On typical summer afternoons, thunderstorms fill the skies around this site, and although they are often ignored, they are vital to Florida's economy because they provide most of the state's annual rainfall while lightning and strong winds from occasional severe storms can be costly. In the summer of 1946, scientists here used weather radar, aircraft penetration flights, balloon soundings, and an extensive network of surface instruments to gather, for the first time, observations that led to an understanding of the structure and life cycle of thunderstorms. This site was chosen because Florida experiences thunderstorms more frequently than anywhere else in North America. The Thunderstorm Project was carried out by the U.S. Weather Bureau, Air Force, Navy, and NACA, and scientists at the University of Chicago analyzed the data. The theories developed from observations made here in 1946 and during the Ohio phase of the project the following summer remain the cornerstone of understanding thunderstorms and related weather such as hail, strong winds, heavy rain, and tornadoes.