A Tribute to Vernon F. Dvorak and the Dvorak Technique

This talk for the special tribute session to Vern Dvorak first touches on aspects of his personal life, educational background, and his professional career in the meteorological satellite community. It will then focus on the development of the Dvorak Technique for estimating the intensity of tropical cyclones from satellite imagery, including the importance of the technique in tropical cyclone forecasting and how it is used worldwide today. It includes history on how the development and evolution of the technique, as well as the obstacles confronting him during development. It then touches on some of the key aspects of the technique – some of which probably cannot be improved on while others of which are fertile ground for future research. Finally, it covers how the success of the technique inspired spin-offs and automated versions, which will lead to more sophisticated techniques in the future.