Ivan Ray Tannehill

Born in 1890 and died in 1959, he served as a commissioned U.S. Army lieutenant at Fort Story, Virginia, and soon after World War I became a forecaster with the United States Weather Bureau. He went on to build a reputation as a prolific American meteorologist and science writer.

His best-known work focused on hurricanes. Contemporary summaries note that his writing on the subject remained especially influential from the late 1930s into the early 1950s, and books such as The Hurricane and The Hurricane Hunters helped explain dangerous weather in clear, engaging language for non-specialist readers.

He also wrote about drought and broader weather patterns, showing a gift for making technical subjects approachable. For readers interested in classic popular science, his work offers a snapshot of meteorology in an era before weather satellites transformed forecasting.