The final wish of a meteorology expert was fulfilled by colleagues. The ashes of meteorologist Peter Dodge were released into the eye of Hurricane Milton, the deadliest storm of the past hundred years, one year after his death. Approaching the Florida coast with its devastating effects, the storm bore witness to a historical farewell. The ashes of Peter Dodge, a former meteorology expert at the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), were released into Hurricane Milton from an aircraft. Dodge, who passed away at the age of 73, was a radar scientist involved in storm missions, and his colleagues carried out this unforgettable gesture to ensure his passion for storms continued. The agency’s obituary last year described Dodge as “a sudden and tragic loss.”

387. STORM HOSTED THE ASHES

Dodge’s ashes were wrapped in his hometown Florida state flag, a name tag over his breast pocket, and a patch symbolizing hundreds of storm missions. The scientist’s friend and former boss, Frank Marks, took on the honor of releasing the ashes, concluding the ceremony by recording Dodge’s last flight as “387 storms.”

Deputy Director of NOAA’s Hurricane Research Division, Shirley Murillo, said, “Peter had a great passion for working in the field and flying. By releasing his ashes into Hurricane Milton, we honored his memory, team spirit, and curiosity.” Dodge’s sister, Shelley Dodge, described the farewell ceremony as beautiful, saying, “He always wanted to return to storm flights. They made his dream come true.” It is estimated that it took about eight minutes for Dodge’s ashes to land on the surface of the Gulf of Mexico. In his final years at the meteorology agency, Dodge began to lose his eyesight and could no longer fly on storm missions, so he continued to develop radar programs for the agency. Until his passing last year, Dodge tirelessly worked to better understand, observe, and predict how storms behave and evolve.