The Bryan Norcross Podcast

Join Bryan and Luke Dorris for an in-depth conversation with the retiring Director of the National Weather Service, Louis Uccellini. Hear about Louis’s extraordinary career as a key player in everything to do with the science and practice of forecasting the weather in the United States and around the world. Louis recounts how today’s computer models were developed, the competition between U.S. modelers and the Europeans, his interaction with the National Hurricane Center before and after Hurricane Andrew, the seminal moment when computer models worked for the “Storm of the Century” in 1993, his path to success, the program to make the U.S. a Weather-Ready Nation, and much more.

Join Bryan and Luke Dorris for an in-depth conversation about the epic story of the cruising ship Fantome that was lost in Category 5 Hurricane Mitch in 1998. Prolific author Jim Carrier talks about the twists and turns in the saga that led to a huge passenger ship being trapped in the western Caribbean by a giant hurricane that refused to go where it was forecast. The story of the ship, the owner, the captain, the crew, and the Miami Beach company that owned it is quite a tale.

Join Bryan and Luke Dorris for a wide-ranging conversation with the amazing, 90-year-old former director of the National Hurricane Center Dr. Neil Frank. Neil recalls the great hurricanes of the 1960s, how forecasts were made at that time, and how he came to understand that communications is as important as making good forecasts. Learn how a kid from Kansas grew up to be the longest serving NHC director in history.

Bryan and Luke talk with Andrew Freeman, the climate and energy reporter at Axios. It’s a wide-ranging conversation about climate and climate policy in the United States and elsewhere in the world, working on Mount Washington in 100 mph winds, modern formats for communicating efficiently, and his fascinating career which included time out to be a stand-up comic.

Bryan and Luke talk with David Bernard, Chief Meteorologist at WVUE-TV in New Orleans, about his and his TV station’s experiences during Hurricane Ida. What did they know before Ida hit? Was it a surprise? What was it like in the city during the storm? How has the recovery gone in the city and it the hardest hit areas? How could communications have been better? And much more.

Bryan and Luke talk with Dr. Roni Avissar, Dean of the oceanography and meteorology school at the University of Miami about research underway at the school, including a new idea for detecting the strength of hurricanes, a hurricane forecast model, using a helicopter to better understand how hurricanes strengthen, and what’s involved in being a dean at a high-level meteorology school.

A special edition of the Bryan Norcross Podcast. Luke interviews Bryan about how Hurricane Andrew changed his life, the morning Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans, covering Hurricane Sandy, naming winter storms, and more. This is Part 2 of an extensive conversation.

A special edition of the Bryan Norcross Podcast. Luke interviews Bryan about his life, communications philosophy, key weather moments, and much more. From his first hurricane broadcast during Hurricane Camille, to his first time anchoring when nobody could get to the TV station in a major snowstorm, to running a news department, to of course, Hurricane Andrew. This is Part 1 of an extensive conversation.

Bryan and Luke talk with Dr. Brian Glazer from the University of Hawaii at Manoa about his research into microbes and how they exist is extreme natural environments like volcanoes and deep in the oceans. Plus we learn about a new system called Hohonu, which has the goal of measuring ocean, bay, or river levels in real time so we know what’s happening during storms or due to sea-level rise in general.

Bryan and Luke talk with Dr. Lixion Avila, who recently retired as Sr. Hurricane Specialist at the National Hurricane Center about growing up and learning meteorology in Cuba, coming to the University Miami, and spending his professional life at the National Hurricane Center. Lixion wrote more advisories and forecast discussions than anyone in NHC history. Hear stories about how it was done back in the day, the legendary meteorologists he worked with, and how a kid from Cuba became a key U.S. hurricane forecaster and communicator to the rest of the world’s weather services on hurricanes.

Bryan and Luke talk with Dr. Kerry Emanuel, meteorology professor and climate scientist at MIT in Cambridge, Massachusetts about how climate science has evolved, and his work to understand how hurricanes will behave in a warmer world. Is global warming already affecting hurricanes? Also, learn about his groundbreaking work to determine how strong a given hurricane could get – called the Maximum Potential Intensity. What are the challenges of conveying risk, and why that’s so important in hurricane forecasting. It’s a wide-ranging discussion about hurricanes, climate change, policy, and much more.

Bryan and Luke talk with Robbie Berg, Hurricane Specialist at the National Hurricane Center who also specializes in communications. Learn how hurricane forecasts are made around the clock when multiple storms are active at the same time and other forecasting challenges. Robbie is also a communication specialist working on the next generation of National Hurricane Center products. How do people use the cone? How might the cone change in the years ahead. Join Bryan and Luke for a far-ranging conversation about hurricane forecasting and forecast communications.

This is an update to Podcast #60 with a discussion of Tropical Storm Elsa, plus our discussion with Dr. Hal Needham. How high has the storm surge actually reached in hurricanes of the past? Luke and I talk with Dr. Hal Needham who has studied the historical records from Texas to Maine to learn how high the water reached, and what could happen in the future. Learn about Hal's experience studying and experiencing storm surge.

Are the cycles of hurricane activity in the Atlantic real? Is Europe warm because of the Gulf Stream? Will we have more hurricanes in a warmer future world? How should South Florida respond to climate change? Dr. Amy Clement of the University of Miami talks with Bryan and Luke answering these questions and more in a wide-ranging discussion.

Dr. Phil Klotzbach of Colorado State University joins Bryan and Luke with the latest forecast for Hurricane Season 2021. Learn how the forecast is made, and the factors in the atmosphere and ocean that make a season busy or calm. Will the activity be above normal again? And what is normal in the modern world? Plus, are hurricane cycles real? Listen for answers to these hurricane questions and more.

To get ready for Hurricane Season 2021, Bryan and Luke talk with Ken Graham, the Director of the National Hurricane Center about the big challenges and lessons of the 2020 hurricane season and what we learned about how storms behave, the computer forecast models, and much more.

Bryan and Luke Dorris talk with Dr. Mike Brennan who runs the unit at the National Hurricane Center that produces the advisories and outlooks that we’re all so familiar with. They discuss Hurricane Season 2020 – what was especially difficult during this very busy season? How did the computer models do this year? How does the National Hurricane Center use the models and avoid big swings in the forecast? And much more about hurricanes and hurricane forecasting.

Bryan and Luke talk with Beth McElroy, the Director of Emergency Management at the South Florida Water Management District. The District is the agency that’s tasked with keeping South Florida from flooding from heavy rain and protecting the fresh water supply. Learn how the massive system works that controls the water in the major rivers and canals that crisscross South Florida, and makes the region livable for millions of people.

Bryan and Luke Dorris talk with former National Hurricane Center Director and Local 10 Hurricane Specialist Max Mayfield about the changes in hurricane forecasting during his time in the business, forecasting Hurricane Gilbert and Andrew, how communications have changed, and much more.

Bryan and Luke Dorris talk with former FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate about managing hurricanes and other disasters including Covid-19, his time in Florida dealing with the monumental hurricane seasons of 2004 and 2005, and lessons for dealing with hurricanes in the future.