Ted Fujita | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | October 23, 1920 Sonemura, Kiku-gun, Fukuoka Prefecture, Empire of Japan |
| Died | November 19, 1998 (aged 78) |
| Citizenship | Japan and United States (1968) |
| Alma mater | Kyushu Institute of Technology (B.S., 1943) University of Tokyo (D.Sc., 1950) |
| Known for | tornadoes, tornadic storm morphology, Fujita scale, multiple-vortex tornadoes, downbursts, microbursts, mesoscale meteorology |
| Children | Kazuya Fujita |
| Awards | Order of the Sacred Treasure, Gold and Silver Star (1991) |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Meteorology |
| Institutions | University of Chicago |
| Thesis | Analytical Study of Typhoons (1952) |
| Doctoral advisor | Shigekata Syono |
| Doctoral students | Roger M. Wakimoto, Gregory S. Forbes |
Tetsuya Theodore Fujita (/fuːˈdʒiːtɑː/; FOO-jee-tah) (藤田 哲也, Fujita Tetsuya, October 23, 1920 – November 19, 1998) was a Japanese-American meteorologist whose research primarily focused on severe weather. His research at the University of Chicago on severe thunderstorms, tornadoes, hurricanes, and typhoons revolutionized the knowledge of each. Although he is best known for creating the Fujita scale of tornado intensity and damage,[1][2] he also discovered downbursts and microbursts and was an instrumental figure in advancing modern understanding of many severe weather phenomena and how they affect people and communities, especially through his work exploring the relationship between wind speed and damage.