Weather Geeks

Guest: Adam Fouche, University of Georgia
When you head to a big football game or an outdoor concert, you’re probably thinking about the music, the crowd, and the excitement in the air. But behind the scenes, there’s another team hard at work — one that’s watching the skies. From lightning delays to fast-moving thunderstorms, weather can quickly turn a packed stadium or festival into a serious safety challenge. Protecting tens of thousands of people requires careful planning, constant monitoring, and sometimes very quick decisions. Today we’re joined by Adam Fouche, Interim Associate Vice President for Environmental Safety, Risk, and Resiliency at the University of Georgia. His team works behind the scenes to help keep major events — from concerts to packed game days — safe when the weather takes a turn.
Chapters
00:00 Introduction and Guest Background
00:53 Adam Fouche's Weather Geek Origin Story
02:45 Adam's Role in Weather Safety at UGA
04:09 Weather Safety in Large Campus Events
07:09 Weather Risk Assessment for Events
10:22 Lightning Protocols and the 8-Mile Rule
12:57 Debate on Lightning Delay Rules
13:44 Break 1
15:15 Weather Support Models at SEC Schools
18:01 Collaboration with National Weather Service
20:04 Communication Strategies for Weather Risks
21:59 Psychology of Weather Risk Perception
25:01 Venue Design and Weather Vulnerabilities
26:07 Break 2
26:38 Understanding Severe vs. Non-Severe Weather
30:09 Technology and Weather Monitoring Tools
33:33 Public Safety Advice for Weather Preparedness

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Guest: Jordan Hall
Storm chasing has always lived right at the edge—part science, part instinct, and part, let’s be honest… a little bit of chaos. But these days, it’s not just about being in the right place at the right time—it’s also about capturing it, sharing it, and bringing people along for the ride in real time. Today on Weather Geeks, we’re talking with storm chaser Jordan Hall—someone who’s spent countless hours on the road tracking down everything from classic supercells to high-risk, high-reward setups… all while navigating what it means to be a storm chaser in the age of social media. We’ll get into some of his wildest chase stories, the decisions that matter most when things get intense, and how storm chasing is evolving in a world where your next viral video might be just one tornado away.
Chapters
00:00 The Thrill of Storm Chasing
10:01 From Hobby to Career: The Journey of a Storm Chaser
16:17 Break 1
20:10 Navigating the Challenges of Storm Chasing
23:03 Break 2
29:22 Navigating Personal Safety
29:59 The Role of Social Media in Storm Chasing
30:35 Pressure and Competition in Storm Chasing
32:06 Impact of Social Media on Storm Chasing
34:42 International Storm Chasing Adventures
36:55 Choosing Which Storms to Chase
38:06 Awe-Inspiring Natural Phenomena
39:39 Unique Chase Stories
40:09 The Intersection of Storm Chasing and First Response
44:32 Challenges of Chaser Convergence
48:01 The Storm Chasing Community
49:59 Advice for Aspiring Storm Chasers
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Guest: Dr. Michael Pritchard, Director of Climate Simulation Research
When we think about climate models, we often picture supercomputers humming away in government labs or university basements. But increasingly, some of the most powerful tools shaping the future of climate science are coming from an unexpected place — Silicon Valley. Today, we’re joined by Dr. Michael Pritchard, Director of Climate Simulation Research at NVIDIA. Yes, that NVIDIA — the company known for powering gaming, AI, and some of the world’s fastest computing systems. But behind the scenes, NVIDIA is helping drive a revolution in climate and Earth system modeling, using advanced GPUs and machine learning to build faster, higher-resolution simulations of our planet. In this episode, we’ll explore how artificial intelligence is reshaping climate science, what it takes to simulate Earth in unprecedented detail, and why the future of forecasting may depend as much on silicon as it does on physics.
Chapters
00:00 Introduction to AI in Weather and Climate Modeling
03:21 Understanding NVIDIA's Role in Climate Simulation
05:34 The Motivation Behind Earth Simulation
07:40 AI vs Traditional Weather Modeling Techniques
11:10 Addressing Concerns About AI in Weather Forecasting
13:49 Break 1
14:19 The Earth 2 Project and Its Implications
18:37 Open Source Weather Models and Their Importance
23:33 Exploring GPUs and Their Role in AI
24:51 Stormscope: A New Era in Nowcasting
28:55 AI and Machine Learning in Mesoscale Forecasting
31:48 Break 2
32:15 Ensuring Ethical AI in Weather Forecasting
35:31 The Future of AI in Climate Modeling

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GUEST: Allison Begalman
Hollywood is known for big ideas, big creativity, and big storytelling — but in recent years, one of the biggest forces reshaping the industry isn’t a genre or a trend… it’s the climate crisis. And at the center of that movement is Allison Begalman. As the co-founder of the Hollywood Climate Summit, Allison has built a space where filmmakers, writers, activists, scientists, and executives come together to ask a simple but powerful question: What if the stories we tell could help shape a more sustainable future? Today, we’re diving into how she’s mobilizing the entertainment world to take climate action seriously — not just in documentaries or disaster films, but in the everyday narratives that reach millions.
Chapters
00:00 Introduction to Climate Crisis in Hollywood
03:53 The Birth of the Hollywood Climate Summit
10:29 Barriers to Climate Storytelling
13:25 Break 1
14:23 Climate-Informed Storytelling vs. Climate-Themed Content
19:57 Successful Examples of Climate Storytelling
24:44 The Role of Social Media in Climate Advocacy
24:52 Break 2
29:18 Measuring Impact in Climate Storytelling
31:37 Future Vision for the Hollywood Climate Summit
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Guest: Max Van Wyk De Vries, Assistant Professor at the University of Cambridge
From wildfires sparking power outages, to hurricanes triggering chemical spills, today’s disasters rarely unfold in isolation. They cascade, compound, and collide — creating challenges far more complex than any single hazard on its own. At the University of Cambridge, the Complex and Multihazard Research Group is leading the charge to better understand these interconnected risks, and to help communities, governments, and industries prepare for a more uncertain world. In this episode, we sit down with the program head of the group Max Van Wyk De Vries to explore how their research is reshaping the way we think about hazards, resilience, and the future of global risk.
Chapters
00:00 Understanding Complex and Multi-Hazard Risks
10:47 The Role of Human Activity in Natural Hazards
14:04 Break 1
19:24 Techniques and Methodologies in Hazard Research
23:41 Break 2
29:24 Future Challenges and Opportunities in Multi-Hazard Risk Management
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