Hurricane Hal: Chasing Storms, Making Waves

When a hurricane is brewing, most people run for cover – but not Dr. Hal Needham, affectionately known as Hurricane Hal. The extreme weather scientist has spent 16 years diving straight into the heart of the storm, tracking over 20 hurricanes and documenting their impacts. From the Mayan ruins of Tulum to the windswept shores of Galveston, his adventures are as thrilling as they are groundbreaking.

In this episode of Humans of Galveston, Hal shares eye-opening hurricane stories, the importance of no-hype weather reporting, and what keeps him coming back for more. Buckle up – this one’s a wild ride!  Check out the full interview below! ⬇️

Humans of Galveston: Hal, what first sparked your interest in extreme weather and disaster science? How does that journey lead you to hurricanes?

Hal: It's a funny story. I grew up in the northeastern states, where we get a lot of big snowstorms and as a kid I really got me interested in it. My grandma was into watching the weather every day. I think that got me started. Then I just ended up living in all these places with extreme weather. I actually lived in North Africa and Middle East for a few years, where they get sandstorms and all the stuff with the Sahara Desert. Then I was also in Alaska for a few years, so I just lived in places with a lot of extremes. Then in 2008, I moved to the Gulf Coast, and then I really got more involved with hurricane science since 2008.

Humans of Galveston: You spent 16 years chasing hurricanes. What's the most intense or surprising moment you've experienced?

Hal: I've gone into actually 23 hurricanes over 16 years. There was a Category 4 hurricane that hit Southwest Florida called Hurricane Ian. I went down there. We were expecting a big saltwater flood in the bay, and actually the eye passed right over us. Instead of all the saltwater pushing in, all the saltwater blew out. During the eye, I went down to the harbor, and I couldn't believe it. The whole bay is completely dry. There was this stuff moving out there on the seabed, so I went out and saw these big fish that were stranded. I was documenting all this and all of a sudden, I started sinking real fast in the mug. There was just this one moment where I thought, my goodness, I'm in the eye of a Category 4 hurricane and I'm sinking into the bay! I was able to get out of there. But I had n ever seen winds like that. They were blowing about 130 miles an hour sustained. I mean, those were incredibly destructive winds, but most of the houses were untouched because they got hit by a Category 4 hurricane 18 years earlier than that, and they all built back better. Most of the houses didn't have damage, and that really surprised me. It showed me you really can build for anything if you think out ahead of time.

Humans of Galveston: You're known for your clear, no-nonsense communication style when talking about storms. Why is it important to remove the hype from weather reporting?

Hal: That's so important, because when we hype up the weather to get viewers or to get clicks on social media, what happens is people start to see these things get hyped up, and it never actually happens. And so the danger there is when there actually is a life-threatening situation, people aren't going to listen to you anymore. So I learned along the way - I don't make any money off of clicks or views, and I don't commercialize my stuff. So it doesn't really matter to my income if ten people watch or 10 million people watch, it's the same for me. So I just try to be pretty straightforward with people about that.

Humans of Galveston: Living in Galveston, home of the 1900 storm, what lessons do you think we've learned or still need to learn from past hurricanes?

Hal: The 1900 storm is something that stands out to me. There was a city down the Coast about 120 miles south of us called Indianola. It was smaller than Galveston, but it was vibrant, it was growing. They were completely wiped out by hurricanes in 1875 and 1886. I think for Galveston, that was a lesson that they're in a really dangerous neighborhood, and that's really when we probably should have built the Seawall and been better prepared. I think one of the lessons is to look around. When you see a disaster happen nearby, but not in your community, take that seriously. I think that's one of the lessons. The second lesson, I'd say, is just the amount of resiliency our ancestors put in to build the Seawall, to raise the level of Galveston through the grade raising and all the projects that have done. I think it shows you can take efforts to protect yourself, but it takes a lot of effort and a lot of initiative.

Humans of Galveston: Some people run away from hurricanes, but you turn towards them. What drives that passion? Is there ever any moment when you think, okay, this might be too dangerous?

Hal: I take calculated risks, right? So I will go into hurricanes, but I do not like driving around unfamiliar roads at night. I do not like driving under big trees when it's windy or places that could flood when it's dark at night. So people see me out there, but I always stress I'm taking very calculated risks. A lot of times I'm in parking garages, but if I can document what's happening, I think that helps us better understand the impacts of these storms. It helps us calibrate the scientific models, and it can help people with insurance claims, too. I mean, a lot of times people come home after a storm and they have flood damage and wind damage. The wind and flood insurance companies will fight with each other for a year or two on who's going to pay out. If I, as a scientist, was in the area and I document which came first, the wind or the water, it can help people get their insurance payouts quicker. There's different reasons why I like to be in these storms, but I'm definitely taking calculated risks and keeping myself safe.

Humans of Galveston: Do you still have the Galveston Hurricane Tour?

Hal: Yes, this is the eighth year that I'm leading the Galveston Hurricane Tour. The next one is going to be May 24. I have a lot of school groups right now that are coming in, and so I'm prioritizing that. But the most popular tour is a walking tour on Saturday evening, where we walk around downtown, we take a break in the middle for dinner. We'll be doing one in late May, and then we'll do two in June. People can just go to the website. But typically in the summer months, like late spring and summer, we're doing about two a month. It's usually a Saturday evening walking tour that's popular, and some people even hire me to do private tours.

Humans of Galveston: Your podcast was recently ranked No. 2 for natural disasters. Are you still doing that?

Hal: Yeah, I'm still doing it. It's called The GeoTrek podcast, and we're just telling stories about extreme weather and natural disasters not covered by the mainstream media - getting into those storm impacts and survival stories. That's the most important thing: that people can make themselves more resilient and prepare for these storms.

Humans of Galveston: What's one upcoming episode or project you're excited about?

Hal: We have a lot coming up for hurricane season. We have one coming up with a storm chaser named Jordan Hall. He goes in and really documents storms using drones. He covers a lot of severe weather. We're also featuring a guy named Ryan Gilbert, who does something called Living Shorelines. It's ways that you can create sand dunes or marsh grass in front of your community to protect you from flooding. That will air, I believe, on March 29. We air the episodes about twice a month.

Humans of Galveston: What closing thoughts would you like to leave with the world?

Hal: I would think we can take measures to make ourselves safer and make ourselves resilient. It just takes planning ahead of time and being prepared. We should never panic about storms, but just be prepared and be alert and be vigilant. No reason to panic, but you definitely want to be prepared for these storms to give yourself and your family a better chance of a good outcome.