Vernon Dvorak

Vernon Francis Dvorak (November 15, 1928 – September 19, 2022) was an American meteorologist. He studied meteorology at the University of California, Los Angeles and wrote his Master thesis An investigation of the inversion-cloud regime over the subtropical waters west of California in 1966. In 1973 he developed the Dvorak technique to analyze tropical cyclones from satellite imagery.[1] He worked with the National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service. He lived in Ojai, California, until his death on September 19, 2022.

Vernon F. Dvorak
Dvorak in the 1970s
Born(1928-11-15)November 15, 1928
Cedar Rapids, Iowa, U.S.
DiedSeptember 19, 2022(2022-09-19) (aged 93)
Ojai, California, U.S.
NationalityAmerican
Alma materUniversity of California, Los Angeles
Known forDeveloping the Dvorak technique
AwardsUnited States Department of Commerce Meritorious Service award (1972)
National Weather Association Lifetime Achievement (2002)
Scientific career
FieldsMeteorology
ThesisAn investigation of the inversion-cloud regime over the subtropical waters west of California (1966)

Life and career

Vernon Francis Dvorak was born in Cedar Rapids, Iowa on November 15, 1928.[2][3][4][5][6]

Dvorak's most influential work was the creation of the Dvorak technique, a method of estimating tropical cyclone intensity using infrared satellite. The Dvorak technique is credited as "fundamentally [enhancing] the ability to monitor tropical cyclones on a global scale."[7] The method provides an invaluable tool in monitoring these systems given the limitations of direct measurements on such a vast scale.[7]

Dvorak married Joanne Foyola Schafroth in Los Angeles in January 1958.[5] He died on September 19, 2022, at the age of 93.[6][7][8]

Selected works
  • Dvorak, Vernon F. (February 1973). A technique for the analysis and forecasting of tropical cyclone intensities from satellite pictures (Technical report). NOAA Technical Memorandum NESS. 45.
  • Dvorak, Vernon F. (September 1984). Tropical cyclone intensity analysis using satellite data (Technical report). NOAA Technical Memorandum NESDIS. 11.
  • Jixi, Jiang; Dvorak, Vernon F. (May 1987). Tropical cyclone center locations from enhanced infrared satellite imagery (Technical report). NOAA Technical Memorandum NESDIS. 18.
  • Dvorak, Vernon F.; Mogil, H. Michael (1994). Tropical cyclone motion forecasting using satellite water vapor imagery (Technical report). NOAA Technical Memorandum NESDIS. 83.

Awards

Dvorak was a recipient of a United States Department of Commerce Meritorious Service award in 1972[9] and in 2002 he received a Special Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Weather Association.[10]

See also

References
  1. "Strong hurricanes becoming more common, study finds". SIT News. September 19, 2005. Archived from the original on 29 September 2011. Retrieved 26 January 2011.
  2. https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QPZ2-2WNB?from=lynx1UIV8&treeref=L5BV-QJW
  3. Technical Publication PMR, Volume 72, Issue 1. Pacific Missile Range. pp. R-5.
  4. "Vernon Francis Dvorak". U.S., World War II Draft Cards Young Men, 1940–1947. Archived from the original on 22 September 2022. Retrieved 22 September 2022.
  5. Uehling, Thad T. (2002). The Uehling Family, 1627–2002. Gateway Press. p. 476.
  6. "Vernon Frank Dvorak". Obituary. Neptune Society. 23 September 2022. Retrieved 2022-09-23..
  7. Masters, Jeff; Henson, Bob (September 21, 2022). "Atlantic on fire: Cat 4 Fiona, TS Gaston, and a concerning Caribbean system". Yale Climate Connections. Archived from the original on September 21, 2022. Retrieved September 21, 2022.
  8. Marar, Anjali (September 23, 2022). "How this cyclone intensity estimation technique saved millions of lives across continents". Indian Express. Retrieved September 23, 2022.
  9. "NOAA History - Department of Commerce Medal Recipients (1971 – 1980)". NOAA. Archived from the original on 16 May 2011. Retrieved 26 January 2011.
  10. "NWA Annual Awards Program". National Weather Association. Archived from the original on 24 July 2011. Retrieved 26 January 2011.


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