Weather Research Center

Houston - Jill F. Hasling, President of Weather Research Center and Executive Director of the John C. Freeman Weather Museum is one of only a handful of women Board Certified Consulting Meteorologists and Fellows of the American Meteorological Society (AMS) in the world. Working in the field of meteorology for more than 30 years, Hasling is also President of the Weather Research Center. Founded in 1987, the non-profit Weather Research Center manages a worldwide forecasting operation and provides groundbreaking research to scientists around the globe. Meteorologists work on severe weather advisories, marine forecasts, long-range outlooks, environmental studies and forensic meteorology services.

After graduating in 1975 from the University of St. Thomas, Hasling has worked as a marine and tropical meteorologist and provides daily weather forecast for the offshore oil industry all over the world. She teachers other meteorologists the skills necessary to become marine and tropical meteorologists. She forecasts hurricanes around the United States, Cyclones in the Indian Ocean, and Typhoons in the western Pacific. Hasling also works in the field of Forensic Meteorology. The cases she has worked on include determining a history of the weather from historical weather maps and other weather data. In addition, Hasling has been involved in detailed research projects where computer models are used to determine how strong the winds and how high the waves will be in a cyclone, hurricane or typhoon. Hasling has developed a detailed weather web site which gives users access to valuable weather information. She also developed Science Education on the Go!, Weather Camp and Weather Labs which are educational programs to inspire interest in math and science. One of here newest developments in the Freeman/Hasling Hurricane Damage Potential Scale which gives users a better way to determine their risk to hurricanes based on the size of the wind field.

Hasling became a Board Certified Consulting Meteorologist of the American Meteorological Society (AMS) in 1992 and member of the NCIM in 1992. She became a Fellow of the American Meteorological Society in 2000. She served as the first woman president of the NCIM in 2003. Mrs. Hasling also served as Chairman of the Board of Certified Consulting Meteorologist in 2008. Hasling is currently serving on both the Council of the American Meteorological Society and the National Weather Association.

Opening the Weather Museum is a dream come true for Hasling and her father, the late John C. Freeman, whose dedication to education inspired thousands of students to study weather and science.