Father Benito Viñes
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Father Benito Viñes
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Title information
Before Doppler radar and broadcast weather reports, Spanish-born Benito Viñes (1837–1893) spent decades observing the skies at Belen Observatory in colonial Cuba, routinely issuing weather reports and forecasts to local newspapers. And before storm trackers and emergency alerts, Viñes made it his mission to teach the public what he was learning about the weather. He developed the first network of weather observation stations in the Caribbean, and his research laid the groundwork for the hurricane warning systems we use today. His sometimes eerily accurate hurricane forecasts helped save many lives—earning him the nickname “the Hurricane Priest.”
Father Benito Viñes is a fascinating look at the life of a man who worked on the cutting edge of weather science while still remaining devoted to his religious life. It depicts Viñes as both pioneer in the study of tropical meteorology and a colonial Jesuit priest. With notes that put his life into modern context, this book puts a much deserved spotlight on a figure who played a crucial role in making our lives safer.
Table of Contents
1 First Years in Cuba
2 Childhood, Youth, and Vocation
3 A Look at His Work and the Evolution of His Scientific Thought
4 His Life and Times in Cuba
Luis E. Ramos Guadalupe
Luis E. Ramos Guadalupe is director of the Historical Heritage Section of the Academia de Ciencias de Cuba.
Father Vines: 'Hurricane priest' of 19th-century Cuba
Imagine forecasting hurricanes without using computers, satellites or radar. That's what Father Benito Vines, the famed "hurricane priest" of 19th-century Cuba, did.
A new book out this year details the life and career of Vines, who made it his life's work to save lives and teach the public about the weather.
Vines developed a network of observation stations unlike anything seen before his time, and his research laid the groundwork for early warning systems we use today.
In the streaming audio below, I chat with Oswaldo Garcia, a meteorologist from San Francisco State University, who this year translated the book Father Benito Vines: The 19th-Century Life and Contributions of a Cuban Hurricane Observer and Scientist.
The book was published by the American Meteorological Society.
https://soundcloud.com/usatodaynews/father-vines-the-hurricane-priest
Doyle Rice, USA TODAY