National Weather Service
Summary
Hosts Greg Jackson and Lindsay Cormack interview author Andrew Blum about the history and economics of weather forecasting. They trace the evolution from 19th-century telegraph networks to modern AI models, highlighting the National Weather Service’s high economic return. The discussion covers the critical role of global data sharing, the rise of European forecasting dominance, and the risks of privatizing weather data.
Topics discussed
Intro: Weather forecast accuracy and Squarespace ad
June Bacon Bursley: First Black woman meteorologist
Economic value of NWS and guest introduction
Origins: Telegraphs, Smithsonian, and early maps
Ads: Bob's Discount Furniture, AutoTrader, Rosetta Stone
Global weather data and international cooperation
WWII: D-Day forecast and German weather stations
Space Age: Satellites, JFK, and the WMO
European competition and ECMWF models
AI weather models and global observation gaps
Ads: IXL Learning and Primally Pure
NOAA challenges and private sector data sharing
Weather as public good and podcast outro
Ads: Mercury and Indeed
Listen ad-free on Castria