Announcer> Support for "Reconnecting Roots" is provided by the following.

Muletown Coffee Roasters is all about slowing things down, digging into community, and encouraging good for goodness sake.

Taylor Stitch is responsibly built for the long haul and is proud to partner with brands that inspire hope for a more sustainable future.

♪ Lems Shoes, everything we do is done with intention, and we will never stop our endless exploration to keep your feet happy and healthy every step of the way.

Discover more with less.

The ETV Endowment of South Carolina.

Through the generosity of our members and donors, the ETV Endowment has made it possible for programs like "Reconnecting Roots" to be shared around our state and the nation for more than 45 years.

♪ Sharing a common passion for music and community in beautiful Paradise Valley, Music Ranch Montana's mission to support musicians and provide a place to enjoy it together is reflected in "Reconnecting Roots".

(upbeat music: The Weather Girls "It's Raining Men") Gabe> Before you go for a run, head to a soccer game, or watch an outdoor concert, you'll probably do one thing first, check the forecast.

But what does it take to keep track of the climate around us?

Jim> That's something I think that bugs us, because we can't control it, and we have to make it a part of our daily lives.

Gabe> Don't forget your umbrellas, folks.

Today's forecast includes sassy rain clouds, the importance of weather predictions, and a 100% chance of me, Gabe!

♪ strong as me ♪ (intro music) I'm Gabe McCauley.

Join me as we explore the greatness of America.

♪ Beautiful for spacious skies ♪ ♪ Amber waves of grain ♪ ♪ Purple mountain majesties on the fruited plains ♪ ♪ We're home ♪ ♪ There's no place like home ♪ ♪ ♪ Home ♪ ♪ Home ♪ Gabe> Tracing the roots of progress from then to now and how, this is "Reconnecting Roots".

♪ We're home ♪ (dramatic music) Nearly 133,000 allied troops stormed the beaches of Normandy during the largest seaborne invasion in history, commonly known as D-Day.

Presenter> The beach is still empty, and the crossfire of German guns still rakes the shore.

Gabe> The attack paved the way for the ultimate demise of Hitler's regime, and it may have not happened were it not for a weather report.

Weather in the English Channel is notoriously fickle, and they needed it to be perfect for the invasion scheduled for June 5th.

Hours before the attack launch, meteorologist Captain James Stagg forecasted the weather would get nasty, and they need to postpone to the next day, when the weather would be optimal.

If he was wrong and the weather for June 5th was clear, the Germans could spot them and ruin the surprise attack.

And if bad weather continued on the 6th, they could lose crucial equipment and thousands of lives.

But General Dwight Eisenhower put his faith and the fate of the free world in the hands of his meteorologist.

Fortunately, the gamble paid off.

Later, when Eisenhower was asked by JFK what gave them the edge during D-Day, he replied, "It's because we had "better meteorologists than the Germans."

Today, weather forecasting is a relative breeze.

We've got satellites, Doppler radar, and top-notch modeling, which is what I did before I became a weatherman.

But what hasn't changed is our desire to be on the ground and in the eye of the storm as the clouds roll in.

Endeavors to understand the weather is part of our historical and cultural DNA.

Our Founding Fathers were obsessed with it, our public institutions are rooted in it, and over $100 billion a year is saved thanks to preventative measures such as road closures and supply chain rerouting!

(grunts) From the wildfire swept mountains to the tornado ridden prairies, to the oceans white with hurricane foam, weather in America is anything but boring!

(wind howling) (upbeat music) You won't find anyone more excited about the weather than meteorologist Jim Cantore.

Jim is known for going into the eye of the storm and narrowly missing danger in real time on live TV.

He gave me a tour of the state-of-the-art weather station here at the Weather Channel, and yes.

All we could talk about was the weather, and we loved it.

Gabe> You seem to love the weather, love talking about it.

What got you into this?

When did this obsession begin?

Jim> I mean, I was always in love with the weather.

I mean, when it snowed, I would stay up all night, leave the barn light on, wait for the first snow of the season.

There's just something special and alive and invigorating about that.

And it wasn't until my dad sat me down at the dining room table in my senior year, he goes, "You better love what you do, "so go study the weather.

"You're like a freak when it snows."

And what's interesting is I can't tell you when I first got to the Weather Channel, the gentlemen in their 40s and 50s that wrote me, and they would say, "Oh my God, Jim, "I wish I did what you were doing.

"I just never knew there was a way to do that."

And so all of this is because of my father, seeing it in me.

A little luck along the way certainly didn't hurt.

I mean, this is my first job at the Weather Channel.

Why would you want to leave?

You come in, everybody's into the weather.

Sometimes we get to go out in the field and actually be immersed in it ourselves.

Gabe> So you're kind of known as the guy they stick out in the middle of the worst of things.

Jim> I've had a few memes come my way over the years.

♪ Thundersnow, thundersnow Thundersnow ♪ Jim> Yes, again!

That's a freak!

You got to be kidding me!

♪ Thundersnow ♪ Gabe> Well, how did that start?

Was it something you're just like, "I'm in, I want to go there", or?

Jim> I mean, it's one thing, showing map after map after map.

Gabe> Sure.

Jim> But to actually go out in it, it's a different kind of broadcast.

Gabe> How do you stay safe?

Jim> There have been close calls, absolutely.

It's not a panacea out there.

I don't know how I haven't been...

I need some wood.

Hit by something at this point, (Gabe chuckles) because some of those eye walls I'm in are over 100 miles an hour.

But yet you're so jacked up, and you want to show everybody just how ferocious this thing is.

Can he stand there without being airborne?

And frankly, there's been times I should have come out.

I mean, you just do it, man.

It's your mission.

We want... We asked you to leave, so I think, okay, well, now I need to go show everyone why I asked them to leave.

Gabe> That's right.

How has America led the race of technology when it comes to weather forecasting, or has it?

Jim> I think it can't be stated enough how some of these high resolution models that we've developed in this country have just done such a good job.

I think we pay, I heard one time, maybe $5 a person per year for all the weather information we get from the weather service.

And that's about as cheap as it gets for the kind of information that we get out.

We have 122 National Weather Service offices out there.

Each group at that office has the same mindset as I do.

We want to save lives.

We want to get the best information out there possible.

It's not like, it's the National Weather Service.

It's this TV weather network.

It's that TV weather net...

I mean, we're all on the same team at the end of the day.

Gabe> Right.

Jim> And I just think having that enterprise, as I like to call it, all with the same mission.

Gabe> While chasing the storm is a big draw for many meteorologists like Jim, the Weather Channel has launched a safer way to put your eyes in the eye of the storm.

It's called immersive mixed reality, and it can demonstrate real-time weather events to scale.

Jim> This has brought the dissemination of information, I think, to a whole other level.

I mean, I can literally stand in Milwaukee and watch the weather change hour by hour, so I can show you what it's going to look like standing right there at the lakefront in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, or Chicago, or Boston, Massachusetts.

With our expert, Dr. Greg Postel.

He stood out and we watched the storm surge come in to Eastern North Carolina, and he was around a bunch of single story buildings.

And so the storm surge forecast was nine feet.

So now we've got water, and he's showing it around him.

All these buildings are right up to the roof line.

If you're in a single story home or if you don't evacuate, where are you going to go?

That's the kind of messaging we need to get out there, something that really shows the true dangers in storm surge and why we ask you to leave.

I mean, everybody has to know the weather.

That's still something I think that in a way, bugs us, because we can't control it, but we have to prepare for it, we have to make it a part of our daily lives.

Gabe> Sure.

(chime) Weather has always captivated human curiosity.

Ancient civilizations across the globe developed their own methods of predicting the weather.

Greek philosopher Aristotle theorized how hail, clouds, storms, and rain formed as far back as 340 BC.

It wasn't until 2,000 years later that professional overachiever Galileo and his colleagues developed thermometers and barometers to measure temperature and air pressure, shifting weather forecasting from philosophy about nature to the scientific study of meteorology.

Our own Founding Fathers were hot for the study of weather, too.

Both Thomas Jefferson and George Washington kept extensive weather diaries.

And then there's Ben Franklin, who made critical observations on lightning and storms by chasing them on horseback.

You know, like any normal person would.

He made some of the first weather forecasts, which he published in his own almanac.

(smooth music) Gabe> My plants!

...

They're ruined!

♪ Cloud> Sorry... That's my bad.

To be fair, you weren't really taking great care of them anyways.

Gabe> There ain't supposed to be no rain.

How long do you plan on hanging around?

Cloud> Why?

You want to get rid of me like everyone else in my life?

Gabe> No, no, no.

I just need to know when your good friend, the sun plans on stopping by.

Cloud> We're not friends!

You're my only friend now.

(sinister music) (whimsical music) Cloud> Oh, yeah, this place.

These people are obsessed with me.

♪ >> Oh, welcome to the Smithsonian.

What can I do for you?

Gabe> Any chance you could tell me when sunshine and... other types of weather might be coming around?

Joseph> Well, we don't know for sure.

Gabe> Then what's all this for?

Joseph> It's a synoptic map.

We get reports and telegrams of weather observations from all over and keep track of them here to study them further.

Gabe> Well, some... some flooding hit my farm, and it sure would be nice to get a heads up about that kind of thing.

Joseph> Lucky for you, a national weather bureau was made official today, which is responsible for sending warnings to citizens.

Oh, looks like we're getting a new report.

Cloud> What are they saying about me now?

(electricity zaps) (machine hisses) Joseph> I think it might be best if you all left.

Gabe> (clears throat) You know, an accurate forecast could have prevented all this.

Joseph> Oh, we'll have one soon!

Just give us a few more decades!

(record reversing) ("Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head") (by Burt Bacharach and Hal David") ♪ Raindrops are falling on my head ♪ ♪ And just like the guy whose feet are too big for his bed ♪ ♪ Nothing seems to fit ♪ ♪ Those raindrops are falling on my head ♪ ♪ They keep falling ♪ ♪ So I just did me some talking to the sun ♪ ♪ ♪ And I said I didn't like the way he got things done ♪ ♪ He's sleeping on the job ♪ ♪ Those raindrops are falling on my head ♪ ♪ They keep falling ♪ ♪ But there's one thing I know ♪ ♪ ♪ The blues they send to meet me ♪ ♪ Won't defeat me ♪ ♪ It won't be long 'till happiness ♪ ♪ Steps up to greet me ♪ ♪ ♪ Raindrops keep falling on my head ♪ ♪ But that doesn't mean my eyes will soon be turning red ♪ ♪ Crying's not for me 'cause ♪ ♪ I'm never gonna stop the rain by complaining ♪ ♪ I'm never gonna stop the rain by complaining ♪ ♪ I'm never gonna stop the rain by complaining ♪ ♪ Because I'm free ♪ ♪ Nothing's worrying... me ♪ (chime) Dewy Sprinkles> Welcome to the Old Wives Tales Weather Report.

Our first report comes from Mary from Chicken Bristle, Illinois.

Now, Mary's been complaining about her knees have been acting up, clearly indicating a sudden drop in atmospheric pressure, foreshadowing aches, pains, and lots of rains.

From Puckerbrush, Nevada, we have Trudy.

Trudy has counted 62 cricket chirps in 15 seconds.

Now, according to this, we add 37 to the number of cricket chirps, and that will give us a temperature here of 99 degrees.

Finally, all the way down here in Apalachicola, Florida, we got Wanda.

Wanda apparently has seen a halo around the moon, meaning bad weather is coming soon.

This is Dewy Sprinkles from RRTV, and remember, don't blame the weatherman, an old wife ruined your plan.

(chuckles) Gabe> Although there's some truth to these folksy ways of predicting weather, they weren't very useful to people trying to get forecasting down to a science.

A breakthrough came in the early 1900s, when English mathematician Lewis Fry Richardson tried to use a mathematical model to calculate the weather instead of basing a forecast on previous observations.

Richardson's first predictions weren't very accurate or practical.

He figured they'd need about 60,000 people to help with calculations to deliver a weather report one day in advance.

He imagined a forecast factory, with the world map divided up with scientists assigned to make calculations for each grid, basically forming a human computer.

(computers ding) What Richardson didn't know was an actual computer would be built in secret.

ENIAC was the world's first programmable computer, and it was advanced enough to calculate weather predictions.

With it, John von Neumann, Jule Charney, and their team of scientists, were able to make the first successful numerical weather prediction.

Algorithms have since become more detailed, with more accurate data, thanks to advanced measuring tools.

But numerical weather prediction is still the most common form of weather model data.

(whimsical music) (phone rings) ♪ Cloud> Why are we at a lab where they do mathematical cloud models?

Gabe> What are you doing here?

Cloud> Why are you being so secretive?

Gabe> I'm not, I... (clears throat) They've got more advanced technology here in the 60s and can warn us about heat waves (Cloud laughs) and things of that nature, so.

Cloud> Yeah, for a second there, I thought you were trying to figure out when I was going to leave- Gabe> No.

Cloud> Because you didn't want me around anymore.

(chuckles) I'll just hang outside then.

Gabe> Yeah, that'll be good.

(phone rings) (door screeches to a close) Joanne> Hi!

Gabe> I was told you might be able to help me with my, uh, problem.

Joanne> I can't help you.

Give it a few years, then maybe your voice will deepen.

Gabe> No, no, no, I, uh, I heard you could, uh, tell me when we might get some sunshine out on my farm since you got them weather satellites up in the sky now.

Joanne> We do.

We use them to see the entire planet's weather systems from space using infrared, and radars use microwaves and other technology to measure the movement inside storms.

Gabe> Far out.

Joanne> But we are going even farther.

Instead of doing a single forecast for the most likely weather, we now use an ensemble of forecasts to show a whole range of possibilities, which can be more accurate.

Gabe> Well, hot dog.

Can you tell me when my rain cloud will finally go somewhere else?

Joanne> This says, it'll be leaving- Cloud> -I knew it!

You want me gone?

Fine.

But don't come begging for me back!

(thunder claps) Joanne> Now.

(whimsical music) ♪ Gabe> As our ability to predict the weather has increased, so has the unpredictability of the Internet and social media.

With access to all kinds of weather data, we're seeing a lot of influencers creating regional micro casts with the potential to air a maelstrom of misinformation.

I've noticed there's a lot of YouTube meteorologists these days.

How do you feel about those as a professional who's been doing it for 40 years?

Jim> The weather service information is available to everybody.

It's our information.

We pay for it.

So, what that has done, when you couple it with social media, is created "media-rologists".

(Gabe laughs) You follow me?

The problem with that is, I don't know if we're ready to go through, you know, seven days to 10 days yet, but let's say one of these "media-rologists" does that and puts out a nice looking graphic.

Now we got a problem.

Gabe> Yeah.

Jim> One person did that one time.

They brought a storm right into Alabama when there was a chance it could have either curved up the East Coast or come into the Gulf of Mexico.

That causes confusion.

It causes mistrust.

You know who gets blamed for it?

We do.

Gabe> Right.

Jim> You know, to their credit, that's their way of going out and playing in the snow, like I was when I was kid.

They're going on YouTube and play with a weather forecast.

But I think you need to say, "Hey, look, you know what?

"I'm not an expert yet, I don't have my degree.

"This is just my 2 cents."

It's interesting, too, because I just asked a young forecaster the other day, you know, how long do they think it's going to take them before they're just really confident in a forecast?

"Oh, about five years."

And I said, "Well, just for the record, it's taken me about 20 of the 38."

Gabe> So you mentioned these storm chasers.

How have these amateur meteorologists, you know- Jim> Oh my gosh.

Gabe> Changed what you do?

Is it helpful, harmful?

Jim> Now, it's a part of the broadcast, right?

Split the screen.

Here's the radar of the storm, then here's the storm chaser on the same storm.

And then, you know, the meteorologist can say, "Well, here's where they are in the storm.

"They're out ahead of this hook echo.

"Look at the lowering that they're seeing.

"Has this produced a tornado yet or not?"

Those kind of things help us get the verification, so they can say, "You know what?

"We better take this serious."

Gabe> Do you think there's any practices or methods from the past, the "Farmer's Almanac", there's old wives tales- Jim> -Well, there's the woolly worm.

Gabe>...there's things like that- Jim>-I hate to let go of the woolly worm at this stage of the game.

But...those old wives tales, those old, you know- Gabe>-Do they have any merit?

Jim> -farmers, I think they do a little bit.

Even when you're out in the field, sometimes you just have a feeling.

Gabe> Right.

Jim> Sometimes, you just get meteorological intuition.

You know, as a farmer, you're out working the fields every day, you know it.

You're- Gabe> -just being more in tune with nature.

Jim> Yeah, you're looking at your crop, you're like, "You know what?

That's really drying out early."

So those kind of things I think just stick with you, especially if you're a part of the outside.

Gabe> Right.

Jim> The best weather information is always going to come from a person who's looking at it constantly.

Gabe> Have you ever experienced any weather that you never thought could happen?

Jim> Katrina set the bar for me.

Gabe> Wow.

Jim> I never knew what 20 to 30 feet of storm surge could look like.

8:40 in the morning, the water has come in so fast and so furious.

But when you become a part of the Gulf of Mexico and you see boats in third stories buildings, casinos actually lifted off the water and put onto Highway 90, it boggles your mind, because you go, wow, this is real, but it looks like a movie set.

Mother Nature's amazing, but we can't control her.

Gabe> While Mother Nature rules outside, climate control keeps us comfortable inside.

But have we become too reliant on our shelters in even the most temperate of weather conditions?

The "indoor generation", as we've come to be known, is spending close to 22 hours inside every day.

That separation from the natural world can throw our circadian rhythms out of sync and cause respiratory problems or seasonal affective disorder.

Has weather data, intended as a tool for preparedness, given us excuses for avoidance?

(dramatic music) ♪ (water drips) ♪ When will this end?

(sighs) ♪ AI Assistant> The next six days bring us sunny skies with downright offensive levels of humidity.

Gabe> Okay.

Well, what about after that?

AI Assistant> After that's anyone's guess.

You know that, Gabe.

(phone beeps) Armie> He's right.

We still cannot predict the weather with any degree of certainty beyond six days.

The atmosphere is too...chaotic, too many butterflies flapping their wings.

Gabe> Who are you?

Armie> I'm Armie.

By day, I am a regular old guy working for the man, but by night, I am a hyper-local amateur meteorologist every bit as dedicated as those folks you see on TV.

Gabe> So, when's it going to rain?

I really miss it.

Armie> The last radar data suggests that there's a 20 mile an hour wind building due...north.

(chuckles) Could spell a microburst.

I got to let my followers know.

Gabe> Just wish I had a chance to say goodbye, you know?

Armie> Well, why don't you just say hello?

(wind whistles) (gentle music) ♪ Cloud> Pretty day out, huh?

Gabe> Actually, I think it's too hot.

♪ Cloud> Climate change, am I right?

(chuckles) Gabe> So...where you been?

♪ Cloud> Here, there...wherever the wind takes me.

♪ (thunder booms) ♪ Armie> Told you there'd be a microburst.

♪ (music fades) Gabe> The weather doesn't always go the way we want it to, but without the different seasons, life would be a little less sunny.

Maybe you want to go for a swim, but the rain is telling you to curl up with a good book.

We may never be able to control the weather, but we can try and embrace it a bit more.

Because it's easy to overlook what's here on the ground when our head is always in the clouds.

("It Ain't Gonna Rain No More") ♪ Rain, rain It Ain't Gonna Rain No More ♪ ♪ Rain, rain ♪ ♪ Thunder rolling ♪ ♪ ♪ Like a stone ♪ ♪ ♪ I can feel it ♪ ♪ ♪ In my bones ♪ ♪ ♪ Drip, drop, drip, drop ♪ ♪ Rain... go away ♪ ♪ It Ain't Gonna Rain No More ♪ ♪ Not today, It Ain't Gonna Rain No More ♪ ♪ go away It Ain't Gonna Rain No More ♪ ♪ Not today It Ain't Gonna Rain No More ♪ ♪ ♪ April showers ♪ ♪ ♪ Coming down ♪ ♪ ♪ But I'm ready for my flowers, ready for the summer now ♪ ♪ ♪ Drip, drop, drip, drop ♪ ♪ Rain, It Ain't Gonna Rain No More, go away♪ ♪ It Ain't Gonna Rain No More ♪ ♪ Not today, It Ain't Gonna Rain No More, go away ♪ ♪ ♪ Not today, go away ♪ ♪ It Ain't Gonna Rain No More ♪ ♪ Not today, It Ain't Gonna Rain No More, go away ♪ ♪ It Ain't Gonna Rain No More ♪ ♪ Not today ♪ (bright music) (bright music continues) >>Connect with me, Gabe McCauley and "Reconnecting Roots" by visiting reconnectingroots.com , where you'll find music, blogs, behind the scenes, and more.

Join our email list to stay reconnected.

♪ Announcer> Support for "Reconnecting Roots" is provided by the following.

Muletown Coffee Roasters is all about slowing things down, digging into community, and encouraging good for goodness sake.

Taylor Stitch is responsibly built for the long haul and is proud to partner with brands that inspire hope for a more sustainable future.

♪ Lems Shoes, everything we do is done with intention, and we will never stop our endless exploration to keep your feet happy and healthy every step of the way.

Discover more with less.

The ETV Endowment of South Carolina.

Through the generosity of our members and donors, the ETV Endowment has made it possible for programs like "Reconnecting Roots" to be shared around our state and the nation for more than 45 years.

♪ Sharing a common passion for music and community in beautiful Paradise Valley, Music Ranch Montana's mission to support musicians and provide a place to enjoy it together is reflected in "Reconnecting Roots".

♪ (bright music) (APT chime)