Morley Keith Thomas

Morley Keith Thomas

Morley Keith Thomas, climatologist (b near St Thomas, Ont 19 Aug 1918). He spent 41 years with the Canadian government's meteorological service, beginning as a weather forecaster at several RCAF stations during WWII and rising to the position of director general of the Canadian Climate Centre (1979-83). He was Canada's foremost authority on both the practical and scientific aspects of climatology, publishing over 70 books and articles, including the Climatological Atlas of Canada, the Bibliography of Canadian Climate (3 eds, 1961, 1973 and 1979) and, with F.K. HARE, Climate Canada (2 eds, 1974 and 1979).

Thomas served as president of the UN World Meteorological Organization's Commission for Climatology 1978-82, helping launch the World Climate Programme, and was the principal architect of the Canadian Climate Program. The recipient of several awards from the Canadian Meteorological and Oceanographic Society, Thomas was presented with the Massey Medal of the Royal Canadian Geographical Society in 1985. In retirement, Thomas has written 4 books, including The Beginnings of Canadian Meteorology (1992), a history of meteorology in Canada, and Forecasts for Flying (1996), as well as several articles on the history of meteorology in Canada.