Lixion Avila facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Lixion Avila
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Avila in 2017
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| Born | November 25, 1950  |
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Lixion A. Avila, born on November 25, 1950, is a retired weather forecaster. He used to work at the National Hurricane Center (NHC). From 1987 to 2020, he was a hurricane specialist. This means he was an expert in predicting where hurricanes would go and how strong they would get.
About Lixion Avila
Lixion Avila grew up in Cuba. He went to the University of Havana. In 1973, he earned a degree in meteorology. After graduating, he worked for Cuba's weather service for seven years.
He wanted to study more, but he could not do so in Cuba. With help from his mother's family, he moved to the United States.
In 1983, the National Hurricane Center hired him. He worked as a consultant, giving weather warnings in Spanish. These warnings were for radio and TV news. He earned his master's degree from the University of Miami in 1987. That same year, he became a forecaster at the NHC. By 1989, he was a full hurricane specialist. He continued his studies and earned his PhD in 1993.
Avila also represented the National Hurricane Center at the World Meteorological Organization. He helped coordinate and train people in the Caribbean and Central American regions. He retired from the NHC on April 30, 2020. He had worked there for 33 years.
Awards and Recognition
Lixion Avila has received several important awards for his work.
- He is a Fellow of the American Meteorological Society. This is a special honor for meteorologists.
- In 2000, he received a NOAA Administrator's Award. NOAA is the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which oversees the NHC.
- In 2005, the National Weather Service gave him the Isaac M. Cline National Award for Outreach. This award recognized his efforts to share weather information with the public.
His Unique Forecasting Style
Lixion Avila was known for his unique and sometimes funny way of writing forecasts. He would often add his own thoughts or humor to the official discussions. This was similar to his colleague, James Franklin.
For example, in 2005, there was a very strong storm called Hurricane Epsilon. It kept getting stronger even when forecasters thought it would weaken. Avila wrote, "There are no clear reasons...and I am not going to make one up...to explain the recent strengthening of Epsilon and I am just describing the facts." He even added a funny sign-off: "...Epsilon will likely become a remnant low. I heard that before about Epsilon... Haven't you?"
Another time, in 2018, he was describing Hurricane Leslie. The hurricane had not moved much or changed its shape. Avila joked, "It is difficult to add more to the discussion about a cyclone that has moved very little during the past few days and has not changed significantly in structure either." His personal touch made his forecasts memorable.
