About Us

Exploring Galveston Where History and Science Meet...

As you will see, Hal Needham is passionate about all things weather! He is also proud to live in Galveston, Texas and would love to show you, your family, and friends around Galveston to teach you about it's rich history. Book your tour today.

Hal Needham - Tour Guide

Hal Needham is proud to call Galveston home and has developed a deep appreciation for the island’s remarkable history, character, and resilience. His passion for Galveston’s past—especially the stories surrounding its hurricanes, challenges, and remarkable recovery—inspired the creation of the Galveston Hurricane Tour.

Through the tour, Hal invites you to experience Galveston from a different perspective, bringing its history to life through fascinating stories, science, and the people and events that helped shape the island. Come explore Galveston with Hal and discover the stories that make this extraordinary place so special.

"Dr. Hurricane Hal"

"Hurricane Hal" is an award-winning extreme weather and disaster scientist. He has conducted hurricane research for 18 years and has done fieldwork in 26 hurricanes and tropical storms. He runs U-Surge, the international storm surge database, and has published multiple research papers on hurricanes and coastal flooding.

Dr. Hal focuses much of his career on clearly communicating science to the public. He hosts the GeoTrek podcast, a top-5 podcast on natural disasters, and co-hosts the Hurricane Center podcast with the National Tropical Weather Conference. Above all, his communication style is quite informal, relying heavily on human-interest stories and a strong dose of humor.

He is a regular guest covering tropical weather nationally for Fox Weather, and has been featured on CNN, NBC, ABC, The Weather Channel, WeatherNation and AccuWeather, as well as in documentaries for the BBC and PBS.

He has lived in Galveston for the past 10 years, a place he calls "The World's Most Resilient City". 

Tour Types

COMMUNITY WALKING TOUR

Our most popular tour...This 2 mile adventure will take you through historic architecture, survival stories, hurricane romances, and more. Click below to read more.

SCHOOL TOUR

School tours are a fun way to engage kids about history, architecture, science, and more. This tour could even help Texas students with the STAAR test-check out below for more.

UNIVERSITY TOUR

Whether you are a student looking to learn on their spring break, or you are part of a university wanting to provide a faculty-led tour of Galveston's history, this tour may be for you.

BUS TOUR

If you're looking for a great way to see Galveston's geography, this may be the tour for you. Dr. Hurricane Hal can provide a stand-in chartered bus tour and you'll see Galveston like never before.

PRIVATE TOUR

If you're looking for a more customized Galveston tour experience, Dr. Hurricane Hal can provide just that. Whether there's two people or an entire group, this custom experience is 5-star.

TESTIMONIALS

CONTACT

Send me an email and I’ll get back to you soon.