Paul Joseph Hebert's Obituary
Paul Joseph Hebert, 91, a native of Louisiana and long-time resident of Miami, Florida, passed away peacefully on Wednesday, May 15, 2024, in Lakeland, Florida.
Paul was born in New Orleans, Louisiana, on April 1, 1933, the youngest of eight children, to Edith and Albert Hebert. He went to high school at St. Aloysius High School, earned his undergraduate degree at Loyola University, and his graduate degree in Meteorology at Florida State University. Upon graduating from Florida State in 1959, Paul worked as an aviation forecaster for the Weather Bureau in New Orleans, where he met Margaret Fisher, whom he married in 1963.
In 1966, Paul and Margaret moved to Miami, Florida, where they would go on to raise five children. The move to Miami was initiated when the National Hurricane Center (NHC) hired Paul to work in the hurricane forecast unit. Soon afterwards he accepted a newly created position at the NHC, titled Hurricane Specialist, along with two other renowned meteorologists, Dr. Neil Frank and John Hope. Over the next 32 years, Paul was promoted to the roles of Deputy Director of the NHC, Meteorologist-In-Charge, and head of National Weather Service operations in Florida. He remained with the NWS until his retirement in 1998.
On July 6, 1998, Paul’s last day of duty after 40 years with the National Weather Service, then Miami-Dade mayor Alex Penelas proclaimed the date Paul J. Hebert Day, as he was awarded the keys to the city for his 32 years of outstanding service to the citizens of Miami-Dade County. Paul also worked in the field of lightning research when he was not involved in hurricane season and general weather forecasting. He is credited with having two distinct regions of the tropical Atlantic Ocean named for him, called Hebert Boxes, which are predictors of hurricanes striking the South Florida region. After retiring from the Weather Service, Paul worked as a weather consultant for Florida Power & Light on hurricanes and freezes from 1998 to 2008.
Paul is survived by Margaret, his wife of over 60 years; his five children - Mary (Anthony), John, Margaret, Paul (Eden), and Stephen (Kiyoe); his grandchildren - Jeffrey (Leah), Andrew (Ana), and Ian (Hannah); and great grandchildren - Lacey, Gavin, Melody, and Jasen. He is also survived by many admiring nieces and nephews. He is preceded in death by his parents, Edith and Albert Hebert; brothers Albert, James, and Charles; and sisters Edith, Marie, Estelle, and Ruth.
A long-time member of St. Thomas the Apostle Parish in South Miami, Paul was a man of great faith and served as a Eucharistic minister at Sunday Mass for many years. He enjoyed league bowling with his coworkers and was an avid golfer in his younger years. He was fond of mentioning, from time to time, that he once won a Volkswagen Beetle in a hole-in-one contest in New Orleans. Weather may have been his passion since childhood, but he was primarily a loving husband, father, grandfather, and great grandfather. He will be dearly missed by all who knew him.
In lieu of flowers, please send donations to Covenant House Florida or Tunnel to Towers Foundation.
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