iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Dr. Brad Illston @bradillston.bsky.social · 02/09/2026

I am very honored to have worked on a Fire Environment tool with the Norman NWS WFO and Oklahoma Forestry Services that combines weather and fuel threats into one map. Maps are now live on the Mesonet website and app. www.mesonet.org/fire-managem...

051

Dr. Brad Illston @bradillston.bsky.social · 25/08/2026

Two things I hope: 1. My wife isn't angry at me. 2. My wife hasn't seen Fargo.

160

Dr. Brad Illston @bradillston.bsky.social · 11/08/2026

My daughter wants to work for animal rescue operation when she is older. Today, she rescued an injured juvenile Mississippi Kite on our property and took it to Wild Care. I am a proud dad today.

0100

Dr. Brad Illston @bradillston.bsky.social · 26/07/2026

Great evening for taking my daughter to her first rodeo.

060

Dr. Brad Illston @bradillston.bsky.social · 23/06/2026

Experts gave OU almost no chance (5.9%), but they won the World Series against some really good teams. But go ahead and tell me how meteorologist are always just guessing what the weather will be like. #BoomerSooner

030

Dr. Brad Illston @bradillston.bsky.social · 15/06/2026

Had a great time today talking meteorology, instruments, and research with the 43 finalists to be Team USA (4 person) at the Earth Science Olympiad. Some of the best discussions and questions I have ever had. Team USA will be a strong team with these bright minds.

021

Dr. Brad Illston @bradillston.bsky.social · 13/06/2026

Am I starting to sparkle or am I starting to grow fur?

Person standing in front of the sign fir Firks, Washington.

010

Dr. Brad Illston @bradillston.bsky.social · 11/06/2026

My current location just issued a Heat Advisory for a high of....84F. I am NOT in Oklahoma and enjoying every minute.

030

Dr. Brad Illston @bradillston.bsky.social · 19/05/2026

I just got my one-of-a-kind, limited edition, rare, University of Oklahoma School of Meteorology faculty trading cards. I wonder if I will see any of these on eBay?

Trading cards of OU School of Meteorology Professors.

111

Dr. Brad Illston @bradillston.bsky.social · 14/04/2026

Timeline Cleanse: My dogs are part of a fundraising campaign for the University of Oklahoma's College of Atmospheric and Geographic Sciences. I am not sure how the photographer got these shots amongst the craziness of the photoshoot.

1332859

Dr. Brad Illston @bradillston.bsky.social · 16/03/2026

Kiddo to me: "You know what your hair looks like? A tornado because it has swirls and is grey." Ouch. Hit with the truth bomb at lunch.

030

Dr. Brad Illston @bradillston.bsky.social · 14/03/2026

Up in Chicago with a few thousand of my new friends celebrating St. Patrick's Day. My daughter loves interacting with the "funny people". She is getting her first experience of fun drunk people and is ready for the parade.

020

Dr. Brad Illston @bradillston.bsky.social · 04/03/2026

Having a university bus hit your meteorological research area due to a vehicle accident was not on my agenda for today.

2121

Dr. Brad Illston @bradillston.bsky.social · 26/02/2026

My university's marketing department came and took photos of my instrumentation class. Here are a couple of me in action. Be on the lookout in the near future marketing items from the University of Oklahoma with more photos of the class.

Students and professor installing weather instruments on a station.

Professor talking with a student using a laptop out in the field.

030

Dr. Brad Illston @bradillston.bsky.social · 22/02/2026

Nothing like watching USA win Olympic gold with your daughter. Core memory created.

Father and daughter watching Olympic hockey together.

130

Dr. Brad Illston @bradillston.bsky.social · 01/02/2026

This hits a little too close to home.

A text exchange between a child and parent.

030

Dr. Brad Illston @bradillston.bsky.social · 28/01/2026

Anyone want any Girl Scout cookies? My daughter is selling again this year so she can spend a night at a museum. I love that she chose that goal. You can also find me at the NWC or go to digitalcookie.girlscouts.org/scout/olivia...

142

Dr. Brad Illston @bradillston.bsky.social · 22/01/2026

A new year of Univ. of Oklahoma meteorology students learning to install, wire, and program weather stations in my course. This year the stations are built with the National Weather Center watching over them.

0110

Dr. Brad Illston @bradillston.bsky.social · 22/01/2026

I got excited for a moment until I realized it was our black labrador.

Camera notification of a "dark colored bear".

020

Dr. Brad Illston @bradillston.bsky.social · 20/01/2026

Packed house for the first day of Measurements class at the Univ. of Oklahoma. Record setting enrollment. Looking forward to teaching all of them the joys and pains of dealing with meteorological instruments.

2363

Dr. Brad Illston @bradillston.bsky.social · 16/01/2026

Had a wonderful day teaching professors, scientists, and students from Peru on how to build and deploy weather stations. This station was deployed to study the micrometeorology and soil conditions under cedar groves.

Me standing in a forest with a weather station and Peruvian scientists and students.

Peruvian scientists assembling a weather station.

071

Dr. Brad Illston @bradillston.bsky.social · 09/01/2026

Had a great day installing micrometeorological and soil stations at the University of Oklahoma's Kessler Atmospheric and Ecological Field Station with students and faculty. This is just the beginning of the suite of sites at the field station to collect data for current and future research.

Me standing in front of meteorological stations out in a field.

0121

Dr. Brad Illston @bradillston.bsky.social · 01/01/2026

Another calendar year in the books. 2025 ranked 7th out of the past 19 years that I have been tracking rainfall at my house in Norman, OK, USA. A very wet spring was countered by the very dry fall and winter.

Multi-year time series graph of rainfall from 2006-2025.

010

Dr. Brad Illston @bradillston.bsky.social · 17/12/2025

Some days you are out in the elements and some days you are in the cozy lab configuring weather stations for an upcoming deployment. These stations will be part of a research micronet and also training for international partners.

Multiple weather stations being configured in a lab.

010

Dr. Brad Illston @bradillston.bsky.social · 13/11/2025

Had a great time being pied in the face for helping raise money for weather disaster relief in Jamacia and Alaska. What a great cause and excited to see students, faculty, staff, and others contribute to the efforts.

Me all dirty after being pied in the face.

070

Dr. Brad Illston @bradillston.bsky.social · 28/10/2025

Had a great time video chatting with kindergarteners about hurricanes and the weather. They had some great questions and Hurricane Melissa is giving them a real-time demonstration of the power of a hurricane.

Kindergarten children watching a meteorologist on a video chat talking about hurricanes.

0395

Dr. Brad Illston @bradillston.bsky.social · 17/10/2025

Breaking edge technologies in their respective eras almost 100 years apart.

Model-T cars parked in front of the National Weather Service.

040

Dr. Brad Illston @bradillston.bsky.social · 15/10/2025

So a relative of mine is making headlines on all of the news networks right now. I guess I should turn off notifications on social media for a bit.

180

Dr. Brad Illston @bradillston.bsky.social · 08/10/2025

The School of Meteorology and College of Atmos. & Geog. Sci. at the Univ. of Oklahoma is looking for a Researcher with experience in field work and instrumentation. Message me if you need more information. Apply at the link below.

ou.taleo.net

Researcher

Click the link provided to see the complete job description.

255

Dr. Brad Illston @bradillston.bsky.social · 02/10/2025

I had a great time this week talking with kids from three classes (Kinder, 2nd, and 5th grade) out in Oconee County, Georgia about being a meteorologist, fun weather information, and interesting places I have traveled doing my job. It gives me so much joy seeing the curiosity of our next generation.

020

Dr. Brad Illston @bradillston.bsky.social · 18/09/2025

Had a wonderful time talking to the amazing people associated with the Oklahoma Homeless Alliance on how they can use weather data to assist our unhoused population. They were quite interested in Wet Bulb Globe Temperature and its utility.

010

Dr. Brad Illston @bradillston.bsky.social · 17/09/2025

Giant wolf spider last night and a corn snake tonight found in the bedroom. What critter will join us tomorrow night? #CountryLiving

220

Dr. Brad Illston @bradillston.bsky.social · 12/09/2025

Swing and a miss on AI response to a weather history question on lowest mean sea level pressure in Oklahoma for March 2019. Another example for me to share with my students on using AI. It didn't even double check itself on units or reasonableness of the response.

AI generated response with the wrong information.

1166

Dr. Brad Illston @bradillston.bsky.social · 08/09/2025

I got a spam text on Saturday with which I decided to have fun. I think I am blocked now. They are no fun to play with anymore.

Spam text message with reply of a dog on the phone.

170

Dr. Brad Illston @bradillston.bsky.social · 07/09/2025

Michigan fans in shorts is an impressive level of pasty white.

030

Dr. Brad Illston @bradillston.bsky.social · 30/08/2025

It's that time of year again. I brought the nice weather. The Sooners can bring the wins. #BoomerSooner

070

Dr. Brad Illston @bradillston.bsky.social · 28/08/2025

Conversation with 8yo kiddo... Me: "I'll always have your back and be there for you." Kiddo: "So, if I am at a conference that doesn't allow kids, you would watch my kids while I am gone?" Me: "Well,.....yes." Now I am pondering what she thinks about when I leave for scientific conferences.

130

Dr. Brad Illston @bradillston.bsky.social · 24/08/2025

My kiddo wanted to learn how to play Dungeons and Dragons. She never heard a quicker yes from her father. She had a blast. As an animal lover, she wanted to be a druid and even "dressed like one" in green flower pants for playing.

2110

Dr. Brad Illston @bradillston.bsky.social · 30/07/2025

Congratulations on a successful launch of NISAR.

010

Dr. Brad Illston @bradillston.bsky.social · 29/07/2025

Excited for tomorrow's launch of the NISAR satellite which will provide global information about water in its various forms. I have been working with NASA/JPL scientists on the ground verification instrumentation in Oklahoma for the past few years. The launch will take place in India at 6:00am CST.

youtube.com

NISAR Launch

YouTube video by NASA

022

Dr. Brad Illston @bradillston.bsky.social · 26/07/2025

Introduced our 9 month old lab to dock diving. She did amazing and is a natural. Not surprised since dock diving is in her blood from her parents who competed. We may have to keep at this and maybe enter a competition for fun.

020

Dr. Brad Illston @bradillston.bsky.social · 24/07/2025

Happy to have available another paper in which I was a part of being published. Great to work with other scientists across the globe to get this research accomplished and out to our community. doi.org/10.1002/qj.5...

Screenshot of the journal article's title and authors.

050

Dr. Brad Illston @bradillston.bsky.social · 17/07/2025

I spy with my little eye....a new Mesonet station!!! Happy Birthday Smithville!!!

A Mesonet map showing a new station at Smithville, OK.

060

Dr. Brad Illston @bradillston.bsky.social · 11/07/2025

In the process of collecting photos of every step in the installation procedures of the weather station used in my class. This will be for a major update to the lab manual in preparation for publication for other schools to use.

090

Dr. Brad Illston @bradillston.bsky.social · 05/07/2025

Surprised our daughter for her birthday with a short trip to see her favorite animal, the capybara.

070

Dr. Brad Illston @bradillston.bsky.social · 26/06/2025

It only took a few days of horse camp...."Daddy, can we get a horse at the farm?"

020

Dr. Brad Illston @bradillston.bsky.social · 25/06/2025

Having a great time teaching kids about weather instruments at the OETA and PBS Kids launch event for the new upcoming show Weather Hunters. Show premiers on September 8th.

Kids learning about weather instruments.

060

Dr. Brad Illston @bradillston.bsky.social · 18/06/2025

Kiddo struggling to get up this morning after staying up to watch the Stanley Cup. She has been further hockey baptized.

160