Robert H. Johns

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Robert H. Johns (Bob Johns) was an American meteorologist who specialized in severe storms and tornadoes. He was born October 30, 1942, in Lebanon, Indiana, and grew up in Terhune, Indiana, where his father ran a small general store. As a child he watched the weather and developed a strong interest in meteorology.

He earned a B.S. from Purdue University in 1962 and an M.S. in meteorology from the University of Oklahoma in 1965. He spent summers from 1962 to 1964 as a student trainee with the U.S. Weather Bureau in Indianapolis and Chicago. After college, he began federal service as a meteorologist in Fort Wayne, Indiana, in 1965.

During the Vietnam era, Johns served as an officer in the U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey from 1966 to late 1969. He then returned to meteorology in Kansas City, Missouri, and later joined the National Severe Storms Forecast Center (NSSFC) in 1971 as a meteorological assistant. In 1974 he became a SELS (Severe Local Storms) Assistant Forecaster, issuing convective outlooks for the continental United States. In 1979 he was promoted to national lead forecaster.

In 1994 Johns became the first Science and Operations Officer for the Storm Prediction Center, and he retired in 2001. After retiring, he worked on reanalyzing the Tri-State Tornado.

Johns contributed to forecasting methods and helped shape the modern understanding of the derecho, a long-lasting wind storm. He also issued the first enhanced wording for tornado watches, "Particularly Dangerous Situation," during the April 2–3, 1982 outbreak.

For his public service, Johns received honors including the U.S. Department of Commerce Silver Medal and the Dr. T. Theodore Fujita Research Achievement Award.

Robert H. Johns passed away on October 26, 2020, at the age of 77.