Meteorology Matters

About Meteorology Matters

Meteorology Matters delivers clear, data-driven insight into weather, hurricanes, and climate science cutting through hype to explain what’s happening and why it matters. Created by Meteorologist Rob Jones, the podcast explores: Extreme weather and hurricane forecasting Climate trends and real-world impacts Forecast uncertainty and what the data actually shows How weather science affects safety, infrastructure, and daily life Whether it’s breaking weather risk, long-range outlooks, or deep-dive analysis, Meteorology Matters helps you understand what’s happening and why it matters.

Publisher

Rob Jones

Category

news · science

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

3 Oct 2024

Latest episode

12 Oct 2026

Latest episodes

273 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   12 Oct 2026

   Italy Changed the Weather Forecast

   Before satellites, radar, and computer models, Italian scientists were helping transform how humanity observed, measured, and predicted the weather. In this special Italian-American Heritage Month episode of Meteorology Matters, we trace centuries of scientific breakthroughs, from Galileo’s early temperature experiments and Evangelista Torricelli’s invention of the mercury barometer to the pioneering meteorological observing networks established by the Medici family. At the center of the story is Father Angelo Secchi, the Italian Jesuit scientist whose work at Rome’s Collegio Romano helped revolutionize weather observation. After spending time at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., Secchi developed advanced meteorological instruments that eventually reached observatories around the world, including Havana, Cuba. There, Father Benito Viñes, a Spanish Jesuit and pioneering hurricane forecaster, issued one of history’s first publicly documented hurricane forecasts in September 1875. Their remarkable scientific connection provides an important chapter in the evolution of tropical cyclone forecasting. We’ll also explore Luigi De Marchi’s early research into atmospheric circulation and vorticity, Cesare Emiliani’s revolutionary discoveries about Earth’s ancient climates, and the contributions of American meteorologists including former National Weather Service director Louis Uccellini, National Hurricane Center specialist John Cangialosi, and broadcaster Rob Marciano. From seventeenth-century Florence to the modern National Hurricane Center, discover how Italian innovation, international scientific collaboration, and centuries of observation helped shape the forecasting science we depend on today. Meteorology Matters explores the science, history, and real-world impact of weather, hurricanes, and our changing atmosphere. Created and produced by broadcast meteorologist Rob Jones. Website: https://MeteorologyMatters.com (https://MeteorologyMatters.com) YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@RobJonesHurricane (https://www.youtube.com/@RobJonesHurricane) Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/meteorologist (https://www.instagram.com/meteorologist) TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@tvmeteorologist (https://www.tiktok.com/@tvmeteorologist) #MeteorologyMatters #ItalianAmericanHeritageMonth #WeatherHistory #Meteorology #HurricaneHistory #AngeloSecchi #BenitoVines #Galileo #WeatherScience #HurricaneForecasting

2. 

   9 Oct 2026

   Hurricane Isaias: What to Do When It’s Almost Too Late

   Hurricane Isaias has reached Category 3 strength with sustained winds of 120 mph, and time is running out for communities along the northern Gulf Coast. As dangerous winds, storm surge, flooding, and tornadoes threaten Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, and areas farther inland, the most important question isn’t simply where the hurricane will make landfall. It’s what you can still do to survive. What if you’re not in an evacuation zone, but your home isn’t safe? What if the roof starts coming apart? What if floodwater begins entering your house, a tornado warning is issued, or the power goes out and someone depends on medical equipment? In this special emergency edition of Meteorology Matters, we go beyond the usual hurricane preparation checklist to focus on the final hours before impact, the split-second decisions that can save lives, and the dangers that remain after the storm passes. We discuss: How to find and understand evacuation orders, emergency shelters, and transportation assistance. When to leave an unsafe building and when deteriorating conditions make travel too dangerous. Where to shelter during destructive winds and tornadoes, including how mattresses, helmets, cushions, and interior rooms can provide additional protection. What to do if a roof fails, windows break, floodwater rises, or someone becomes trapped. Special considerations for mobile homes, high-rise residents, older adults, people with disabilities, pets, and anyone dependent on electricity. Why dangerous flooding can occur far inland and hundreds of miles from the hurricane’s center. How to survive prolonged power outages, avoid carbon monoxide poisoning, and recognize electrical, structural, and medical emergencies. Why the hours and days after landfall can be as dangerous as the hurricane itself. Whether you’re directly in Isaias’s path or preparing for a future hurricane, this episode offers practical, potentially lifesaving information when every minute counts. Forecast information reflects October 9, 2026. For current emergencies, follow local evacuation orders and the latest National Hurricane Center, National Weather Service, and emergency management guidance. Call 911 for life-threatening emergencies. About Meteorology Matters Meteorology Matters explores the science, history, and human impact of weather, from hurricanes and extreme storms to the decisions that shape how communities prepare, respond, and recover. Created and produced by broadcast meteorologist and hurricane historian Rob Jones, a member of the American Meteorological Society and National Weather Association. Explore more: MeteorologyMatters.com (http://MeteorologyMatters.com) HurricaneCompany.com (http://HurricaneCompany.com) 1926Hurricane.com (http://1926Hurricane.com) Follow Rob Jones: YouTube: youtube.com/@RobJonesHurricane TikTok: @tvmeteorologist Instagram: @meteorologist Facebook: Rob Jones – Meteorologist Bluesky: @meteorologist.bsky.social (http://meteorologist.bsky.social) Subscribe to Meteorology Matters on your favorite podcast platform, share this episode with someone who may need it, and help get potentially lifesaving information to communities facing the storm. #HurricaneIsaias #HurricaneSafety #HurricanePreparedness #GulfCoast #FloridaWeather #StormSurge #FlashFlooding #TornadoSafety #HurricaneSurvival #MeteorologyMatters

3. 

   8 Oct 2026

   Hurricane Isaias, California’s Tropical Threat and the El Niño Paradox

   The Atlantic has experienced one of the strangest hurricane seasons in modern history. Now Hurricane Isaias is threatening the Gulf Coast, while Tropical Storm Rachel raises concerns about heavy rainfall and flooding in Southern California. What makes this situation especially unusual is the powerful, already-established El Niño, which continues to strengthen and evolve. Its influence has helped suppress Atlantic hurricane activity, yet a potentially dangerous late-season hurricane is now threatening the Gulf Coast. We examine Isaias and the evolving threats from storm surge, damaging winds, tornadoes, and potentially serious flooding extending far inland. Could this hurricane produce prolonged rainfall and Appalachian flooding comparable to Hurricane Helene, or are social media comparisons overstating the danger? We also investigate Rachel’s potential impacts on California, including flash flooding, tropical moisture reaching inland communities, and what the latest forecast guidance suggests about the timing and extent of the rainfall. Along the way, we explore the historically late development of the Atlantic’s first hurricane, unusually low accumulated cyclone energy, the potential for additional tropical development, and how the current El Niño compares with the strongest events on record. What are forecasters seeing? Where are the greatest risks? How are communities preparing, and what should residents know about evacuation orders, emergency shelters, and staying safe? Two tropical systems, two coastlines, and an extraordinary atmospheric pattern connecting the immediate weather threats with one of the most significant El Niño events in recent history. Meteorology Matters examines the science, the forecasts, the uncertainty, and what happens next. #HurricaneIsaias #TropicalStormRachel #ElNino #HurricaneSeason2026 #GulfCoast #CaliforniaWeather #StormSurge #FlashFlooding #HurricanePreparedness #AtlanticHurricaneSeason #ExtremeWeather #MeteorologyMatters

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

Apple Podcasts (US)

3.5 / 5

4 ratings

Spotify

3.3 / 5

15 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 59 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

98

Social presence

0

YouTube

0

Engagement

49

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Books guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.

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