheaded by his and Jimmy’s respective wives. Look on @joelhousman’s works, ye mighty, and DESPAIR. – via @icestationpod February 5–6, 2010 North A

This week's episode is remarkable for three reasons: Jimmy no longer has laryngitis We cover many popular weather myths We have a guest! Not just any guest, mind you: Tiffany Arment! Yes, THE Tiffany Arment! Not just A Tiffany Arment!  We cover all kinds of myths: Does lightning strike the same place more than once? Yes, of course. Sometimes, it strikes the same guy many times (a guy who later committed suicide over unrequited love, a fact unknown to the hosts and their guest at the time of recording). Is it a good idea to hide under an overpass during a tornado? No, it's not, don't do that. Does salt melt ice? It keeps it from forming, but it won't melt it outright.  Are Tiff and Jimmy best friends now? You bet your ass, they are. There's a lot to cover, so get to listenin'! Stop believing myths! Start believing facts! Don't get hit by lighting seven times! Show Notes! Tiffany Arment can be found at: Top Four podcast Tiffany Arment photography Some Famous Hurricanes Hurricane Hugo Hurricane Gloria Hurric

This week on the show, we talk about Jimmy's new Farmer's Almanac and how accurate it has been for the month of December. We also talk about weather stations: what they are, the many places you can find them, and different types of personal weather stations you can get for yourself.  We also cover some of our favorite weather apps and websites we think you might find useful. Joel is preparing for the weather in July. Jimmy sounds like a lifelong sword swallower who gargled with rock salt. Check your funometer, there's a podcast a-comin'!  What are weather stations? Historial weather data for National Airport (DCA) for December 2015 Different personal weather stations we talked about: Smart Weather Stations Joel's favorite, the Netatmo: Netatmo Weather Station Website Netatmo Wearther Station on Amazon Netatmo Raing Gauge Add-on on Amazon Netatmo Wind Gauge Add-on on Amazon Elgato's HomeKit compatible Eve Weather outdoor sensor: Elgato's Eve Weather Website Elgato Eve Weather on Amazon Dumb Weather Station

Joel and Jimmy kick off the series with an episode about El Niño, that mysterious shift in warm ocean water that drives the whole planet bonkers every 2(ish) to 7(ish) years. They reflect on tiny changes and big effects, as well as how weather science (and science in general) is often a coin flip; heads is disaster, tails is disappointment.   Introductions El Niño on Wikipedia What are El Niño and La Niña? from NOAA.  Chris Farley's El Niño skit on Saturday Night Live. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration El Niño Portal The NOAA ENSO Blog Wunderground's El Niño Blog (A truly excellent blog) What does El Niño mean for the 2015-2016 Winter by Weather.com November El Niño update: It’s a small world from climate.gov. Historical White Christmas Chances Weatherbell.com - a truly excellent, but premium, weather model products site. El Niño and the Galápagos from climate.gov (we forgot to talk about this in the show, but there is some very cool information here. Check it out). By one measure, this wicked E