When NOAA’s Curt Kaplan, an operational meteorologist colleague, emailed and said WxGeeks should really look at the upcoming fire season. We agreed. This was further heightened by the recent crash of an Aircraft tanker as it battled a fire in America’s iconic Yosemite National Park Link.

The fire season is intricately tied to weather and climate so this was a “no brainer”. The western United States has been under persistent drought for some time, and this amplifies fire season. Any basic introductory weather and climate course discussed the role of lightning, Santa Ana winds, and drought on wild fires (Link). We are also used to seeing amazing images in social media of pyrocumulonimbus clouds, Link or “Fire Tornadoes,” Link.

Yet, I would guess that many weather colleagues and weather geeks have no idea what unique challenges and procedures frontline meteorologists and responders face. This Sunday on Weather Geeks, we want to explore this unique field within the weather enterprise.

Our guests are:

Eric Boldt — Warning Coordination Meteorologist NWS — Los Angeles/Oxnard
David Gomberg — Forecaster NWS — Los Angeles/Oxnard
Brendan Ripley — Ventura County Fire Dept’s Fire Behavior Analyst

I will be particularly curious to know what the role of the meteorologists are in fire weather planning/response and how forecasting/nowcasting for fire weather differs from other types of forecasting.

And I am going to be completely honest here. I have no idea what a Fire Behavior Analyst does, so I look forward to finding out. ☺

As with most things in the weather and climate world, the interaction of nature with humans is evident. With fire seasons lengthening (is it even correct to say there is a season anymore?), the urban-wildland interface is a growing threat for the public (Link). And unless you have been living under a rock, you know that California and the West are experiencing drought. I would have to revoke my own scientist card if we don’t get into some discussions of the implication, mechanisms, and future of the drought in relation to the Fall season. See this amazing link from the NWS Hanford, Link

I am really excited about this show because once again it illustrates that WxGeeks is open to input from the community because we really do see this as your show. It is also timely and has implications for lives and property.

This show will air Sunday at Noon ET, 11 CT, 10 MT, and 9 PT. Too be safe, just watch us live, but if you have to DVR, be sure to set the DVR about 2 minutes early to be safe.

I am also excited about next week’s show. We have Kathryn Miles, author of Superstorm: Nine Days Inside Hurricane Sandy. I am finishing the book now, and it is a great read. It also gives us a chance to really dive into the elements of Sandy, its unique forecast and messaging challenges, and more. Dr. Miles and I were on NPR’s On Point recently (Link), so I have first hand evidence that she will be an awesome and engaging guest.

Looking forward to both shows….

You can follow me @DrShepherd2013 or Weather Geeks @WxGeeksTWC on Twitter.