Florence "Flossie" van Straten (1913–1992) was an aerological engineer known for advancing the science of naval meteorology during and after World War II.

Jacques van Straten, her father, worked for the world-famous movie company, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, with its main offices located in New York City.

[5] After the attack on Pearl Harbor (in December 1941), the Navy trained increasing numbers of weather personnel, including several hundred women, to meet the demands of a rapidly expanding force.

The purpose of the reports was to “form a basis for a better understanding of the applications of weather information to future operations.” Later, van Straten transferred to the R & D section, where she worked for the rest of the war on radar and other new technologies.

[7] From 1948 to 1962, she headed the technical requirements section, describing her position as the “application of environmental factors to military operations.” In 1958 she was named the ‘Woman of the Year’ by the women’s wing of the Aero Medical Society of America.

She retired in 1962 after 16 years as head of the technical requirements branch of the Naval Weather Service, but continued as a consultant to the Navy on atmospheric physics until 1973.

The American fleet used the clouds and precipitation of a trailing frontal system to provide cover, slipping out to attack the exposed Japanese naval force and then disappearing again into the heavy weather.

[6] Van Straten helped develop methods of using weather phenomena, such as storms, in the planning of ship maneuvers and carrier-based airplane flights.