As early as the 16th century, a tropical storm or hurricane determined which European power would be the first to control part of America. This territory is what became the state of Florida.

After acquisition by the United States in 1821, Florida's history unfolds between battles, diseases, fires, severe freezes, and hurricanes.

As the population multiplied and tourist attractions drew increasingly more visitors in the 20th century, storms that previously had struck unnoticed in sparsely populated areas became a serious threat to hundred of thousands of people.

Advances in mass communications through such media as radio, television, and the internet have brought the many facets of weather and their impacts into our homes and offices almost instantly. The enrichment and protection of our society through the science of meteorology is our challenge for the 21st century.