| Josh Morgerman | |
| Birth Place: | New York |
| Nationality: | American |
| Education: | Harvard University |
| Occupation: | iCyclone, co-founder of Symblaze, field correspondent |
| Known For: | Record successful intercepts of tropical cyclones |
| Website: | http://www.icyclone.com |
Joshua Morgerman is an American businessman, storm chaser, TV personality, and field correspondent best known for his multitude of tropical cyclone chases.[1] Born in 1970, he developed an interest in meteorology at an early age. After graduating from Harvard University in 1992, he co-founded the digital advertising company Symblaze in 1999. His storm chasing career began in earnest in 2005 with Hurricane Wilma in Florida.
With no formal education in meteorology, all his experience comes from the chases. In all of the years he has been chasing, Morgerman has intercepted 77 tropical cyclones including Typhoon Haiyan in 2013, Hurricane Patricia in 2015, and Hurricane Dorian in 2019, all of which were amongst the 15 strongest tropical systems recorded on Earth during the modern satellite era. In total, he has successfully entered the eye of 52 hurricane-force tropical cyclones, with the strongest being Hurricane Dorian since he did not fully cross paths with the eye of Haiyan.
Josh Morgerman was born in 1970 and grew up in Huntington, New York—part of suburban New York City. Living on Long Island, he developed an interest in meteorology at an early age; his mother attributes part of this interest to him seeing The Wizard of Oz when Morgerman was four. In August 1976, Hurricane Belle struck Long Island as a Category 1 hurricane, causing significant damage in his hometown.
At his father's insistence, Morgerman pursued a liberal arts degree at Harvard University rather than focusing on meteorology. In 1991, while attending Harvard, Morgerman went on his first hurricane chase: Hurricane Bob in Rhode Island.
In 1999, Morgerman co-founded the digital advertising company Symblaze alongside his friend Michael Horton.[2] By 2004, he was living in Prague, Czech Republic, to work with Eastern European clientele.[3]
Morgerman has no spouse nor kids, wishing to remain unburdened by family responsibilities to pursue cyclone chases.[3] In his spare time, Morgerman often studies historic tropical cyclones.
Morgerman has expressed his support for Ukraine during their ongoing war with Russia following Russia's February 2022 invasion of the country.[4]
Morgerman has on occasion reached out to on X (formerly known as Twitter) to political commentators such as Mona Charen, Susan Del Percio, and Charlie Sykes to show appreciation for their podcasts or appearances on podcasts.[5] [6] [7]
Since 1991, Morgerman has been chasing tropical cyclones. His goal is to "core punch" the storms and record atmospheric pressure and document the experience.[3] With no formal education in meteorology, Morgerman's cyclone chasing is a passion project. All of his experience is in the field, though he advertises himself as an "adrenaline junkie". In an interview with The Washington Post in 2012, he stated this to be the primary motivator for chasing.
He often relies on his instincts backed up by years of chasing cyclones. Morgerman leads the iCyclone chase team. Members include his "right-hand guy" Scott Brownfield who coordinates logistics or assists on chases, meteorologists Adam Moyer and Jorge González who provide forecasting information, and Cory Van Pelt who serves as the iCyclone technician.[8] In 2013, iCyclone expanded their chase region to East Asia, teaming up with fellow chasers James Reynolds and Mark Thomas. They ultimately intercepted four typhoons in one month including Typhoon Haiyan which devastated the Philippines.[9] Since 2014, his chasing has been funded by multiple media agencies including CBS, the Weather Channel, and WeatherNation. In 2017, Morgerman conducted his first and so far only Australian chase, intercepting Cyclone Debbie in Queensland.[10]
Morgerman collects atmospheric pressure with multiple Kestrel 4500s. The data he has collected has been utilized by the National Hurricane Center (NHC) in multiple instances to refine landfall intensities. 2011's Hurricane Rina's landfall in the Yucatán Peninsula was adjusted in light of his observations.[8] In conjunction with satellite intensity estimates, his measurement of 975mbar within the eye of Hurricane Ernesto in 2012 was utilized to upgrade the hurricane's landfall intensity to Category 2.[11]
In 2014, Morgerman's measurement of 943.1mbar within Hurricane Odile resulted in the landfall pressure being adjusted to 941mbar from the operational estimate of 930mbar.[12] [13] His observation of 937.8mbar in 2015's Hurricane Patricia, in conjunction with two nearby automated measurements, assisted in more accurately analyzing the hurricane's strength at landfall. Meteorologists at the NHC concluded an approximate minimum pressure of 932mbar, yielding estimated winds of 150mph; this made Patricia the strongest Pacific hurricane on record to strike Mexico.[14]
Morgerman provided the only observed over-land pressure with Hurricane Willa's Mexican landfall in 2018. He observed a value of 968mbar, corroborating the NHC's landfall intensity of 115mph.[15]
In 2016, Morgerman collaborated with meteorologist Andrew Hagen and Mexican researchers Erik Sereno Trabaldo and Jorge Abelardo González to reanalyze the 1959 Mexico hurricane, then considered to be the strongest landfalling hurricane on the Pacific coast of Mexico. Their analysis determined the storm to have been significantly weaker than originally estimated and resulted in its downgrade from a Category 5 to a Category 4. These revisions were later incorporated into the NHC's Hurricane Database.[16] In 2017, Morgerman co-authored an academic paper published by the American Meteorological Society on the intensity of 2015's Hurricane Patricia. He provided in-situ data describing the structure of the storm and allowing for a more thorough analysis of its landfall.[17]
As of August 2024, he has chased 80 cyclones across Australia, East Asia, and North America. Of his successful core penetrations, five were Category 5, twelve were Category 4, and seventeen were Category 3.
| Year | Date | Storm | Chase location | Landfall intensity (SSHWS) | Recorded pressure | Relative position | Team | Ref. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1976 | data-sort-value="Belle" | Hurricane Belle | Huntington, New York, United States | Category 1 hurricane | Inside eye | [18] | |||
| 1985 | data-sort-value="Gloria" | Hurricane Gloria | Huntington, New York, United States | Category 1 hurricane | 965abbr=onNaNabbr=on | Inside eye | [19] | ||
| 1991 | data-sort-value="Bob" | Hurricane Bob | Providence, Rhode Island, United States | Category 2 hurricane | Eyewall | Solo | [20] | ||
| 1999 | data-sort-value="Bret" | Hurricane Bret | Riviera, Texas, United States | Category 3 hurricane | Eyewall | Solo | [21] | ||
| 2005 | data-sort-value="Wilma" | Hurricane Wilma | Everglades City, Florida, United States | Category 3 hurricane | Inside eye | Tony Brite | [22] | ||
| 2007 | data-sort-value="Dean" | Hurricane Dean | Chetumal, Quintana Roo, Mexico | Category 5 hurricane | Eyewall | Solo | [23] | ||
| 2008 | data-sort-value="Dolly" | Hurricane Dolly | Port Isabel, Texas, United States | Category 1 hurricane | Eyewall | Scott Brownfield | [24] | ||
| 2008 | data-sort-value="Gustav" | Hurricane Gustav | Berwick/Morgan City, Louisiana, United States | Category 2 hurricane | Inside eye | Scott Brownfield | [25] | ||
| 2008 | data-sort-value="Ike" | Hurricane Ike | Texas City, Texas, United States | Category 2 hurricane | Inside eye | Solo | [26] | ||
| 2009 | data-sort-value="Jimena" | Hurricane Jimena | San Carlos, Baja California Sur, Mexico | Category 2 hurricane | Inside eye | Solo | [27] | ||
| 2010 | data-sort-value="Alex" | Hurricane Alex | Guadalupe Victoria, Tamaulipas, Mexico | Category 2 hurricane | Inside eye | Jorge González | [28] | ||
| 2010 | data-sort-value="Karl" | Hurricane Karl | Veracruz City, Veracruz, Mexico | Category 3 hurricane | 985.9abbr=onNaNabbr=on | Inside eye | Solo | [29] | |
| 2010 | Hurricane Richard | Missed | Solo | [30] | |||||
| 2011 | data-sort-value="Don" | Tropical Storm Don | Riviera Beach, Texas, United States | Tropical storm | 1008.2abbr=onNaNabbr=on | Inside diffuse center | Cory Van Pelt | [31] | |
| 2011 | Hurricane Irene | Marshallberg, North Carolina, United States | Category 1 hurricane | 953abbr=onNaNabbr=on | Inside eye | Keith Nugent | [32] | ||
| New York City/Island Park, New York, United States | Tropical Storm | ||||||||
| 2011 | data-sort-value="Jova" | Hurricane Jova | Emiliano Zapata, Jalisco, Mexico | Category 2 hurricane | 985.2abbr=onNaNabbr=on | Eyewall | Jim Edds | [33] | |
| 2011 | data-sort-value="Rina" | Hurricane Rina | Paamul, Quintana Roo, Mexico | Tropical storm | 996.5abbr=onNaNabbr=on | Inside center | Solo | [34] | |
| 2012 | data-sort-value="Ernesto" | Hurricane Ernesto | Buenavista, Quintana Roo, Mexico | Category 2 hurricane | 975abbr=onNaNabbr=on | Eyewall | Solo | [35] | |
| 2012 | data-sort-value="Isaac" | Hurricane Isaac | Galliano, Louisiana, United States | Category 1 hurricane | 970abbr=onNaNabbr=on | Inside eye | Solo | [36] | |
| 2013 | data-sort-value="Ingrid" | Hurricane Ingrid | Lavaderos, Tamaulipas, Mexico | Tropical storm | Eyewall | Jorge González | [37] | ||
| 2013 | data-sort-value="Fitow" | Typhoon Fitow | Miyakojima, Okinawa, Japan | Category 2 typhoon | Eyewall | James Reynolds, Mark Thomas | [38] | ||
| 2013 | data-sort-value="Danas" | Typhoon Danas | Oku, Okinawa, Japan | Category 4 typhoon | 950.6abbr=onNaNabbr=on | Inside eye | James Reynolds, Mark Thomas | [39] | |
| 2013 | data-sort-value="Nari" | Typhoon Nari | Baler, Aurora, Philippines | Category 3 typhoon | Eyewall | James Reynolds | [40] | ||
| 2013 | data-sort-value="Haiyan" | Typhoon Haiyan | Tacloban, Leyte, Philippines | Category 5 super typhoon | 959.9abbr=onNaNabbr=on | Eyewall | James Reynolds, Mark Thomas | [41] | |
| 2014 | data-sort-value="Neoguri" | Typhoon Neoguri | Miyakojima, Okinawa, Japan | 964.8abbr=onNaNabbr=on | Outside eyewall | James Reynolds, Mark Thomas | [42] | ||
| 2014 | data-sort-value="Odile" | Hurricane Odile | Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur, Mexico | Category 3 hurricane | 943.1abbr=onNaNabbr=on | Inside eye | Steve Crighton | [43] | |
| 2014 | data-sort-value="Vongfong" | Typhoon Vongfong | Kagoshima, Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan | Tropical storm | 975.5abbr=onNaNabbr=on | Inside center | Steve Crighton | [44] | |
| 2015 | data-sort-value="Soudelor" | Typhoon Soudelor | Hualien City, Hualien County, Taiwan | Category 3 typhoon | 952.8abbr=onNaNabbr=on | Inside eye | Anthony van Dyck | [45] | |
| 2015 | data-sort-value="Goni" | Typhoon Goni | Ishigaki, Okinawa, Japan | Category 3 typhoon | 944.2abbr=onNaNabbr=on | Eyewall | Solo | [46] | |
| 2015 | data-sort-value="Dujuan" | Typhoon Dujuan | Su'ao, Yilan County, Taiwan | Category 4 typhoon | 958.3abbr=onNaNabbr=on | Inside eye | Solo | [47] | |
| 2015 | data-sort-value="Patricia" | Hurricane Patricia | Emiliano Zapata, Jalisco, Mexico | Category 4 hurricane | 937.8abbr=onNaNabbr=on | Inside eye | Erik Sereno | [48] | |
| 2016 | data-sort-value="Nepartak" | Typhoon Nepartak | Taitung City, Taitung County, Taiwan | Category 3 typhoon | 957.7abbr=onNaNabbr=on | Eyewall | Solo | [49] | |
| 2016 | data-sort-value="Earl" | Hurricane Earl | Belize City, Belize District, Belize | Category 1 hurricane | 982.2abbr=onNaNabbr=on | Inside eye | Solo | [50] | |
| 2016 | data-sort-value="Hermine" | Hurricane Hermine | Hampton Springs, Florida, United States | Category 1 hurricane | 986.2abbr=onNaNabbr=on | Inside eye | Solo | [51] | |
| 2016 | data-sort-value="Newton" | Hurricane Newton | Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur, Mexico | Category 1 hurricane | 984.3abbr=onNaNabbr=on | Inside eye | Solo | [52] | |
| 2016 | data-sort-value="Megi" | Typhoon Megi | Hualien City, Hualien County, Taiwan | Category 3 typhoon | 949.2abbr=onNaNabbr=on | Inside eye | Anthony van Dyck | [53] | |
| 2016 | data-sort-value="Matthew" | Hurricane Matthew | Nassau, New Providence, Bahamas | Category 4 hurricane | 977.8abbr=onNaNabbr=on | Outside eyewall | Solo | [54] | |
| 2016 | data-sort-value="Haima" | Typhoon Haima | Tuguegarao, Cagayan, Philippines | Category 4 typhoon | 942abbr=onNaNabbr=on | Inside eye | Solo | [55] | |
| 2017 | data-sort-value="Debbie" | Cyclone Debbie | Gregory River, Queensland, Australia | Category 3 cyclone | 958.7abbr=onNaNabbr=on | Inside eye | Solo | [56] | |
| 2017 | data-sort-value="Noru" | Typhoon Noru | Toi, Miyazaki, Japan | Category 1 typhoon | 977.1abbr=onNaNabbr=on | Eyewall | Solo | [57] | |
| 2017 | data-sort-value="Franklin" | Hurricane Franklin | Vega de Alatorre, Veracruz, Mexico | Category 1 hurricane | 990.4abbr=onNaNabbr=on | Inside eye | Solo | [58] | |
| 2017 | data-sort-value="Harvey" | Hurricane Harvey | Rockport, Texas, United States | Category 4 hurricane | 940.8abbr=onNaNabbr=on | Inside eye | Solo | [59] | |
| 2017 | data-sort-value="Irma" | Hurricane Irma | Naples, Florida, United States | Category 3 hurricane | 940abbr=onNaNabbr=on | Inside eye | Solo | [60] | |
| 2017 | data-sort-value="Maria" | Hurricane Maria | Palmas del Mar, Humacao, Puerto Rico | Category 4 hurricane | 929.4abbr=onNaNabbr=on | Eyewall | Solo | [61] | |
| 2017 | data-sort-value="Nate" | Hurricane Nate | Ocean Springs, Mississippi, United States | Category 1 hurricane | 985.5abbr=onNaNabbr=on | Inside eye | Solo | [62] | |
| 2017 | data-sort-value="Lan" | Typhoon Lan | Omaezaki, Shizuoka, Japan | Category 2 typhoon | 952.8abbr=onNaNabbr=on | Inside eye | Solo | [63] | |
| 2018 | data-sort-value="Soulik" | Typhoon Soulik | Kasaricho Oaza Yo, Kagoshima, Japan | Category 2 typhoon | Eyewall | Caroline Menzies | [64] | ||
| 2018 | data-sort-value="Cimaron" | Typhoon Cimaron | Muroto, Kōchi, Japan | Category 1 typhoon | 973.7abbr=onNaNabbr=on | Inside eye | Caroline Menzies | [65] | |
| 2018 | data-sort-value="Jebi" | Typhoon Jebi | Mihama, Wakayama, Japan | Category 3 typhoon | 967.1abbr=onNaNabbr=on | Eyewall | Oli Sloane | [66] | |
| 2018 | data-sort-value="Mangkhut" | Typhoon Mangkhut | Buguey, Cagayan, Philippines | Category 5 super typhoon | 942.2abbr=onNaNabbr=on | Eyewall | Oli Sloane | [67] | |
| 2018 | data-sort-value="Michael" | Hurricane Michael | Callaway, Florida, United States | Category 5 hurricane | 923.2abbr=onNaNabbr=on | Inside eye | Oli Sloane, Matt Delaloye | [68] | |
| 2018 | data-sort-value="Willa" | Hurricane Willa | Palmito del Verde, Sinaloa, Mexico | Category 3 hurricane | 968abbr=onNaNabbr=on | Inside eye | Erik Sereno, Caroline Menzies | [69] | |
| 2018 | data-sort-value="Yutu" | Typhoon Yutu | Dilasag, Aurora, Philippines | Category 3 typhoon | 960.4abbr=onNaNabbr=on | Eyewall | Caroline Menzies, James Levelle | [70] | |
| 2019 | data-sort-value="Dorian" | Hurricane Dorian | Marsh Harbour, Abaco, Bahamas | Category 5 hurricane | 913.4abbr=onNaNabbr=on | Inside eye | Solo | ||
| 2019 | data-sort-value="Hagibis" | Typhoon Hagibis | Shimoda, Shizuoka, Japan | Category 2 typhoon | 958.5abbr=onNaNabbr=on | Inside eye | Solo | [71] | |
| 2019 | data-sort-value="Kammuri" | Typhoon Kammuri | Legazpi, Albay, Philippines | Category 4 typhoon | 962.9abbr=onNaNabbr=on | Inside eye | Solo | [72] | |
| 2020 | data-sort-value="Hanna" | Hurricane Hanna | Port Mansfield, Texas, United States | Category 1 hurricane | Inside eye | Solo | [73] | ||
| 2020 | data-sort-value="Isaias" | Hurricane Isaias | Ocean Isle Beach, North Carolina, United States | Category 1 hurricane | 990.3abbr=onNaNabbr=on | Inside eye | Solo | [74] | |
| 2020 | data-sort-value="Laura" | Hurricane Laura | Sulphur, Louisiana, United States | Category 4 hurricane | 948abbr=onNaNabbr=on | Inside eye | Solo | [75] | |
| 2020 | data-sort-value="Sally" | Hurricane Sally | Gulf Shores, Alabama, United States | Category 2 hurricane | 968.2abbr=onNaNabbr=on | Inside eye | Solo | [76] | |
| 2020 | Hurricane Delta | Cancún, Quintana Roo, Mexico | Category 2 hurricane | Inside eye | Solo | [77] | |||
| Estherwood, Louisiana, United States | 975.9abbr=onNaNabbr=on | Inside eye | Solo | [78] | |||||
| 2020 | Hurricane Zeta | Akumal, Quintana Roo, Mexico | Category 1 hurricane | 979.2abbr=onNaNabbr=on | Inside eye | Solo | [79] | ||
| Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, United States | Category 2 hurricane | 979.6abbr=onNaNabbr=on | Eyewall | Solo | [80] | ||||
| 2021 | data-sort-value="Fred" | Tropical Storm Fred | Apalachicola, Florida, United States | Tropical storm | Inside eye | Solo | [81] | ||
| 2021 | Hurricane Grace | Tulum, Quintana Roo, Mexico | Category 1 hurricane | 978.4abbr=onNaNabbr=on | Inside eye | Erik Sereno | [82] | ||
| La Guadalupe/El Encanto, Veracruz, Mexico | Category 3 hurricane | 981.4abbr=onNaNabbr=on | Inside eye | Erik Sereno | [83] [84] | ||||
| 2021 | data-sort-value="Ida" | Hurricane Ida | Houma, Louisiana, United States | Category 4 hurricane | 966.6abbr=onNaNabbr=on | Eyewall | Chris Jackson | [85] | |
| 2021 | data-sort-value="Olaf" | Hurricane Olaf | San José del Cabo, Baja California Sur, Mexico | Category 2 hurricane | 976.7abbr=onNaNabbr=on | Inside eye | Solo | [86] | |
| 2021 | October 13 | Hurricane Pamela | Mármol de Salcido, Sinaloa, Mexico | Category 1 hurricane | 990.8abbr=onNaNabbr=on | Inside eye | Erik Sereno | [87] | |
| 2021 | October 25 | Hurricane Rick | Ixtapa, Guerrero, Mexico | Category 2 hurricane | 1001.5abbr=onNaNabbr=on | Eyewall | Nicola Rustichelli | [88] | |
| 2022 | May 30 | Hurricane Agatha | Mazunte, Oaxaca, Mexico | Category 2 hurricane | 978.9abbr=onNaNabbr=on | Eyewall | Erik Sereno | [89] | |
| 2022 | September 19 | Hurricane Fiona | Boca de Yuma, La Altagracia, Dominican Republic | Category 1 hurricane | 979.9mbar | Inside eye | Solo | [90] [91] | |
| September 24 | Glace Bay, Nova Scotia, Canada | Category 2 post-tropical cyclone | 937.3abbr=onNaNabbr=on | Center | Solo | [92] [93] | |||
| 2022 | September 28 | Hurricane Ian | Punta Gorda, Florida, United States | Category 4 hurricane | 951.2abbr=onNaNabbr=on | Inside eye | Erik Fox | [94] | |
| September 30 | McClellanville/Georgetown/Garden City, South Carolina, United States | Category 1 hurricane | 979mbar | Inside eye | Erik Fox | [95] [96] | |||
| 2022 | October 3 | Hurricane Orlene | Caimanero, Sinaloa, Mexico | Category 1 hurricane | 991.3abbr=onNaNabbr=on | Inside eye | Erik Sereno | [97] | |
| 2022 | October 23 | Hurricane Roslyn | Santa Cruz, Nayarit, Mexico | Category 3 hurricane | 962.4mbar | Inside eye | Erik Sereno | [98] [99] | |
| 2022 | November 2 | Hurricane Lisa | Belize City, Belize District, Belize | Category 1 hurricane | 986.9mbar | Inside eye | Solo | [100] [101] | |
| 2022 | Hurricane Nicole | Stuart/Jensen Beach/Vero Beach, Florida, United States | Category 1 hurricane | 985.6mbar | Inside eye | Kevin Conrad | [102] [103] [104] | ||
| 2023 | August 30 | Hurricane Idalia | Perry/Athena, Florida, United States | Category 3 hurricane | 954.7mbar | Inside eye | Erik Fox, Parker Sigg | [105] [106] | |
| 2023 | September 23 | Tropical Storm Ophelia | Atlantic Beach/New Bern, North Carolina, United States | Tropical storm | Inside eye | Solo | [107] [108] | ||
| 2023 | October 5 | Typhoon Koinu | Kenting National Park, Pingtung County, Taiwan | Category 4 typhoon | Inside eye | Anthony van Dyck | [109] | ||
| 2023 | October 10 | Hurricane Lidia | El Habal, Jalisco, Mexico | Category 4 hurricane | Eyewall | Erik Sereno | [110] | ||
| 2024 | July 5 | Hurricane Beryl | Akumal/Puerto Aventuras, Quintana Roo, Mexico | Category 2 hurricane | Inside eye | Erik Sereno | [111] [112] [113] [114] | ||
| July 8 | Matagorda, Texas, United States | Category 1 hurricane | Inside eye | Erik Fox | [115] [116] | ||||
| 2024 | August 5 | Hurricane Debby | Steinhatchee, Florida, United States | Category 1 hurricane | 982.2mbar | Inside eye | Solo | [117] [118] | |
| 2024 | August 17 | Hurricane Ernesto | Paget Parish, Bermuda | Category 1 hurricane | 975.2mbar | Inside eye | Solo | [119] [120] |
See also: Typhoon Haiyan. On November 7, 2013, Morgerman flew with fellow chasers James Reynolds and Mark Thomas to Tacloban City in the Philippines to intercept one of the most powerful typhoons in the 21st century: Typhoon Haiyan.
They initially planned to ride out the storm south of the city, where the eye would ultimately make landfall; however, owing to a lack of sturdy shelters they opted to stay in Tacloban itself. They set up at a four-story concrete hotel about 26feet above sea level.[121] The chasers came prepared with a week's-worth of food and water. Around 6:45 a.m. local time, the northern eyewall began battering Tacloban and winds rapidly became violent. Morgerman described the winds to have a "tornado-like quality" at times. Windows and doors at the hotel blew out and the roof was torn off. Trees in the region were completely defoliated. Around 7:50 a.m. a powerful storm surge swept through the city, with flood waters reaching a depth of 4feet at Morgerman's location.
The fast-rising nature of the water incited panic, residents sheltering at the hotel scrambled to the building's second floor and some broke windows to escape their rooms. Morgerman jumped into the water to help people get from flooding rooms to the stairs. Thomas severely injured his leg in the water while assisting trapped people.
Morgerman described the experience as traumatizing, witnessing the total devastation of Tacloban, bodies strewn across the streets, and "a city spiraling out of control".[9] The crew was stuck in Tacloban for three days, eventually "escaping" on November 10 by which time the Philippine military arrived with relief supplies.[121] Morgerman observed a minimum pressure of 959.9mbar in the eyewall of Haiyan. Extrapolating from his second measurement of 960.4mbar, he estimated the central pressure to have been below 900mbar.[41]
On November 5, 2023, Morgerman returned to the Philippines and met with Reynolds and Thomas in Tacloban City a day later to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the cyclone hitting the city.[122] They returned to the hotel that they rode the storm out in, and the hotel celebrated their return with a banner welcoming them back to the city.[123] Morgerman revisited locations that were memorable to him from his time chasing Haiyan and reviewed the city's recovery since then.[124] He also visited a burial site where hundreds of unidentified bodies were buried following the storm.[125] The trio also attended a commemoration ceremony at the Tacloban City Convention Center for the cyclone's victims and met with locals who remembered them from their time in the city, and later attended a lunch banquet with President Bongbong Marcos.[126] They also planted mangroves on an island the San Juanico Strait to "replace the ones lost in Haiyan".[127] Morgerman also visited a family who he had met during the storm and whom he had helped rescue their eldest daughter out of the water.[128]
See also: Hurricane Odile. In September 2014, Morgerman intercepted Hurricane Odile in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. Successfully entering the eye, he recorded a pressure of 943.1mbar.[43] Operational assessments of the hurricane's landfall intensity were taken into account for the release of catastrophe bonds funded by Wall Street and the World Bank. The bond system guaranteed a payout of $50 million for a storm with a pressure under 932mbar; Odile's operational estimate was 930mbar. However, his observations "upend[ed] the system" and the bonds were rescinded. This prevented vital recovery funds from being provided to the Government of Mexico. The hurricane caused extensive damage throughout Baja California Sur, with insured losses estimated at $1.2 billion.[129] Industry experts later expressed concern over possible conflicts of interest with storm chasers and the catastrophe bonds.[130] [129]
See also: Hurricane Dorian. On August 31, 2019, Morgerman flew to Marsh Harbour, in the Bahamas to intercept Category 5 Hurricane Dorian.[131] Initially staging his chase in Treasure Cay, he ultimate chose to ride out the storm at Central Abaco Primary School—a designated concrete shelter—in Marsh Harbour.[132] At 11:40 a.m. EDT on September 1, Morgerman reported board to be flying off the structures windows and children being wrapped in blankets for safety.[133] After tweeting this information, contact with Morgerman lost for two days before he was able to contact the Weather Channel.[134]
Around 2:00 p.m. EDT, Hurricane Dorian made landfall over the Abaco Islands with maximum sustained winds of 185mph, making it the strongest such storm on record in the Bahamas.[135] The eyewall of Dorian proved exceptionally violent, battering the school with "the force of a thousand sledgehammers".[136] He and others sheltering at the school held furniture against window shutters to prevent them from blowing in. The school was largely destroyed in the first half of the hurricane, forcing Morgerman and those sheltering inside to evacuate to a sturdier government building during the calm of the eye. During the eye, he recorded a pressure of 913.4mbar, the lowest in his career.[137] Hundreds of residents, many injured during the storm, sought refuge in the structure for the second half of the hurricane. After living in his car for two days, Morgerman arrived in Nassau by helicopter on September 3 before returning to the United States. He described Dorian as a "nuclear-grade hurricane" and "the most intense cyclone I’ve witnessed in 28 years of chasing".[138]
In October 2018, UKTV announced a new television docuseries starring Morgerman to be aired on the network channel Dave. The eight-episode show, titled Hurricane Man, chronicles Morgerman's chases in 2018 across the world. A film crew accompanied him on his chases. The series is produced by ScreenDog Productions and distributed by BBC Studios.[139] In addition to following Morgerman's experiences, the show also focuses on victims of the storms, sharing their experiences and how they're coping with its aftermath.
Morgerman acted more carefully during his chases with the film crew present, feeling responsibility for their safety. The show premiered in the United Kingdom on March 24, 2019,[140] and June 12 in Australia on BBC Knowledge.[141] The show debuted on September 15 in the United States on the Science Channel.[142] The series' first two episodes focus on 2018's Category 5 Hurricane Michael and its effects in Panama City, Florida.