St. Cloud in Osceola County, Florida — The American South (South Atlantic)
The Thunderstorm Project
Photographed By Paul Crumlish, March 14, 2012
1. The Thunderstorm Project Marker
Inscription.
The Thunderstorm Project. . On a typical summer afternoon thunderstorms will be seen in the skies surrounding this site. So common they are often ignored, thunderstorms are nevertheless vital to the State's economy. They provide most of Florida's annual rainfall, but lightening and strong winds from occasional severe storms can be costly. It was here in the summer of 1946 that scientists used weather radar, aircraft penetration flights, balloon soundings and an extensive network of surface instruments to gather - for the first time - observations which led to an understanding of the structure and life cycle of thunderstorms. This site was chosen because the frequency of thunderstorms in Florida is higher than anywhere else in North America. The Thunderstorm Project was conducted by U.S. Weather Bureau, Air Force, Navy and NACA (forerunner of NASA). Scientists working at the University of Chicago analyzed the resulting data. Theories they developed from observations made here in 1946 - and in the Ohio Phase of the Project the following summer - remain the cornerstone of our understanding of thunderstorms and related weather such as hail, strong winds, heavy rain and tornadoes.
On a typical summer afternoon thunderstorms will be seen in the skies surrounding this site. So common they are often ignored, thunderstorms are nevertheless vital to the State's economy. They provide most of Florida's annual rainfall, but lightening and strong winds from occasional severe storms can be costly. It was here in the summer of 1946 that scientists used weather radar, aircraft penetration flights, balloon soundings and an extensive network of surface instruments to gather - for the first time - observations which led to an understanding of the structure and life cycle of thunderstorms. This site was chosen because the frequency of thunderstorms in Florida is higher than anywhere else in North America. The Thunderstorm Project was conducted by U.S. Weather Bureau, Air Force, Navy and NACA (forerunner of NASA). Scientists working at the University of Chicago analyzed the resulting data. Theories they developed from observations made here in 1946 - and in the Ohio Phase of the Project the following summer - remain the cornerstone of our understanding of thunderstorms and related weather such as hail, strong winds, heavy rain and tornadoes.
Erected 1986 by Meteorologists from around the country in cooperation with the Department of State. (Marker Number F-309.)
Topics. This historical
Click or scan to see this page online
marker is listed in these topic lists: Environment • Science & Medicine. A significant historical year for this entry is 1946.
Location. 28° 14.748′ N, 81° 16.968′ W. Marker is in St. Cloud, Florida, in Osceola County. Marker is on 13th Street (U.S. 192) east of New York Avenue, on the right when traveling east. The marker is located on the northern perimeter of Veterans Park. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1201 13th Street, Saint Cloud FL 34769, United States of America. Touch for directions.
The marker sits in Veterans Park, as afternoon clouds above begin to form.
traverses through thunderstorms, are analyzed in order to obtain a description of thunderstorm structure and circulation.(Submitted on March 31, 2012, by PaulwC3 of Northern, Virginia.)
Credits. This page was last revised on October 28, 2020. It was originally submitted on March 31, 2012, by PaulwC3 of Northern, Virginia. This page has been viewed 876 times since then and 22 times this year. Photos:1, 2. submitted on March 31, 2012, by PaulwC3 of Northern, Virginia.
