On the 80th anniversary of the invasion, a look at how weather and an accurate weather forecast played an important role on D-Day.
On June 6, 1944, the largest amphibious invasion in history took place along the coast of France, an event forever known as D-Day. While much is known about the heroism and strategy behind Operation Overlord, the critical role of weather forecasting is often overlooked. The success of this pivotal operation hinged significantly on the accurate weather predictions made in the days leading up to the invasion.
Operation Overlord needed to be executed between June 4-6 to avoid underwater obstacles like mines and beach defenses that could only be navigated at low tide. However, a severe storm on June 4 posed a significant threat to the mission's timing. Missing this window would mean delaying the invasion by two weeks, increasing the risk of the operation being discovered by German forces.
Enter Capt. James Stagg, a meteorologist supporting General Dwight D. Eisenhower. Without the aid of modern technology, Stagg relied on traditional observation and forecasting techniques to predict the weather. He identified a low-pressure area over the Scandinavian Peninsula and a front moving across the coast of France, which he predicted would clear by the morning of June 6, just before another storm arrived on June 7-8.Stagg's forecast proved accurate.
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