Is It Supposed to Rain This Weekend?

We’re not just chatting about the weather. I mean, we are…but there is also social commentary and a bit of moral outrage. This episode is longer than most because we left in more of the silliness. It felt called for.

REFERENCES

A warning for a tornado outbreak:

National Weather Service. “Summary of Significant Severe Thunderstorm and Tornado Outbreak of March 14–15, 2025.” https://www.weather.gov/pah/Mar14-15_2025Severe

Footage of 18-wheelers getting blown off the road around Amarillo:

The Weather Channel. “Powerful Winds Flip Trucks, Cause Texas Pile-Ups” [YouTube video]. March 14, 025. https://youtu.be/r64Jn4F8lXU?si=zz1e1zIZje2kSkcN

The National Weather Service…

https://www.weather.gov/

...it’s part of NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration)…

https://www.noaa.gov/

…they are in the Department of Commerce:

https://www.commerce.gov/

In case you’re not that kind of engineer:

NOAA. “What is Bathymetry?” https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/bathymetry.html

NOAA was created in 1970:

NOAA. “NOAA Heritage.” Updated October 24, 2024. https://www.noaa.gov/heritage

One of two uniformed services:

Vergun, David. “What’s in a Name? Demystifying the Collective Services.” March 18, 2019. U.S. Department of Defense. https://www.defense.gov/News/Feature-Stories/story/Article/1787716/whats-in-a-name-demystifying-the-collective-services/

NOAA has their own small fleet of ships that do things like soundings:

NOAA. “Ships of NOAA.” https://www.omao.noaa.gov/marine-operations/ships-noaa

Is that why we have a surgeon general?!

Hutchison, Floyd. “Surgeon General of the United States.” January 17, 2025. Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/topic/surgeon-general-of-the-United-States

Ships no floaty no more:

BoaterExam.com “Running Aground (Ship Grounding).” https://www.boaterexam.com/boating-resources/running-aground/

We shouldn’t overlook tsunami warnings:

National Weather Service. “Understanding Tsunami Alerts.” https://www.weather.gov/safety/tsunami-alerts

With apologies to Mack, it is, indeed, the U.S. Geological Survey:

https://www.usgs.gov/

National Weather Service originally started as part of the Army Signal Corp:

NOAA Library. “U.S. Army Signal Corps/Weather Bureau Annual Reports, 1861–1942.” https://library.noaa.gov/weather-climate/wb-annual-reports

They took it from the Signal Corp to the Department of Agriculture:

Chapin, Brenda.  “Weekly Weather and Crop Bulletin.” USDA. https://www.usda.gov/about-usda/news/blog/weekly-weather-and-crop-bulletin

If you need a taco metaphor for the difference between a tornado watch and a tornado warning:

13 On Your Side. “Severe Weather Awareness Week: Differences Between a Watch and a Warning” [YouTube video]. March 18, 2025. https://youtu.be/lG5oIQD601w?si=0wqII507VeL_C592

Tornado emergency:

National Sever Storms Laboratory. “May 3, 1999 Oklahoma/Kansas Tornado Outbreak.” NOAA. https://www.nssl.noaa.gov/about/history/may3rd/

The Galveston hurricane, the deadliest weather event in U.S. history:

Weather Underground. “Hurricane and Tropical Cyclones.” Updated April 2007. https://www.wunderground.com/hurricane/articles/deadliest-us-hurricanes

An excellent book, by the way:

Eric Larson. Isaac’s Storm: A Man, A Time, and the Deadliest Hurricane in History. (Vintage Books, 2000).

Not to get into who was more at fault:

Edwards, Chris. “Hurricane Katrina: Remembering the Federal Failures.” August 27, 2015. CATO Institute. https://www.cato.org/blog/hurr