Tornado forecasting had to start somewhere. In the 1880s, U.S. Army Signal Corps meteorologist John Park Finley studied tornado patterns, built a network of observers and pioneered experimental tornado forecasts. Meet America’s first tornado forecaster: #NOAAHeritageWeek ↧ ↧ John Park Finley, America’s first tornado forecaster Today, NOAA researchers and meteorologists work hard to issue life-saving forecasts and tornado watches and warnings. Nearly 150 years ago, their predecessors were just beginning to figure out the “rules” for tornado forecasts and when tornados might form. John Park Finley, America’s first tornado forecaster Today, NOAA researchers and meteorologists work hard to issue life-saving forecasts and tornado watches and warnings. Nearly 150 years ago, their predecessors were just beginning to figure out the “rules” for tornado forecasts and when tornados might form.