Neil Frank, a former head of the National Hurricane Center credited with increasing the country’s readiness for , died Wednesday. He was 94.
Frank led the hurricane center from 1974 to 1987, the longest-serving director in its history.
鈥淗e gets tremendous credit for the being the first one to go out of his way and reach out and make the connection between the National Hurricane Center and the emergency managers,鈥� said meteorologist Max Mayfield, who served as the hurricane center’s director from 2000-2007.
鈥淗e taught me that it鈥檚 not all about the forecast,鈥� Mayfield said. 鈥淎 perfect forecast is no good if people don鈥檛 take immediate action.鈥�
Frank鈥檚 son, Ron Frank, said in a that his father died at home a few days after going into hospice care.
in Houston, where Frank spent two decades as chief meteorologist after leaving the hurricane center, first reported his death. The station referred an Associated Press call for comment to CBS, whose spokeswoman declined comment but directed the AP to Ron Frank鈥檚 post.
When Frank started at the National Hurricane Center, advances with weather satellites were helping forecasters to better predict the location and direction of a storm. Frank worked to make that information more accessible to residents in hurricane-vulnerable areas, said Mayfield. He also regularly appeared on television to give updates on storms and advice on staying safe.
鈥淗e was so passionate and you could just feel his enthusiasm but also sense of warning 鈥� that he wanted people to take action,鈥� Mayfield said. 鈥淗e was very animated, spoke with his hands a lot. And if you鈥檇 play it on fast-forward, he鈥檇 look like a juggler sometimes.鈥�
Frank was skeptical that human actions, such as the burning of oil, gas and coal, , Mayfield said. In a video posted to YouTube titled 鈥淚s Climate Change Real?鈥� he instead attributed warming to the planet鈥檚 natural and cyclical weather patterns. Scientists today overwhelmingly agree that burning of fossil fuels is the primary driver of planet-warming emissions that are causing more frequent, costly and deadly around the world.
___
The Associated Press鈥� climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP鈥檚 for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at .
Copyright © 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed.
