Neal Dorst

Research Interests

Data management.

History of hurricane research.

Hurricane climatology.

Neal Dorst

Meteorologist, Hurricane Research Division

305.361.4311

neal.m.dorst@noaa.gov

4301 Rickenbacker Causeway
Miami, Florida 33149

“As a child, I’d always been fascinated by storms. When my family moved to south Florida in 1965, I went through Hurricane Betsy. It seems inevitable that I would get a job studying tropical cyclones.”

About

Neal Dorst’s primary work centers around processing and archiving the flight-level data from our research aircraft and updating our website to ensure the availability of all our data to researchers around the world. He also preserves the historical records of the Hurricane Research Division and writes articles about this history. Neal is on the committee that approves of changes to the National Hurricane Center’s database.

Current Work & CV

Current Work

Helping to manage the Hurricane Research Division’s flight data set, post-processing flight data and research support.

Download Full CV

Education

1977 Bachelor of Science, Meteorology, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL

1981 Bachelor of Fine Arts, Photography, Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, FL

Publications

Dorst, N.M. Before the hurricane hunters: Storm patrols and the lost hurricanes. Weatherwise, 77(1):42-52, https://doi.org/10.1080/00431672.2024.2276648 2024
Ref. 4378
Zawislak, J., R.F. Rogers, S.D. Aberson, G.J. Alaka, G. Alvey, A. Aksoy, L. Bucci, J. Cione, N. Dorst, J. Dunion, M. Fischer, J. Gamache, S. Gopalakrishnan, A. Hazelton, H.M. Holbach, J. Kaplan, H. Leighton, F. Marks, S.T. Murillo, P. Reasor, K. Ryan, K. Sellwood, J.A. Sippel, and J.A. Zhang. Accomplishments of NOAA’S airborne hurricane field program and a broader future approach to forecast improvement. Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society, 103(2):E311-E338, https://doi.org/10.1175/BAMS-D-20-0174.1 2022
Ref. 3984
Dorst, N. Book review: Inventing atmospheric science: Bjerknes, Rossby, Wexler, and the foundations of modern meteorology. Physics Today, 69(9):54, https://doi.org/10.1063/PT.3.3301 2016
Ref. 3347

View all Related Publications

Dorst, N.M. Before the hurricane hunters: Storm patrols and the lost hurricanes. Weatherwise, 77(1):42-52, https://doi.org/10.1080/00431672.2024.2276648 2024
Ref. 4378
Zawislak, J., R.F. Rogers, S.D. Aberson, G.J. Alaka, G. Alvey, A. Aksoy, L. Bucci, J. Cione, N. Dorst, J. Dunion, M. Fischer, J. Gamache, S. Gopalakrishnan, A. Hazelton, H.M. Holbach, J. Kaplan, H. Leighton, F. Marks, S.T. Murillo, P. Reasor, K. Ryan, K. Sellwood, J.A. Sippel, and J.A. Zhang. Accomplishments of NOAA’S airborne hurricane field program and a broader future approach to forecast improvement. Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society, 103(2):E311-E338, https://doi.org/10.1175/BAMS-D-20-0174.1 2022
Ref. 3984
Dorst, N. Book review: Inventing atmospheric science: Bjerknes, Rossby, Wexler, and the foundations of modern meteorology. Physics Today, 69(9):54, https://doi.org/10.1063/PT.3.3301 2016
Ref. 3347
Simpson, R.H., and N.M. Dorst. Hurricane Pioneer: Memoirs of Bob Simpson. American Meteorological Society (ISBN 9781935704751), 272 pp., 2015
Ref. 3063
Rogers, R.F., S.D. Aberson, A. Aksoy, B. Annane, M. Black, J.J. Cione, N. Dorst, J. Dunion, J.F. Gamache, S.B. Goldenberg, S.G. Gopalakrishnan, J. Kaplan, B.W. Klotz, S. Lorsolo, F.D. Marks, S.T. Murillo, M.D. Powell, P.D. Reasor, K.J. Sellwood, E.W. Uhlhorn, T. Vukicevic, J.A. Zhang, and X. Zhang. NOAA’s Hurricane Intensity Forecasting Experiment (IFEX): A progress report. Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society, 94(6):859-882, https://doi.org/10.1175/BAMS-D-12-00089 2013
Ref. 2862
Kruczynski, W.L., P.J. Fletcher, and N. Dorst. Hurricanes and tropical storms are regular features in south Florida. In Tropical Connections: South Florida's Marine Environment, W.L. Kruczynski and P.J. Fletcher (eds.). IAN Press, University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science, Cambridge, MD, 44-45, 2012
Ref. 2725
Dorst, N.M. The National Hurricane Research Project: 50 years of research, rough rides, and name changes. Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society, 88(10):1566-1588, https://doi.org/10.1175/BAMS-88-10-1566 2007
Ref. 480
Dorst, N.M., and E. Rule. Fifty years of NOAA hurricane research. Mariners Weather Log, 51(1):10-13, 2007
Ref. 481
Powell, M.D., G.A. Soukup, S. Cocke, S. Gulati, N. Morisseau-Leroy, S. Hamid, N.M. Dorst, and L. Axe. State of Florida hurricane loss projection model: Atmospheric science component. Journal of Wind Engineering and Industrial Aerodynamics, 93(8):651-674, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jweia.2005.05.008 2005
Ref. 725
Black, P.G., R.W. Burpee, N.M. Dorst, and W.L. Adams. Appearance of the sea surface in tropical cyclones. Weather and Forecasting, 1(1):102-107, https://doi10.1175/1520-0434(1986)0012.0.CO;2 1986
Ref. 2476
Friedman, H.A., C.A. Arnhols, N.M. Dorst, C.J. Nelson, and W.J. Brown. Airborne research meteorological data collected by the National Hurricane Research Laboratory (Hurricane Research Division/AOML) during the 1982-1983 hurricane seasons: Inventory and availability. NOAA Data Report, ERL-AOML-3, 168 pp., 1984
Ref. 2640

Awards

October 2014 NOAA/OAR Employee of the Month Award

For efforts to document the history of AOML’s Hurricane Research Division and to preserve its analog, digital, and film data resources.

2011 NASA Group Achievement Award

For outstanding contributions to the Genesis and Rapid Intensification Processes (GRIP) field campaign as a member of the GRIP Science Team during the 2010 Atlantic hurricane season.

2004 U.S. Department of Commerce Bronze Medal (Group Award)

For conducting hurricane surveillance missions during September 2003 Hurricane Isabel that improved forecast data for the east coast of the United States.

October 2004 NOAA/OAR Employee of the Month Award

For outstanding effort and technical skill in preserving and chronicling the Hurricane Research Division’s analog, digital, and film data.