The most consequential weather forecast in modern history? A case can be made for a prediction issued June 5, 1944, for the English Channel.
Meteorologist RAF Group Capt. James Stagg briefed Gen. Dwight Eisenhower, Supreme Allied Commander, on Operation Overlord. D-Day. Thanks to better data ship data upwind of the U.K., Stagg and his team saw a break in the storm, lower winds and no precipitation, increasing the odds of a successful allied landing at Normandy. A “window” of OK weather. Hitler’s meteorologists had inferior data and made an inferior forecast, assuming the allies would never attack during a big storm. They were wrong, and the Americans and Brits turned the tide of fascism on the European continent. Better data matters.
I’m enjoying early October, how about you? Winds gust to 40 mph Thursday, before easing a bit this weekend. Showers are possible Friday night and Monday night, but no significant rain for at least a week? After 3 years of drought I never thought I’d hear complaints of “too much rain.”
