He worked as a meteorologist at WBAP for years. Some called him the world’s greatest weatherman. But without a doubt, everyone respected Harold Taft. I had a chance to work with him at the channel 5 studios back in 1979. He told me an interesting story and I thought I would share it here. During World War II he was stationed in Maine and worked with a highly skilled group of Meteorologists whose job it was to predict the weather for the 1944 D-Day Invasion.
Though they didn’t have satellites, the meteorologists knew that weather moved across the globe in waves called fronts.
By positioning their weather observers early in the path of the fronts they could see what weather changes were heading for the planned positions along the coast of France.
While Harold was stationed in Maine, the Army Air Corps would send out observation planes to Newfoundland off the east coast of Canada.
Those planes were sent out under complete radio silence. Most were able to return to their base to report their observations.
A few didn’t. It is not known where the missing planes had crashed or why, since radio communication was forbidden. The planes took readings of atmospheric pressure, humidity, winds and clouds.
The same clouds they observed, would eventually move east to England and the coast of France.
Even though Dwight D. Eisenhower had assembled the largest military invasion force in history, the weather above England and France was terrible.
There were high winds and pouring rains. The rough seas would make it difficult for military forces to leave ships and arrive on shore without a high rate of casualties. It was the same for aircraft that would have to fly into it.
The advisors waited for weeks for the weather to break.
Finally the meteorologists along with Harold Taft, identified a brief period of somewhat calm weather that would arrive in the early hours of June 6, 1944.
Because the ideal period of low tide had passed, the incoming troops had a much more difficult time wading in. Seas were still rough, but military forces through sheer determination managed to make it to shore.
Harold Taft told his story to only a few people. While others around him would make jokes about the weather, Harold would never joke about it. Weather was his business and his life.
I asked him a question one time about things going on in the nation and in the world. He said he has learned one thing from observing weather over his lifetime, that is God is in control.
Though we may not understand things, everything is going according to God’s plan. God wants the best for the people of earth. God will not fail us. Our faith is the one thing that can bring us inner peace. Have a safe year.
Merry Christmas.