Showing posts with label lightning. Show all posts
Showing posts with label lightning. Show all posts

Adventures in Tornado Alley: The Storm Chasers Review

Adventures in Tornado Alley: The Storm Chasers
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Adventures in Tornado Alley: The Storm Chasers Review"Mike and Eric seem to have taken the art of storm photography to new heights...they have produced images that speak eloquently about the grandeur and beauty of storms that many people will never see for themselves."
--from the introduction by Dr. Charles A. Doswell IIIFull disclosure first: I'm biased because both authors are good friends of mine and my name is mentioned more than once in the text---but I don't make any money from the sales or have any interest other than promoting the book because I think it's an outstanding product.
Mike and Eric are two of the finest weather photographers in the world, and this book is essentially a greatest hits collection from their individual catalogs. Every page contains one stunning image after another, carefully reproduced on heavy, quality stock. The book is organized by chase day or event, with about six individual chases from Mike, four solo chases by Eric, and the rest featuring pictures from both photographers, usually from different angles to give real dramatic range to the imagery. Accompanying the photos is text from both describing their forecast process and tactical decisions they made in the field. Since Mike and Eric have different styles of chasing, this makes for an interesting contrast as well as an entertaining and informative explanation for various shots.
The introduction by tornado scientist and longtime chaser Charles Doswell sets the tone, describing the allure of storm chasing and placing Mike and Eric's work in the context of those who came before them. Toward the end of the book, Dr. Doswell provides an explanation behind the science of severe weather, an easy-to-understand and memorable description of how such sudden mountains of air and water appear on the plains.
What I like most about the book is how it reflects the values of my two friends: the spectacle of atmospheric phenomena. Their vision is focused strictly outward, on the subjects of their photographs, such as the classic supercells of the northern plains or LPs in New Mexico, Mike's breathtaking auroras in winter, or Eric's timeless shots of the Mulvane, Kansas white tornado and rainbow.
Most chasers know that Eric passed away in the summer of 2007. This collection of images is the perfect tribute to his career as a storm observer and photographer, both in form and content. I believe Eric would agree that the book depicts chasing the way many of us know and love it best, as an escape from daily hassles into the theater of the sky, where an awe-inspiring show plays every spring: the severe storms of the Tornado Alley."In storm chasing, you have the chance to see a pageant of power and elegant form unfold before your eyes, even in the absence of the ultimate: a tornado. Mike and Eric have captured that over and over in these images."
--Charles DoswellAdventures in Tornado Alley: The Storm Chasers Overview
From surreal skyscapes to wholesale destruction: the most dramatic scenes from the natural world.
The destructive power of nature has always been a source of fear and fascination, and never more so than now, when climate change and extreme weather conditions are constantly in the news. Across the central United States, the infamous storms of Tornado Alley are fueled by the collision of cold fronts from Canada and warm fronts from the Gulf of Mexico. People have been chasing these storms for decades in pursuit of thrilling experiences, but now a new generation of storm chasers is combining scientific knowledge with powerful images.This book follows Mike Hollingshead and Eric Nguyen on seventeen chases through Colorado, Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and South Dakota, illustrating the unfolding events with sequential shots and a running commentary by the chasers themselves. These spectacular storm portfolios are expanded with special features on weather phenomena like hail and mammatus clouds plus insights into forecasting and research. 340 color photographs

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All About Lightning Review

All About Lightning
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All About Lightning ReviewI recommend this book to all who have any interest in natural science. I was personally surprised at how interesting of a read this book was. Ulman did well brining to "light" topics that have plagued me about lightning since my childhood. He also satiated my engineering taste for technical aspects of the electrical phenomena. Photographs and diagrams add well to the text and support the facts presented without overburdening the reader with too much information.All About Lightning OverviewHighly readable and nontechnical, this illustrated survey explores the nature and causes of lightning. Topics include ball lightning, St. Elmo's Fire, the workings of lightning rods, the effects of lightning on trees and buildings, the formation of thunderstorms, how to photograph lightning, and other fascinating subjects.

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Tornado Hunter: Getting Inside the Most Violent Storms on Earth Review

Tornado Hunter: Getting Inside the Most Violent Storms on Earth
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Tornado Hunter: Getting Inside the Most Violent Storms on Earth ReviewI actually checked this book out of the library this week and began giving it a read. As a disaster junkie, I try to read every tome released and I will clearly say that while interesting, this book doesn't have the great storytelling of other disaster classics like Isaac's Storm or The Perfect Storm.
Tornado Hunter follows along/behind tornado hunter Tim Samaras and his band of merry mesocyclone hunters as they crisscross the plains on the path of severe weather. Some of the stories of actual chases are quite good and there are a couple that truly are edge-of-the-seat exciting, but throughout the book, Bechtel tells the same story over and over, even using the same hackneyed phrases. He describes the same equipment and the same scenes over and over, in case you missed them the first three times. (How many times can he compare a soggy dirt road to cake batter?)
And at times his somewhat stilted storytelling jumps from place to place and year to year in a way that's hard to determine where he's going or what path he'll go down next -- much like the storms he writes about.
And while I know that it's not uncommon for an author to solicit positive reviews for his work on Amazon, the fact that one reviewer appears to be a relative (if the same last name and same hometown are any clues), one appears to be a neighbor or other local friend, and one has only reviewed one book not by this author, their reviews are perhaps a bit questionable.
Not a bad book. Some interesting stories. Some interesting meteorological discussions. But it won't be up there with the truly great books of this genre.
Tornado Hunter: Getting Inside the Most Violent Storms on Earth OverviewLike the deadly tornadoes it documents, this potent combination of high adventure and hard science is terrifyingly timely in our era of global warming and climate change. The Weather Channel, now America's most watched programming, has in recent years shown us a relentless series of hurricanes, tsunamis, earthquakes, and eruptions killing thousands, turning millions into refugees, and leaving whole cities in shocked, shattered ruins.Of nature's weapons, tornadoes are among the most unforgiving, and here's an unforgettable portrait of these storms and one extraordinary man who challenged them-and produced the first-ever photographs snatched from a rampaging twister's black heart. Tornado chaser Tim Samaras, working with master storyteller Stefan Bechtel, author of Roar of the Heavens, has created a page-turner with narrative force and scientific substance.In the first of five you-are-there accounts, Tornado Hunter opens with a moment-by-moment description of the 2003 catastrophe that engulfed Manchester, South Dakota. The authors evoke the doomed town and its people; the dark menacing funnel; and Samaras's fearless advance into the whirlwind's core to deploy the ingenious equipment he devised. They interweave the tornado chaser's passion, the fascinating science of the storms themselves, and six decades of progress in predicting and recording their onslaught-an art beholden to Samaras's own groundbreaking inventions.Tim Samaras's 2004 article in National Geographic became one of the most widely read in the magazine's history. This powerful book is destined to blast its way onto bestseller lists everywhere.

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Rumble, Boom (Amazing Science: Weather) Review

Rumble, Boom (Amazing Science: Weather)
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Rumble, Boom (Amazing Science: Weather) ReviewI got this book for my 4 year old who has developed a fear of thunder, thinking that if he understood what makes thunder, he won't be scared anymore. This book does not accomplish that goal. While the pictures are entertaining and grab your attention, the book is extremely boring and definitely not suited to young kids. Also, early in the book there is a glaring mistake. The word "your" is used instead of the word "you." How does a book get published with such a mistake in it?Rumble, Boom (Amazing Science: Weather) OverviewThis is no regular rainstorm. After the lightning, sounds rumble and boom. It's a thunderstorm! Learn more about the giant flashes of light and what makes thunder crashin this book about a building thunderstorm.--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

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Meteorology Demystified Review

Meteorology Demystified
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Meteorology Demystified ReviewThe purpose of this book is to demystify weather. But while the book begins with a promising use of physical equations, these serve only to pad the book with test questions that are not further applied in the text to demystify (i.e., explain in causal terms) why things happen in the atmosphere. For example, there is no explanation of the Coriolis effect, and thus the wind patterns presented early on make no sense at all. There is a great deal of talk about what to do in the event of a thunderstorm, a hurricane, a tornado, and so on, but this information is readily available from any disaster center and elsewhere on the web. I came away from this book more mystified than when I opened it. A tempestuous disappointment.Meteorology Demystified Overview
Wondering about weather? Learn Mother Nature's secrets

Meteorology Demystified presents a complete explanation of essential physical and scientific concepts before delving into a more detailed look at various weather phenomena.


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Storm Chaser: A Photographer's Journey Review

Storm Chaser: A Photographer's Journey
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Storm Chaser: A Photographer's Journey ReviewJim Reed is a well-known storm chaser, author and weather photographer whose credits include National Geographic and Time Magazine. As a storm chaser and photographer, I have always appreciated Mr. Reed's images and have been eagerly awaiting this book. I was not disappointed. Storm Chaser, A Photographer's Journey is a coffee table book documenting 15 years of extreme weather photography. This volume is really a giant photo album with some amazing images. He has selected a variety of hauntingly beautiful photos of severe weather. Of course, my favorites are the tornadoes, supercells, lightning and hail. He has several tornado images though I would like a few more. Mr. Reed captures the dark intensity of tornadic storms contrasted with verdant fields or angry reds and yellows of the setting sun. He has chased hurricanes including Katrina. The photos illustrate the intense rain and wind associated with those tropical storms. There are many other images of weather including ice storms, drought, floods, dust storms and snow-covered landscapes. Examples of rare phenomena include hoarfrost in Kansas and aurora viewed from South Carolina. Although the focus is on the photos, the text is very interesting with descriptions of his storm chases, journal entries and interactions with meteorologists, storm chasers and those affected by the weather. I really enjoyed reading about Mr. Reed's early experiences with storms, photography, and writing and how those experiences led him to storm chasing and weather photography. The book is organized by season. Although there is a general theme of global climate change affecting weather patterns, the book is not a technical analysis. Those wanting detailed information on tornado formation, weather forecasting or global warming should look elsewhere. This is an art-book with gorgeous weather photos and landscapes; beautiful to view with an underlying warning about changing climate. I highly recommend this book to anyone with an interest in weather or who can appreciate the sublime beauty of the natural world. I am definitely inspired to go out and take more weather photos.Storm Chaser: A Photographer's Journey OverviewIssues of global warming continue to be relevant, and every day brings front-page stories about the weather, generating new research, raising even more questions and possible solutions. Storm Chaser is a mesmerizing look at some of the catastrophic consequences of our planet's increasing temperature, captured by an expert in the field. Through breathtaking photos, quotes, letters, and journal entries from climatologists, researchers, political leaders, spiritual advisors, and storm survivors. Storm Chaser chronicles photographer Jim Reed's most thrilling, beautiful, memorable, and dramatic adventures to date.

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Hunting Nature's Fury: A Storm Chaser's Obsession With Tornadoes, Hurricanes, and Other Natural Disasters Review

Hunting Nature's Fury: A Storm Chaser's Obsession With Tornadoes, Hurricanes, and Other Natural Disasters
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Hunting Nature's Fury: A Storm Chaser's Obsession With Tornadoes, Hurricanes, and Other Natural Disasters ReviewI strongly recommend Hunting Nature's Fury to storm chasers and especially to those who want to know more about storm chasing and why they might want to also get out and try it.
Hunting Nature's Fury should definitely appeal to many readers for assorted ages and backgrounds.
For those of us who know Roger Hill, and have chased with him, it should be no surprise that it reflects his unequaled passion for the joy of storm chasing. His well known enthusiasm comes through as he recounts his interesting background and especially as he relates a sampling of his assorted storm chasing adventures.
The chasing stories in Hunting Nature's Fury accurately reflect what chasers do when they chase storms and give a real sense of why we do it.
It is a fast, entertaining and easy read for all.
Way to go Roger!
Hunting Nature's Fury: A Storm Chaser's Obsession With Tornadoes, Hurricanes, and Other Natural Disasters OverviewEach year, at least 1,200 tornadoes batter the United States. While most occur in Tornado Alley a vast, weather-beaten swath of middle America in truth, tornadoes can occur almost anywhere. And where there are tornadoes, there are storm chasers. They come in all shapes and sizes, from hobbyists to researchers to professional chasers. There is one, however, who stands well above the rest: Roger Hill. Hunting Nature's Fury tells the story of Roger Hill and his love affair with storm chasing, taking you on a suspenseful and dramatic ride across the Great Plains, into the Deep South, even into the eyes of such recent hurricanes as Katrina. You'll accompany Hill as he braves close calls, makes history, and gains insight into the science of severe weather. This is a story of a storm chaser obsessed with the storms that almost killed him; of resiliency in the face of disaster; and of humility in the presence of the awesome power of nature. Includes eight color pages of jaw-dropping photos taken by Hill showing many of the storms chronicled in the book.

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Extreme Weather Hits Home: Protecting Your Buildings from Climate Change Review

Extreme Weather Hits Home: Protecting Your Buildings from Climate Change
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Extreme Weather Hits Home: Protecting Your Buildings from Climate Change ReviewFirst I'll disclose that I'm not one that believes in global warming. There are natural disasters such hurricanes, flooding and other unfortunate events that occur regardless of global warming. That's just my opinion.
Regardless of what causes these unfortunate events to occur, few consultants have as much expertise and experience as John Banta when it comes to restoring effected buildings and specifying how to prevent or minimize damage to our homes. He's highly regarded as an expert in the industry. Every building contractor and insurance adjuster has opinions. Few understand the building sciences like Banta and even fewer can write about it in a way that while still technical, we can all understand. If you have an interest in how weather can affect your home this is the book for you.
There is also some information that is relevant without the need for a flood or hurricane to occur. For example, the sections on trapped moisture from excess humidity, "breathable" walls, ice-damming on the roof in the winter, foundation freeze and thaw, and frozen plumbing don't take an earthquake to cause major damage to your home. If you're a contractor, builder or home owner it would be good for you to understand some of these concepts. Could save you a lot of money.
Extreme Weather Hits Home: Protecting Your Buildings from Climate Change Overview
We know how to prepare our homes for each seasonal change, but do we know how to prepare for climate change? Violent weather events like floods, tornadoes, ice storms, and hurricanes only tell part of the story. Climate change is frequently more subtle, but its effects on our homes and properties can still be devastating.

Nearly 50 percent of North America has a potential for structural damage from shifting moisture in expansive clay soils, a condition that is already costing billions of dollars each year. Humidity is projected to increase, trapping moisture in wall cavities and resulting in deterioration. As the climate changes and moisture levels adjust, there are a number of proactive steps that can be taken to prevent or lessen expensive repairs.

Extreme Weather is the only book of its kind that shows how to protect your home or business from climate change by focusing on the following areas:

Risk and causal assessment, due to region and soil
Extreme weather's rapid and slow effects
Site, foundation, wall, and roof considerations and modifications
Insurance options
Anticipated changes for the United States, Canada, and Mexico

Our homes are one of the most expensive investments we will ever make. They are also our refuge from the elements, and we must protect them so they can protect us. This book is a valuable resource for all property owners.

John C. Banta is an indoor environmental consultant with twenty years of experience in building biology, building science, and indoor environmental quality.


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Extreme Weather: Understanding the Science of Hurricanes, Tornadoes, Floods, Heat Waves, Snow Storms, Global Warming and Other Atmospheric Disturbances Review

Extreme Weather: Understanding the Science of Hurricanes, Tornadoes, Floods, Heat Waves, Snow Storms, Global Warming and Other Atmospheric Disturbances
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Extreme Weather: Understanding the Science of Hurricanes, Tornadoes, Floods, Heat Waves, Snow Storms, Global Warming and Other Atmospheric Disturbances ReviewI just finished reading a new book by H. Michael Mogil titled "Extreme Weather". Unlike many weather books which focus on a dynamic approach (highs, lows, jet streams) to explain weather this book looks at extreme weather by event type and discusses the processes and history behind them. By "extreme" I'm talking about tornadoes, ice storms, flooding, lightning, droughts and so on. The book includes stunning photographs and clear illustrations. Some of the events mentioned are as recent as this year --which for me made the book even more relevant and fun to read.
What I really found interesting about the book is the way Mogil looks at weather extremes within the context of today's global warming discussion --something in the news every day and now even more controversial due to Al Gore's announced Nobel Prize. He doesn't outright deny the existence of global warming and our impact on the environment but rather he illustrates how factors such as long-term climate changes (our coming out of a mini ice age), relatively short weather record-keeping history, the media's preoccupation with hype and sensationalism, and people's selective memory of significant events all conspire to influence our perception. This can lead some people to believe we are in an immediate "crisis". Mogil shows how the media likes to say things like "this is the heaviest snowfall in 10 years" --something which certainly sounds extreme in the short-term but in terms of long-term weather it's probably a relatively common event. He also shows how factors such as the media's incorrect use of the term "normal" (as opposed to the more correct term "average") make extremes (which are in fact a natural range of conditions) seem even more extreme and unusual. For instance, when we say the "normal" high for today is 60 degrees and the actual high reaches 80 there's a tendency for people to say "wow, something is really wrong!" Yet in fact though this book we discover that the high temperature on this day, throughout recorded history, may have ranged from 40 to 100 degrees! Thus the average figure of 60 degrees is meaningless and misleading and the figure of 80 degrees may not be as extreme as we think.
While extreme deviations from the climatic average may be rare they don't all necessarily occur because of human influence. Factors such as improved real-time TV reporting of things like as tornadoes, brush fires, and hurricanes all bring these naturally occurring events to the forefront. The book shows how recent events such as California's brush fires, hurricanes like Katrina, and the drought in the southeast aren't necessarily more intense (in a physical sense) than past "extreme" events but rather it's their impact on people which is greater as a result of where we choose to live, how we construct our homes, and how densely we are populated. This subtle point can lead people to confuse the effects of an event with the physical intensity of an event. Mogil illustrates how easy it is to claim everything is the result of global warming when in fact many of the extreme variations can be explained by other factors --many which predate the industrial revolution.
The last chapter of the book really summed things up foe me. In fact I thought it might have made a better introduction than a conclusion. While I personally believe we humans are warming the planet I agree with Mogil that the dire predictions are probably overdone. Although our study of hyper-long climate histories through techniques such as ice core drilling and fossil stratification gives us general information about average temperature, precipitation, atmospheric gas content, and plant life, these records cannot speak for individual record events such as tornadoes, floods, droughts, and heat waves --the extreme weather-- which may have occurred throughout history. For all we know the massive EF5 tornadoes we have today may pale in comparison with tornadoes that occurred 50,000 years ago. We just don't know. In short, Mogil cautions readers not to automatically attribute extremes in weather to man-made global warming and encourages them to continue seeking and evaluating new information.
After reading this book I haven't changed my mind about our need to cut down on pollution. I haven't changed my mind that we are affecting our environment in a negative way. I also haven't changed my mind about the need for our country move away from foreign oil and our seemingly endless desire to use guns to solve problems rather than our brains. I do feel however, that I am in a better position to analyze what I'm being fed by the media and to consider that my short time on this planet is just a blink of an eye in terms of geologic time and weather history. While I still plan to purchase an electric car in 2009 I no longer feel compelled to sell my house in Oklahoma under the looming threat that it will soon be under water when the polar ice caps melt!Extreme Weather: Understanding the Science of Hurricanes, Tornadoes, Floods, Heat Waves, Snow Storms, Global Warming and Other Atmospheric Disturbances OverviewA fascinating and easy-to-understand exploration of hurricanes, tsunamis, tornadoes, heat waves, and more, complete with hundreds of full-color photographs and descriptive illustrations, charts, and graphs. Category 5 hurricanes, deadly tsunamis, record-high winds; now more than ever it seems that "extreme weather" has become a reality and a concern throughout the world—and in our own backyard. While these natural events are frightening, few of us really understand what causes them—and we're left to wonder how and where disaster might strike next, what we can do to protect ourselves, and whether such things can be prevented. Extreme Weather answers these questions and many more in a thorough, scientific, yet absolutely clear and easy-to-understand manner. Along with numerous color photos and illustrations, each weather phenomenon is accompanied by comprehensive visual aids that make learning about the subject as easy as it is fun. Organized by weather-related events including hurricanes, winter storms, lightning, tsunamis, tornadoes, floods, and heat waves, the book explores weather patterns and other factors that contribute to extreme climate conditions. It offers an unprecedented, comprehensive picture of where our weather is headed tomorrow and in the future.

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