Advertise on podcast: Atmosphere with Emily Gracey

What happens when weather becomes evidence? Forensic meteorologist Rob Perillo has spent decades reconstructing the atmosphere to help answer that question. Using radar, satellite imagery, weather observations and even a little geometry, he pieces together what happened at a specific place and time—and sometimes takes those findings into a courtroom. In this episode of Atmosphere, Rob shares some of his most fascinating cases, from hurricane-damaged ships and deadly lightning strikes to extreme heat, icy parking lots and investigations where a few degrees or a single weather observation can change the story. He also takes us back to the morning the Space Shuttle Columbia broke apart over Texas and Louisiana, when he went from watching the shuttle from his backyard to helping national news networks track its debris on Doppler radar. It's part meteorology, part detective work and, as Rob calls it, “CSI meteorology.” Sources Rob uses in his forensic work: Archived Radar and Satellite NWS/SPC Text Forecasts and Severe Weather Graphics Weather Prediction Center Archives Storm Prediction Center Archives National Hurricane Center Archives

What if science didn't have to feel like science class? Maynard Okereke — better known as Hip Hop Science — has built an audience of more than 100,000 followers by blending science with entertainment, pop culture and curiosity. But before Hip Hop Science, Maynard was a civil engineer who also happened to be a hip-hop artist and performer — two sides of himself he once felt he had to keep separate. Eventually, he stopped trying to fit into one box and built a career that brought them together. In this episode of Atmosphere, Maynard talks with meteorologist Emily Gracey about making the leap from engineering to entertainment, how Hip Hop Science grew from a sketch comedy idea into a platform for science communication, and the work that goes into making complicated science accurate, accessible and fun. They also dig into a bigger question: kids are naturally curious about science, so why does that curiosity so often fade as they get older? Maynard shares why representation and confidence matter, why science and creativity aren't opposites, and why we might want to stop asking kids what they want to be when they grow up — and start asking what problems they want to solve. Plus, wildlife, quantum computing, the Amazon rainforest, wrestling, Shark Tank — and how to turn doom scrolling into learn scrolling. Links: HipHopScienceShow.com Hip Hop Science on Instagram Dr. Dakotah Tyler Justin Shaifer aka Mr. Fascinate Dr. Alex Dainis

What if the biggest obstacle to tackling climate change isn’t finding the solutions... but actually using them? Dr. Jonathan Foley, climate scientist and Executive Director of Project Drawdown, joins Atmosphere for a candid conversation about where we really stand on climate change, the solutions already within reach, and why he has little patience for the idea that our individual actions don’t matter. We talk about the growing pull of climate doomerism, why Foley believes both despair and blind optimism can get in the way of progress, and what it means to choose action when there’s no guarantee of success. Jonathan also shares his own path from atmospheric science to becoming one of the world’s most highly cited environmental scientists and an award-winning science communicator, plus what Project Drawdown is doing to make climate science and solutions easier for all of us to understand. This isn’t a conversation about pretending everything is going to be okay. It’s about recognizing what we already know, what we can already do, and deciding what comes next. Links Mentioned in this Episode: Project Drawdown Join the Shift Hope in the Dark, Rebecca Solnit Fork Ranger on Instagram The Garbage Queen on Instagram Simon Clark on YouTube

Halfway through the 2026 Atlantic hurricane season, the biggest story may be what hasn’t happened. The Atlantic has been exceptionally quiet — but does that mean we can relax? Hurricane expert Michael Lowry joins Atmosphere to explain what’s behind the unusual season, what he’s watching as we head into the fall, and why the Gulf could still play an important role. Michael also shares the fascinating path that has taken him from the National Hurricane Center and FEMA to The Weather Channel and South Florida television. We talk about how hurricane forecasting and communication have changed, the growing role of AI, and why he believes authenticity still matters in a world of algorithms and clickbait. And Michael opens up about the very personal reason he draws a firm line between hurricane season and family life — and why stepping away from the weather is essential to doing his job well. Links: Michael's Substack Atmosphere Substack

Why do sunsets move us so much? In this episode of Atmosphere, we're exploring the science, stories and emotions behind one of nature's most beautiful daily spectacles. Cameron Hewitt, director of content at Rick Steves Europe, has traveled the world chasing and photographing sunsets. He'll share what makes a truly spectacular sunset, where he's found the most memorable ones, and why a sunset can mean something completely different depending on where you are — and what is happening in your life. Then certified consulting meteorologist and green flash photographer Jan Null takes us into the atmosphere to explain what's really happening as the sun drops toward the horizon. Why do sunsets turn red and orange? How do clouds and atmospheric particles shape the colors? And what creates that fleeting, elusive green flash? It's a conversation about travel, memory, physics, perspective and the simple act of stopping to look up. Links from the Show: Jan Null's Green Flash Photography Cameron Hewitt's Website Cameron on Instagram Cameron on Facebook Subscribe to Atmosphere on Substack Atmosphere on Instagram

The OTUS Project is a family-run team flying custom-built drones directly into tornadoes — including the first-ever drone flight inside a tornado's eye, captured in May 2024. Co-founder Louis Tucker joins us to talk about how he and his brother Nelson build drones tough enough to survive tornado wind speeds, how they forecast and chase storms in real time, and the near-surface wind data they're collecting for organizations like NIST — data that could directly shape future building codes. We also cover the near-misses, including a tornado that crossed their exact location two minutes after they left, and what it's actually like to pilot a drone into a tornado while your team protects you from the very phenomenon you are documenting.

While Emily takes a short break to travel with her family, Atmosphere takes a different form. In this special mini-episode, a rhyming journey through the summer’s biggest weather and natural disaster stories leads us from science, to stories, to comfort, and back again. The poem was written with the help of AI, guided and shaped by Emily. Now is the time to catch up on Atmosphere - new episodes will return later this month!

We like to think of scientists as people who have the answers. But what about the questions they still can’t answer? In this episode of Atmosphere, meteorologist Emily Gracey sits down with marine scientist, author, and science communicator Dr. Ellen Prager to explore some of the biggest mysteries in science and the natural world. What happens beneath a volcano before it erupts? Can we ever truly predict a tsunami, rogue wave, or rapidly intensifying hurricane? What is happening in the deepest parts of the ocean—and why have we explored so little of it? And how quickly will climate change reshape the planet? From Mount St. Helens and the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami to rogue waves, rip currents, sharks, hurricanes, deep-ocean exploration, and a changing climate, this conversation explores what scientists know, what they still don't know, and why those unknowns matter. But perhaps the biggest lesson is that the most important thing keeping scientists up at night isn't always what we don't know. It's what we do know—and whether we're paying attention, preparing, and taking action. Because science doesn't begin with what we know. It begins with what we don't know.

Dr. Marshall Shepherd didn't plan to become a meteorologist. A life-threatening honeybee allergy forced him to abandon his childhood dream of becoming an entomologist, leading to a sixth-grade science project that changed the course of his life, and eventually the field of atmospheric science. In this episode of Atmosphere, Emily Gracey sits down with Dr. Marshall Shepherd, former president of the American Meteorological Society, former NASA scientist, associate dean and director of the Atmospheric Sciences Program at the University of Georgia, Forbes contributor, and host of Weather Geeks. Together they explore Dr. Shepherd's concept of the "end-to-end scientist" - the idea that great research isn't enough if scientists can't effectively communicate it to the public. They discuss why science communication matters more than ever, how weather forecasts can save lives only if people understand and trust them, and why scientists must engage beyond academic journals. The conversation also tackles some of today's biggest issues in meteorology, including weather equity, disaster vulnerability, language barriers in severe weather warnings, the future of artificial intelligence in weather forecasting, growing tornado risks in the Southeast, and the ongoing debate over public versus private weather data. Dr. Shepherd also shares his thoughts on mentorship, increasing diversity in atmospheric science, and how the next generation of meteorologists can better serve their communities. Whether you're fascinated by weather, climate, science communication, or the future of forecasting, this wide-ranging conversation offers an inside look at the people and ideas shaping modern meteorology. Topics covered: Dr. Marshall Shepherd's journey from sixth-grade science fair to NASAScience communication and the "end-to-end scientist"Weather forecasting, AI, and the future of meteorologyWeather equity and protecting vulnerable communitiesPublic vs. private weather forecastingBuilding trust in science and improving public understanding Links: Marshall's Forbes Articles Weather Geeks Podcast Weekly Weather Brief Podcast

We've all heard them. Rubber tires protect you from lightning. Heat lightning is a different kind of lightning. A hundred-year flood only happens once every hundred years. If the weather changes, a big earthquake must be coming. But how many of these weather myths are actually true? In this episode of Atmosphere, meteorologist Emily Gracey is joined by fellow meteorologist Anthony Yanez for a fun, fast-paced conversation separating weather fact from fiction. Drawing on decades of forecasting, television, school visits, and viewer questions, they unpack the myths they've heard countless times, and explain why so many of them continue to stick. We cover some of the most common weather misconceptions, including: Lightning Safety: Can lightning strike the same place twice? Do rubber tires or shoes really protect you? And is the lightning crouch still recommended?Heat Lightning: Is it actually a different type of lightning, or something else entirely?Hundred-Year Floods: What does the term really mean, and why is it so widely misunderstood?Rain Chances: What meteorologists actually mean when they forecast a "30% chance of rain."Earthquake Myths: Can weather trigger earthquakes, and why do these rumors spread after major events?Why Myths Persist: The psychology behind why we believe - and pass along - weather misconceptions.Whether you're a weather enthusiast, a science communicator, or someone who's repeated one of these myths without thinking twice, this episode will leave you looking at everyday weather in a whole new way. Resources & Links Anthony Yanez's Weather Lab: https://www.click2houston.com/weatherlab/ Anthony's documentary, Garden in the Gulf: A Reef Rescue Mission: https://www.click2houston.com/weather/2025/04/18/garden-in-the-gulf-a-reef-rescue-mission/ Shorely Safe: www.shorelysafe.live Connect with us: Facebook: Emily Gracey Meteorologist Instagram: @AtmospherePodcast Substack: Atmosphere Podcast (Subscribe for a deeper dive into this week's content!)

Coral reefs cover less than 1% of the ocean floor, yet they support a quarter of all marine life on Earth. So what happens when the water around them gets too hot to survive? This year's strong El Niño is pushing already-stressed reefs past their limits. In this episode of Atmosphere, host Emily Gracey sits down with Dr. Tracy Fanara, an environmental engineer and ocean scientist, to break down what's actually happening inside a bleaching coral, why El Niño and climate change are attacking reefs from two directions at once, and a striking theory she's developed linking the 2023 bleaching event to a mysterious die-off of endangered small tooth sawfish. Then Emily talks with Shachar Damari, co-founder of V-Corals, a Red Sea-based biotech company rethinking how reefs get rebuilt. Instead of the industry-standard method of cutting coral into genetically identical clones, his team works with a rare natural fusion event that combines multiple coral genotypes into a single, hardier colony. What You'll Learn in This Episode: The Bleaching Process: Why a "bleached" coral isn't a dead one, and what determines whether it bounces back.A Two-Front Attack: How long-term climate change and short-term El Niño patterns are compounding to hit reefs from both sides at once.The Sawfish Mystery: Tracy's leading hypothesis connecting reef collapse to a mass die-off of a critically endangered species.The Restoration Problem: Why most reef restoration doesn't hold up long-term, and what "resilience" actually requires.A Different Approach: How V-Corals uses a rare natural phenomenon, not genetic editing, to build coral that can survive future heat waves.Connect with the Show: Follow Emily on Facebook: Meteorologist Emily GraceyFollow the Show on Instagram: @AtmospherePodcastDeep Dive on Substack: Subscribe to the Atmosphere Substack for weekly science breakdowns.Listen to the Weekly Weather Brief: Catch Emily and meteorologist Kerrin Jeromin every Friday for a quick rundown of the week's biggest science stories.Links: Follow Dr. Tracy Fanara on Instagram- @InspectorPlanet V-Corals: https://www.v-corals.com/

How different is America's weather today from the world the founding fathers knew 250 years ago? On July 4, 1776, as 56 men gathered to declare independence. That same day, Thomas Jefferson bought a brand-new thermometer, and started taking meticulous notes. Those very readings marked the birth of an American climate record that stretches all the way to the present day. In this episode of Atmosphere, host Emily Gracey sits down with Kaitlyn Trudeau, an applied climate scientist at Climate Central, to unpack two and a half centuries of American weather data. Together, they explore how our climate has shifted from the brutal winters of the Little Ice Age to the rapid warming of the modern era... and what the data tells us to expect by the time the nation turns 300. What You’ll Learn in This Episode:The Weather of 1776: What it was really like in that Philadelphia room (think wool coats, horseflies, and no AC), and how Jefferson became America's original "weather nerd."Nature’s Time Capsules: How scientists use paleoclimate proxies—like tree rings, ice cores, and coral—to unlock millions of years of climate history.The Rate of Change: Why the dramatic shift in global carbon emissions over the last 50 to 75 years is the real cause for concern.Climate Controls: Why the climate is warming differently in places like the Southwest compared to the Great Lakes.A Story We Are Still Writing: Why the next 50 years aren't predetermined, and how collective action today dictates our future. Articles referenced in this episode: https://www.monticello.org/encyclopedia/thermometer https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Jefferson/02-01-02-0010 https://jefferson-weather-records.org/node/41019 https://journals.ametsoc.org/view/journals/bams/84/1/bams-84-1-57.pdf https://www.amrevmuseum.org/john-adams-and-revolutionary-philadelphia-s-summer-heat https://emergingrevolutionarywar.org/2016/01/23/the-hard-winter-of-1779-1780/ Connect with the Show:Follow Emily on Facebook: Meteorologist Emily GraceyFollow the Show on Instagram: @AtmospherePodcastDeep Dive on Substack: Subscribe to the Atmosphere Substack for weekly science breakdowns.Listen to the Weekly Weather Brief: Catch Emily and meteorologist Kerrin Jeromin every Friday for a quick rundown of the week’s biggest science stories.

What does it actually take to safely chase a tornado, and how does that extreme proximity save lives on the ground? In this episode of Atmosphere, we’re going inside the National Severe Storms Laboratory (NSSL) in Norman, Oklahoma - the epicenter of severe weather research. Dr. Pam Heinselman, Deputy Director of Science at NSSL, joins us to break down the cutting-edge tech behind today's storm chasing and why humanizing the forecast is the next frontier in science. In this episode, we discuss: The New Mobile Radar Fleet: The next generation of mobile radars and the surprising places they're deploying.Project LIFT: What scientists are learning from getting up close and personal with tornadoes.The Hail Cam: High-speed cameras capturing hailstones mid-fall to study ice dynamics.Closing the Warning Gap: How NSSL is buying you more time when severe weather strikes.The Human Element: Why social scientists are now riding shotgun with meteorologists to improve crisis communication.This is severe weather research at its most scrappy, creative, and human. 🔗 Connect with NSSL: Learn more about their current research at nssl.noaa.gov.

The ground under our feet feels completely solid, but deep beneath the surface, rocks are under constant stress until they hit a breaking point. What actually happens when the earth snaps? In this episode of Atmosphere, meteorologist Emily Gracey steps away from the sky and digs into the subsurface for a masterclass on seismic activity. Joined by geologist and educator Sean Willsey, this comprehensive conversation strips away complex jargon to deliver the ground truth about earthquakes - making it the perfect, accessible listen for professional scientists and curious minds alike. We cover everything you ever wanted to know about earthquakes, including: Prediction vs. Forecasting: Why we can model long-term regional risks but can't predict an exact date or time.The Energy Scale: How the Richter scale actually works and the difference between magnitude and intensity.Human-Induced Quakes: The data behind how wastewater injection from oil and gas recovery triggers modern tremors.East vs. West Coast: Why a magnitude 7.0 earthquake on the East Coast travels hundreds of miles farther than one on the West Coast.Survival Protocols: Why traditional "doorframe safety" is an outdated myth and what modern safety guidelines actually say.Whether you're a scientist looking for a clinic in hazard communication or just want to understand the real facts behind the headlines, this episode uncovers the world beneath us. Connect with us: Check out Sean Willsey's YouTube channel: Geology ExplainedFacebook: Emily Gracey MeteorologistInstagram: @AtmospherePodcastSubstack: Atmosphere Podcast (Subscribe for a deeper dive into this week's content!)Looking for even more weather content? Check out Weekly Weather Brief, a quick rundown of the week's biggest weather and science stories hosted by Emily Gracey and fellow meteorologist Kerrin Jeromin. New episodes drop every Friday morning on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts!

Why are we still getting hurricane safety wrong? National Hurricane Center Deputy Director Jamie Rhome joins Atmosphere to expose the hidden communication failures, widespread education gaps, and the lesser-known storm indicators that coastal residents consistently miss until it’s too late. As the 2026 Atlantic hurricane season begins, most headlines focus entirely on the forecast models. But in the second episode of Atmosphere, host Emily Gracey sits down with Rhome to tackle a much bigger problem: why predicting the weather is only half the battle if the public doesn't understand the threat. Rhome shares a candid look at the dangerous communication gaps that still exist between meteorologists and the public, and why standard warning systems often fail to convey the real danger. From the psychology of evacuation fatigue to the subtle, overlooked indicators that a storm is turning catastrophic, this conversation pulls back the curtain on the high-stakes reality of public messaging when millions of lives are on the line.