José Carlos Millás (January 22, 1889 – November 28, 1965) was a Cuban meteorologist that was called one of the “fathers of tropical meteorology”. Born in Havana, he obtained a BS in Civil Engineering and Architecture at the University of Havana and pursued postgraduate work at the University of Chicago in Celestial Mechanics. However, the exact dates and degree are unclear.
In 1913, he was appointed Assistant Director of the National Observatory of Cuba, He was the institute’s second-ever director in 1921, a position he held until the Cuban Revolution in 1961. During this time, he narrowed down the hurricane season to between June and November, a period that has not changed to this day. In 1930, he was able to successfully predict the trajectory of hurricanes, paving the way for early prevention methods. In 1944, José Carlos Millás accurately predicted the development of the October 1944 hurricane using only data collected by weather balloons. After being forced to emigrate to the United States following the Cuban Revolution, he became a professor at the University of Miami in 1961, where he continued his work with the Weather Bureau until his death in 1965.
For his work, José Carlos Millás was awarded the National Order of Merit of Cuba and the Order of the Aztec Eagle by Mexico.
REFERENCES:
- Cuba–USA cooperation in Meteorology (1850-1961)Cuadernos de Nuestra Américahttp://www.cna.cipi.cu › cna › article › download
- https://www.cubasi.cu/en/news/chronicling-hurricanes-when-they-could-be-around-corner
- https://dbpedia.org/page/Jos%C3%A9_Carlos_Mill%C3%A1s
IMAGE SOURCE:
- José Carlos Millás
- Alchetron.com/Jose-Carlos-Millas
- Not image source listed
- Sept 28, 2024 uploaded, viewed 10/1/2025
