Storms Floods and Sunshine: An Autobiography—Memoirs of the Great Galveston Hurricane Weather Forecaster (Hurricane Series)

On September 8, 1900, a hurricane devastated Galveston, Texas, killing more than six thousand people in what was then the worst natural disaster in American history. Dr. Isaac Monroe Cline, section director at the Weather Bureau Headquarters, played a crucial role in limiting casualties. He raised flags over the Weather Bureau to signal the approaching hurricane and warned large crowds in low-lying areas by correctly predicting the storm's unexpected force and direction. Originally written by Cline in 1945, this autobiography chronicles his life and education before and after the Galveston hurricane. It presents a complete picture of Cline as a weather forecaster, student, survivor, and meteorological scholar. The book includes antique photographs and information from his textbook Characteristics of Tropical Cyclones. Cline's work measuring hurricane direction, speed, and precipitation helped establish the foundations for modern meteorology. More than a century after the hurricane that defined his career, he remains recognized as a pioneer in the field. The Associated Press called him "the smiling, genial, climatological genius."