Hurricanes. Typhoons. Cyclones. Tropical storms. Tropical depressions. What does it all MEAAAN? Let’s dive in. Career meteorologists Dr. Kim Wood of the University of Arizona and Space City Weather’s Matt Lanza join for a two-guest two-parter to address the “deadlier” female-named hurricanes, why hurricane season happens, the category system, where hurricanes come from, why they have eyes, and how we track cyclones’ paths so we can stay out of them. Next week we’ll be back with Kim and Matt to chat about climate change, emergency preparation – for any disaster occasion –, the latest on the government funding drama, if you should trust a waffle house more than a weather person, and literally what is on the horizon in the future. Also: cows. Read Matt Lanza’s tropical weather forecasts at The Eyewall and Houston-based forecasts at Space City WeatherFollow Matt Lanza on Instagram and BlueskyVisit Dr. Wood’s website and follow them on Google Scholar and BlueskyDonations went to the Community Foundation of the Texas Hill Country's Kerr County Flood Relief Fund and The Trevor ProjectMore episode sources and linksOther episodes you may enjoy: Meteorology (WEATHER & CLIMATE), Oceanology (OCEANS), Nephology (CLOUDS), Disasterology (DISASTERS), Fulminology (LIGHTNING)400+ Ologies episodes sorted by topicSmologies (short, classroom-safe) episodesSponsors of OlogiesTranscripts and bleeped episodesBecome a patron of Ologies for as little as a buck a monthOlogiesMerch.com has hats, shirts, hoodies, totes!Follow Ologies on Instagram and BlueskyFollow Alie Ward on Instagram and TikTokEditing by Mercedes Maitland of Maitland Audio Productions and Jake ChaffeeManaging Director: Susan HaleScheduling Producer: Noel DilworthTranscripts by Aveline Malek Website by Kelly R. DwyerTheme song by Nick Thorburn
Full Episode
Oh, hey, it's your ex-boyfriend who pretended that he didn't know how to wash the cast iron right, so he just didn't. Allie Ward, this one is a smooth sail through rough weather, friends. We got hurricanes. You got hurricanes. Maybe you have typhoons or cyclones. Let's hear about the differences. Let's hear how fast they go, how many we might have, and some real historical whoppers and more.
with not one, but two tempestologists. So tempestology, it's a real word. It describes the study of cyclones and hurricanes and other extreme weather events.
And the word tempest, I just found this out, it comes from the Latin root for temporal, meaning time, which morphed into seasons, which morphed into weather and storms, which is apt because now is definitely the time on Earth to hear about hurricanes. Who, Nellie, is it?
So the first ologist we talked to studied physics and geophysics at Oregon State University and then got a master's and a PhD in atmospheric science at the University of Arizona. They're now an associate professor in the Department of Hydrology and Atmospheric Sciences at the University of Arizona. And they teach about tropical meteorology and the research of these giant storm systems.
So a shoo-in. And because they both came so highly recommended and I couldn't choose, we also have a Rutgers-trained forecast meteorologist in Houston and a writer and editor for Houston's highly respected meteorological outlet, Space City Weather. This guest is a co-founder of the website The Eye Wall, too, which keeps an eye on developing storms.
And it tells you, without a lot of hype, just straight up what to expect. So both of these experts, they're so passionate about hurricanes and relaying info to the public. And I chatted with them both, and I heard so many stories that stuck with me. I got so much valuable info that we had to make this a two-parter. But before we dive in, thank you to patrons of the show who make Ologies possible.
You can join for a dollar or more a month in sending questions for Theologist via patreon.com slash ologies. Thank you to everyone out there in merch from ologiesmerch.com. Thank you to everyone who leaves a review for me to read, which helps keep us up in the charts.
And I do read all of them, like some weird old-timey man with a candle and a monocle, such as this one from the elegantly named Hot Dog Harriet, who wrote, What do you want to know? Anything. If you want to know about anything, this is the pod for you.
When my family or I have a question about something, one of the things we do now is check to see if there's an episode of Ologies to answer that question or dig deeper. Hot Dog Harriet, thank you for digging into my archive. And if you, too, want to know which 400-plus episodes we have just waiting for you, go to ologies.com. It's all neatly sorted into topic.
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