MEDICC Rev. 2018 Apr;20(2):7-10. doi: 10.37757/MR2018.V20.N2.2.
Full disclosure: chief weather forecaster is not his official title, but rather one affectionally conferred on Dr Rubiera by the Cuban people, who look to him not only in times of peril, but also to learn about the science of meteorology. Anyone who has taken a taxi in Cuba during hurricane season (June 1 to November 30), and bothered to ask the driver, will receive a clear explanation about how hurricanes are formed, what the Saffir-Simpson scale is all about, and how the season is shaping up-all courtesy of Dr Rubiera's talent for communication during nightly weather forecasts and special broadcasts. It's no exaggeration to say that he is something of an icon in Cuba, a man people trust. Now, he is retired as chief of forecasting at Cuba's Meteorology Institute, but he stays on as an advisor, and since 1989 represents Cuba's Meteorological Service as the Vice Chairperson of the World Meteorological Organization's Hurricane Committee for Region IV (North America, Central America and the Caribbean). He also keeps a spot on nightly news and hosts two TV shows of his own: Global Weather and Weather in the Caribbean. And his PhD in meteorology serves him well as full professor at the University of Havana in-what else?-meteorology communications. Finally, he has been a driving force in Cuba for collaboration with Miami's National Hurricane Center (NHC) and other US meteorologists (in fact, the Chairperson of the Region IV Committee is the head of the NHC). But, as he says over a cup of rich Cuban coffee, it all started with a two-year-old in a yellow sweater.
坦诚地说，首席天气预报员并不是鲁比埃拉博士的官方头衔，而是古巴人民对他的爱称。古巴人民不仅在危险时期，而且还经常向他咨询气象科学，以了解天气预报。任何在飓风季节（6 月 1 日至 11 月 30 日）期间在古巴乘坐出租车的人，如果询问司机，都会收到关于飓风是如何形成的、萨菲尔-辛普森飓风等级的全部内容以及飓风季节的最新情况等方面的清晰解释，这都要归功于鲁比埃拉博士在夜间天气预报和特别广播中的出色沟通能力。毫不夸张地说，他在古巴是一个偶像人物，是人们信任的人。现在，他已经从古巴气象研究所的首席预报员职位上退休，但他仍担任顾问，并自 1989 年以来一直代表古巴气象服务局担任世界气象组织飓风委员会第四区（北美、中美洲和加勒比地区）副主席。他还定期出现在夜间新闻中，并主持自己的两个电视节目：环球气象和加勒比气象。他的气象学博士学位使他在哈瓦那大学气象学传播领域担任全职教授，这也不足为奇。最后，他一直在推动古巴与迈阿密的国家飓风中心（NHC）和其他美国气象学家的合作（事实上，第四区委员会主席是 NHC 的负责人）。但是，正如他在一杯浓郁的古巴咖啡前所说的那样，这一切都始于一个穿着黄色毛衣的两岁孩子。
