AccuWeather Marks 75th Anniversary of D-Day with Content Series on Weather's Influence on Allied Invasion

May 30, 2019; 8:06 AM

Little-known story of how an accurate weather forecast contributed to the Allied victory in World War II to be illuminated by AccuWeather throughout June's 75th anniversary of the invasion of Normandy.

AccuWeather Global Weather Center — May 30, 2019 — AccuWeather, the world's largest and fastest-growing weather and digital media company, will commemorate the 75th anniversary of D-Day with a compelling content series about how weather forecasts influenced the outcome of the Allied invasion of Normandy during World War II. Known worldwide for forecasts and warnings with proven Superior Accuracy™, AccuWeather will spotlight the contributions meteorologists made to this historic event on June 6, 1944. The content will be featured on the AccuWeather Network and found on the popular AccuWeather.com website.

"We are honored and excited to share these colorful, meticulously researched stories about how weather and forecasting played a pivotal role in the military decision-making on D-Day," said AccuWeather Executive Producer Jim Proeller. "We will highlight the voices of WWII veterans who braved extreme weather challenges. Our comprehensive coverage will also show how military weather forecasters use technology on the battlefield — from the forecasting maps of D-Day to the present day, using virtual reality."

Allied commanders used the critical weather forecast provided by meteorologists to make the final decision to proceed with the long-awaited D-Day invasion of Normandy. As Keith Huxen, a historian at the National World War II History Museum in New Orleans, notes, "You could argue the entire weight of the war was on their shoulders."

AccuWeather's production team—including award-winning correspondent Jonathan Petramala—will review the forecasting work that informed the Allied strategy. The Allied forces relied on observations from reconnaissance missions, as well as German observations obtained after the Allies broke the German encryption code known as "Enigma." Scottish forecaster James Stagg may have helped the invasion succeed by persuading commanders to delay the launch.

AccuWeather's coverage will also feature D-Day veterans sharing what they remember about the weather conditions during the invasion. In addition, the series will explore how the use of weather forecasting in the military has evolved since D-Day, with a report on the U.S. Special Operations Weather Team and its key role in operations including the invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan. The influence of war on modernizing and furthering the science of forecasting also will be highlighted.

Stories in the series will premiere throughout the first week of June on AccuWeather's web site, social media channels, and the AccuWeather Network, available on DIRECTV®, DIRECTV Now, Verizon FIOS, and Frontier cable systems. New video segments will post daily throughout the week. In addition to the video segments, in-depth articles will be available to provide more details, context, and historical information. All of AccuWeather's D-Day content will be available at http://www.accuweather.com/en/weather-news/DDayanniversary starting June 3.

Said Dr. Joel N. Myers, AccuWeather Founder and Chief Executive Officer, "The D-Day weather forecast has been called the most important weather forecast in history. This 75th anniversary of the D-Day invasion reminds us just how critical a part weather forecasts play in shaping the course of history. Quite literally, an accurate forecast can change and has changed the world. Interestingly, the D-Day invasion forecast was more accurate than the Germans', taking them by surprise. We had control of the Atlantic, and weather tends to move from west to east. We saw the break in the storms, a six-hour break, and landed during that break in the weather from the stormy North Atlantic."

Dr. Myers will discuss "How Weather Changed History," in an upcoming 6-part AccuWeather Everything Under the Sun podcast, beginning July 2. Everything Under the Sun can be downloaded wherever podcasts are found or at https://www.accuweather.com/podcast. AccuWeather's D-Day Everything Under the Sun podcast, with host Regina Miller talking to AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist and COO Evan Myers, will be released June 6.

About AccuWeather, Inc. and AccuWeather.com

AccuWeather, recognized and documented as the most accurate source of weather forecasts and warnings in the world, has saved tens of thousands of lives, prevented hundreds of thousands of injuries and tens of billions of dollars in property damage. With global headquarters in State College, PA and other offices around the world, AccuWeather serves more than 1.5 billion people daily to help them plan their lives and get more out of their day through radio, television, newspapers, smart phones, tablets, connected TVs, the AccuWeather Network and AccuWeather.com. Additionally, AccuWeather produces and distributes news, weather content, and video for more than 180,000 third-party websites. Among AccuWeather's many innovative and award-winning features available free to the public are MinuteCast® Minute by Minute™ forecasts with Superior Accuracy™. Furthermore, AccuWeather serves more than half of Fortune 500 companies and thousands of businesses globally. Dr. Joel N. Myers, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, established AccuWeather in 1962 and is considered the "father of modern commercial meteorology." Dr. Myers, a leading creative thinker and visionary, has been named "the most accurate man in weather" by The New York Times and one of the top entrepreneurs in American history by Entrepreneur's Encyclopedia of Entrepreneurs.

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