Product Description
A 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. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

good graphics, biased presentation on climate change
Mogil's graphics and photos are very good, as are his explanations of atmospheric phenomena. My main gripe with this book is his quite obvious bias that the concern over the human impact on climate change is overdone. He acknowledges his skepticism about the human impact on climate and then seeks to present a presumably objective analysis of weather extremes. However, in several chapters, he uses quotes from his own writing or comments to support chapter themes. In the space of 4 paragraphs [p. 83 and 84] on the relative incidence of hurricanes, he uses the phrase "flies in the face of" claims of increased hurricane danger. His satisfaction in finding a counter argument is quite obvious. This is not good objective scientific writing. Rather than objectively evaluate the IPCC [Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change]report or the IPCC analysis, Mogil uses counter arguments about the relative frequency extreme weather incidents to downplay the importance of human impact on climate. On page 33, Mogil writes "...people think climate change can be determined by recent extreme events." However, much of the book is devoted to just that--an analysis of extreme events, as is evident in the title.

For a far better analysis of climate change, I recommend Richard Somerville's "The Forgiving Air."[[ASIN:1878220853 The Forgiving Air: Understanding Environmental Change, Second Edition]

Extreme Weather, Extremely Interesting!
I 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 conspireto 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! ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (4)

Just ok.
I have been very excited to read any Persephone Classics book, they have published wonderful forgotten books, mostly by female authors. THis was the least interesting of the titles I have read.It is a very short story so I don't regret having sampled it, but its not that interesting or particularly well written.The story covers the few hours before Dolly's wedding.You have the silly mother, continually praising the weather, the bride is so nervous she polishes off a bottle of rum, the ex boyfriend who regrets having dumped Dolly shows up and finally Dolly spills a bottle of ink on her wedding dress just minutes before she has to walk down the aisle.
I fully understand this is just a feeling..but I just didn't really take to the story.It was told so quickly it was difficult to get a sense of any character or develop any feelings for them...or much interest in what was going on.This possibly was a story that resonated at the time..the whole English aristocracy life style...but it was just not that interesting.Its a short story, so if you decide to take the plunge you won't be wasting too much time if you ultimately feel as I did.

Total waste of time
Not one person (except, perhaps the groom) in this book has any redeeming qualities.
"Heroine" is a self-involved, insipid child.
"Hero" is worse.
This book was a total waste of time. Had it been longer, I would have stopped reading all together.

Missed Opportunities
These two stories brought together in the Penguin Classics series (but also available in other editions) are related in setting and theme. One, published in 1932, is a mere novella; the other, from 1951, is a short novel. Together they reveal the work of a charming but minor British writer of the second quarter of the Twentieth Century. On the evidence of these works, Julia Strachey emerges as a comedian of sentiment; think Evelyn Waugh with the sensibility of Elizabeth Bowen. The main difference between the two books is the balance between comedy and feeling in each.

CHEERFUL WEATHER FOR THE WEDDING comes over as a brilliant comic set-piece in search of a novel to contain it. The setting is the large house in the South of England, staffed by a fair number of servants whom the owner, Mrs. Thatcham, is unable either to manage or to comprehend. Dolly, the oldest of the Thatcham children, is to be married in the afternoon, and a number of relatives and friends are gathering for the occasion. All of them are peculiar in one way or another, and most of the story proceeds in an almost surreal montage of comic dialogue. But the bride herself, Dolly, has cold feet and fortifies herself with surreptitious swigs of rum. Meanwhile a former suitor, Joseph Patten, wanders around trying to summon the courage to talk privately to Dolly, something he should have done ages ago. He gets his chance almost at the end of the story, but not in the way he expected. Suddenly, bits of back-story come tumbling confusedly out, but too late to affect the course of events. Joseph has missed his opportunity, but he is not the only one. For a brief moment, we sense the traction that the story might have had, if Strachey had only given these characters more depth.

Although written two decades later, AN INTEGRATED MAN occupies the same time period (the thirties), the same location (the Dorset coast), and the same upper-middle-class lifestyle, where people might stay with friends for months at a time, and houses were supplied with numerous servants to look after them. Gwen Cedar, the hostess here, appeared as a minor character in the earlier novella, and shares Mrs. Thatcham's incomprehension of the servants -- although she goes one further by treating them to forced lectures on aesthetics. The contemporary satire is one of the most interesting aspects of the book. Strachey, who was married to two artists herself, gets in numerous references to modern art andcoffee-table theories about everything from social progress to radical education. For her two main guests, Aron and Ned, are educational theorists who have just bought a boys' boarding school to use as a showcase for the most progressive approaches.

Forty-year-old Ned proclaims himself on the first page of the book as "an integrated man," fully in command of himself and in tune with his surroundings. What hubris! For before long, Ned has fallen head over heels in love with Aron's new wife, Marina. Or rather, fallen in lust; the distinction is important to both Ned and the author, who writes obliquely but with surprising frankness about Marina's physical effect on Ned. I imagine that I am not alone in recognizing the syndrome that Strachey analyzes so precisely, but she is less good at making me actually re-live it; I always feel I am watching Ned from the outside. Towards the very end, however, when this comedy of desire reaches a climax involving the danger of real people getting really hurt, there are a few moments that have the frisson of true emotional agony. But only a few. While this is much the more substantial of the two books, and certainly worth reading for its social observations, Strachey's comedic bent gets in the way of her potential as a novelist, resulting in another missed opportunity.

Slight material well handled
The Persephone Press, in its publicity material, compares this reissue of a 1932 Julia Strachey novel to A ROOM WITH A VIEW, but it's much more like Wodehouse or E. F. Benson in its breezy depiction of the life among interwar rich ninnies. This novel may attempt for something a little stronger in its attempt to adhere to the Aristotelean unities and its faint note of the tragic, but it doesn't quite pull it off. After all, why should it adhere to the Aristotelean unities, and what does the trragic note matter when the characters are so thin? But it's still amusing and likeable: there have probably been few novels where flowers are described incidentally in such detail. ... Read more

Product Description
On the same day in March...
Polar bears ride on Artic ice.
People in French cafes turn up
their faces to the sun.
Hailstones roll over Indian hillsides.
Rain makes a river in Kenya.

On the same day that it's icy cold in the Artic, it's foggy in Louisiana, sunny in Barbados, and blowing wild winds called willy-willies in Austrailia. In this poetic exploration of longitude and weather, with bright and detailed paintings of seventeen different places, Marilyn Singer and Frane Lessac show us what's happening from the poles to the equator-- all on the same day in March.

Top 10 Science Books for Children 2000 (Booklist) and Notable Children's Trade Books in the Field of Social Studies 2001, National Council for SS & Child. Book Council

Customer Reviews (3)

Easy read, great explainations
This book really helped my kids understand that not everyplace in the world was having the same weather, seasons, etc. that we were.

Good but could have been great.
This is a good book to cover geographical effects of seasons with young children but could have been much better had the author chosen a day in winter/summer rather than spring/fall.Also, some of the slang to specific regions (eg. willy-willies in Australian section) should have been defined. Overall though, it was a useful education book and the kids enjoyed the perky text and lively illustrations.

Amazing for the classroom
As teacher education student, I have been on the lookout for quality children's literature.On the Same Day in March is one of the best books I have found for integrating different subjects.Lessons in Language Arts, Science, and Social Studies nearly write themselves as Singer uses a rich vocabulary to describe different types of weather, agriculture, geography and cultures all over the world!Although the book by itself lacks some of the "entertainment value" very young children demand, it is excellent for 2nd and 3rd graders. ... Read more

Product Description
This text describes the important large-scale tropospheric structures of the atmosphere and their physical relationships, including planetary phenomena, jet streams and sub-tropical highs, and larger meoscale phenomena. Conceptual models, schematic drawings and synoptic charts are used to present atmospheric phenomena alongside the physical and mathematical descriptions of basic interrelations. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Useful Forecasting Text
I first became acquainted with this text as a student of Dr. Djuric's during the early 1990s.Shortly thereafter, the very useful note set was published as a hardcover book.As a meteorologist, I can tell you thereare few texts that combine so much practical information along side thescience/math to back it up.Unlike other texts which may provide similarinformation, this is written at a simpler level.Anyone interested inweather forecasting can learn from this book...

Good book
Very good all-around text/reference book for meteorologists.Helps make the equations less threatening by way of good organization. I have the hard covered version. ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (4)

Red Weather Friends
Here Ruth Padel has created a unique work of conservationist literature, describing her non-scientific quest to see the world's few remaining wild tigers in their natural habitats. In the process we get an illuminating travelogue of less-trammeled regions in several exotic countries and their peoples' contradictory attitudes towards tigers and nature. Of special interest are the bizarre treatment of animals in Laos, where domestic animals are protected wealth and wild animals are exploited food; and the schizophrenic tiger obsession of China, which glamorizes fictional tigers as symbols of cultural strength while destroying rare real tigers for fetishes and false medicines. Padel is also willing to let the scientists and activists with whom she travels speak their minds, creating an insightful study of the travails and dangers faced by conservationists as they fight government corruption and harsh socioeconomic realities.

In terms of writing, Padel assembles beautiful prose and her sentences are often a joy to behold, creating verbal atmospheres that highlight the senses of excitement and melancholy felt by those who care about tigers the most. But beyond well-crafted sentences, the book tends to drift into wispy philosophical and literary explorations, with a lot of completely useless (and often quite annoying) ruminations from Padel on her personal life. But the book is still beneficial overall, as Padel ably illuminates the dangers faced by the world's last tigers while instilling a sense of hope that is brought by passionate activists. And in the end, what you'll remember most is the power of the tigers, which you'll feel in your heart whether or not you've ever seen one in the wild. [~doomsdayer520~]

Not Much Hope for Asia's Wildlife
Padel's book is certainly interesting and informative but, if you're concerned about the future of Asia's wildlife (not only tigers), you come away with the melancholy, somewhat depressing impression that population growth and habitat destruction do not bode well for the wild creatures of our largest continent.

I agree with another reviewer that the story would certainly be better without the inclusion of details from the author's personal life, particularly the angst over the break-up with a lover. Consisting of chapters pieced together after numerous trips to south, east and southeast Asia, "Tigers in Red Weather" covers a lot of ground, assessing from Padel's own treks and interaction with wildlife conservationists, the state of wilderness preservation in such far-flung locales as India, Bangladesh, Russia, China and Indonesia. Each time she's back in England, however, we're subjected to awkward meetings, meals and cocktail party banter with the ex-boyfriend. Sorry but as a reader I couldn't care less and that's certainly not why I bought the book.

There is some charm in Padel's descriptions of walks in tropical rainforest and I could certainly relate, as a neophyte outdoorsman, to the "creeped out" factor of running across pythons, spiders and scorpions which, as is often the case, appear when least expected. Admittedly an amateur trekker at best, the author manages to convey what these exotic trips would be like for the average Westerner reading from a cushy armchair. The most valuable contributions of "Tiger's in Red Weather," however, are the tales about the dedicated, incredibly hard-working, isolated scientists, conservationists, rangers and others who devote their lives to saving not only "charsimatic megafauna" such as tigers, leopards, bears and elephants but the trees that harbor them and the deer, pigs and other prey they feed upon. One can only admire the sense of stewardship that drives these people. Often underfunded and performing thankless tasks (especially concerning local inhabitants who are sometimes downright violent), the work of Padel's heroes is truly worthy of commendation. This goes for the native rangers and forest wardens as well. Unfortunately too many succumb to bribes, threats and the lure of materialism but a large enough percentage hang in there despite low (or zero) pay, violent death courtesy of heavily armed poachers, primitive living conditions and isolation from their families.

The stars of the book, the tigers, are predictably rarely seen. I won't give away how many of these magnificent creatures Padel manages to spot on her far-ranging adventure but suffice it to say that the reduction in numbers is very disheartening. Far more often scat, pugmarks and other signs of their presence are the only clues that particular forests and preserves harbor any beasts at all. In many ways the appendix sums up the situation as it devolves a year or so after the author's journeys and it's worse than ever. One wonders how much further down the path of extinction we've gone since the publication of the book.

A theme that permeates this book is the short-sightedness of humankind and the frustrating, almost hopeless task that confronts those who dedicate their lives to fighting rapacious, self-serving greed. The fact that China is largely responsible for the vast majority of illegal tiger products (skin, bones and other parts) is particularly enraging. One wonders, if the demand is so "essential," what on Earth do they think will happen once the tigers are all gone? Will human beings cease to exist? Hardly. Will sexual behavior disappear for lack of aphrodisiacs made from tigers and other endangered animals? I think we all know the answer. This mentality is hard to fathom but it goes on and on. The same goes for the last old-growth forests in the world. Only 4% of India is set aside for the preservation of wildlife but even that seems too much for some. Helpfully, Padel provides a list of organizations and contact information at the end of the book where readers can contribute to honest and reliable groups that actually do some good.

Overall, however, this is a much needed book, shedding light on a subject that too often is given short shrift in mainstream media. It forces one to think about the future of the planet and contemplate where we'll be in the next century. What with the current focus on global warming and all the environmental consequences that entails, we're not left with a good feeling at all. I'm glad to say that I lived when wild tigers still roamed the Earth. How much longer they'll do so is anyone's guess.

Great Tiger Information
If you are interested and concerned about the survival of tigers in the wild...read this book!Ms. Padel takes the reader on a journey to all areas of the world which tigers are known to inhabit.She meets with researchers and scientists in various reserves to gain current information.The fight against poachers, political corruption and the loss of tiger habitat versus the plight of poor villagers is addressed. However, the author's references to her personal life were a distraction from the main subject of the book.

Evocative and engaging
Reading this book will immerse you in jungles, have you checking your legs for leeches, and teach you more about tigers in the modern world than any other I know. Ruth Padel, the great-great-grandaughter of Charles Darwin, spent five years travelling to the last places on earth where tigers live, to learn about them, their conservation, and the people who are involved in their lives and deaths. But this not a dry scientific read littered with statistics; Ruth is a former Chair of the Poetry Society and the language throughout is beautiful, evocative, engaging and often funny. The description of her travels and discoveries teach much about the complexities of conserving a large endangered animal which is valuable both dead and alive. We have known the tiger is in trouble for a long time - this book reveals why the solution is not as simple as we might think and describes the efforts and frustrations of some of the world's leading tiger experts. If you are heading to Asia - for whatever reason - read this book first for a ground-level understanding of jungle life. Highly recommended. ... Read more

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With their images practically ubiquitious in the daily media, weather radar systems provide data not only for understanding weather systems and improving forecasts (especially critical for severe weather), but also for hydrological applications, flood warnings and climate research in which ground verification is needed for global precipitation measurements by satellites. This book offers an accessible overview of advanced methods, applications and modern research from the European perspective. An extensive introductory chapter summarizes the principles of weather radars and discusses the potential of modern radar systems, including Doppler and polarisation techniques, data processing, and error-correction methods. Addressing both specialist researchers and nonspecialists from related areas, this book will also be useful for graduate students planning to specialize in this field

Product Description
Do you know what would happen if the Earth's atmosphere suddenly disappeared? Deprived of oxygen and bombarded by ultraviolet radiation, our bodies would swell, our blood would boil, and our eardrums would explode. Is there a kid on the planet who wouldn't think that information was just too cool for words?

As a homeschooling mom (with a Ph.D. in microbiology), author Rebecca Rupp learned first-hand that kids respond best to scientific information when it is presented in a way that is fun, lively, and off-beat. To keep the attention of her three young sons, she combined impeccable science with strange-but-true examples and exciting experiments and projects designed to reinforce important concepts. A product of Rupp's many years as a student and a teacher, WEATHER is a breakthrough book for exciting kids about science.

Rupp's approach is as much fun for grownups as it is for kids. Who doesn't want to know whether the flapping of a butterfly's wings can eventually set off a tornado? Or why snow that fell white turned pink on the ground? Or that the Hindenberg exploded after lightning ignited the flammable paint on the zeppelin's outer cover?

Bursting with the kinds of ideas, facts, statistics, and explanations that kids find irresistible (and that are guaranteed to make them smarter than their parents!), WEATHER is the ultimate book for every budding meteorologist.

Sample Experiments and Projects from Weather: Start a Tornado in a Bottle, Make Your Own Compass, Set Off Lightning on a Plate, Make Your Own Hygrometer (to measure humidity in the atmosphere), Become a Real Rainmaker, Whip Up a Batch of Atmosphere in a Pan and more. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

The weather is lovely.Cone on in!
What a wonderful book for anyone with even a passing interest in weather.A wealth of beautiful illustrations, both graphics and photographs, aided the well-written script.Rupp uses a clever device to appeal to kids of various ages and attitudes: the continuing weather diaries of two siblings, one a meticulous, precise older sister, the other a boy of infinite imagination and application.They give their versions of the same information with words and pictures, bringing elements across in a way that may have escaped the mere pedagogues among us.I read it with our 6 and 9 year old and was pleased to catch our 13 year old taking a peek when he thought he was alone.All boys.All interested. ... Read more

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Provides information about weather, including weather instruments used and how to interpret weather maps. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Golden Guide to WEATHER, a choice book.
It is small. It is well illustrated.It is simple.It is comprehensive.It is correct, almost no errors and no "over simplifications."If you are a CEO, a student, or a child over 10 and interested inunderstanding weather, this well organized and concise book is a good placeto start. ... Read more

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Meteorologists featuring Nine Nifty Weather Songs, for Unison and 2-Part Voices - Andy Beck and Brian FisherDon't miss this excellent opportunity for cross-curricular study as your students sing in varied musical styles about ever-changing weather conditions. Collaborate with your school's science department to perform the suggested experiments, incorporate the brief rhyming verse between each song to create a theatrical presentation, or simply sing the energizing music as it coordinates to daily weather conditions. Whether the weather is bright or bleak, your students will enjoy singing these songs any day of the week! ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Weather the Weather
Only worked with 3 of the songs so far, however my kids love them!If you purchase the book, it also comes with activities to do with the kids including key words, and some scientific studies. ... Read more

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The Little Princess knows how to have fun in all kinds of weather, from the sunny hot days at the beach to the fun windy days when you can fly along with your umbrella… ... Read more

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Focusing on detection and avoidance of severe weather, this book teaches pilots how to lessen their chances of being caught extreme weather conditions. Written so that anyone can understand complex meteorological terms, it attempts to bring across the most crucial principles that pilots can use to fly more wisely. Different weather conditions, including lightning, icing, and wind shear, and their effect on flying are discussed in detail. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

Weather Simplified
Finally, a book about weather in plain English.Unlike every other book I read on weather, the author keeps the subject very interesting.There is also answers to long-standing questions about flying in weather that no one ever dared answered that are in this book.A must read for every pilot.

Very good product
This product is same as described in purchase. Delivery was very quickly and good conditions. I recommend this product and provider. Sincerely. Jose Pena

Talks about nasty weather in a simple way.
This book is for the weather novice who doesn't want to get a PhD in meteorology, but still wants to stay out of trouble.While most of the information about thunderstorms is available elsewhere, his section on icing was particularly valuable. I would recommend this to any pilot who seems lost about weather reports or charts. If you know your way around surface analysis charts and lifted index charts then this book might be too simple for you.

Unreserved praise!
For all pilots!I purchased this book over ten years ago and I try to reread it each spring.This book condenses need to know information into useable "bites," and makes weather interesting and understandable.You will learn things about temperature dew point relationships and many other aspects of weather and weather flying that you may never hear any other place.If you are looking for a book that will better prepare you for the dynamics of weather flying, this is one of the very best.

severe weather flying
This is a must read book for any pilot who does serious weather flying.Dennis takes the mumbo jumbo and puts it in terms that are very easy to understand. With thirty two years of flying under my belt, this is the only book that makes practical sense of very technical issues. ... Read more

Product Description
New Englanders talk as much about their weather as about all other subjects combined. Anyone who's scampered for shelter during a summer shower or shoveled a path through snow in May knows that bending to the weather's whims is a way of life in New England. But what do you actually know about New England's weather or climate?

Combining a scholarly appreciation of weather systems and events with an ability to transmit their passion to a general audience, Gregory A. Zielinski and Barry D. Keim have written a one-of-a-kind guide to New England weather and climate. Not only are weather patterns in New England more changeable and more extreme than almost anywhere in the country, New England is the ultimate destination of nearly all storm tracks nationwide.Recently, newsworthy items such as global warming, El Nino, and La Nina have significantly impacted our local weather, in both the short and long term. Luckily, the science of meteorology and climatology and their tools of observation and analysis have made great strides in the past few years.

The authors offer an in-depth explanation of the latest theoretical insights into New England's weather along with a flurry of stories and lore about the vagaries of our clime. The book is divided into the seasons as we actually experience them--ski season, mud season, beach and lake season, and foliage season. It includes photos and illustrations: some all too familiar, many hard to believe. Zielinski and Keim succeed in providing an illuminating and entertaining analysis and commentary while whole-heartedly embracing our region's atmospheric peculiarities. This book won't do anything about New England's weather or climate but it will help you understand each of them. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Fantastic
Being from central Connecticut and a budding weather hobbyist, this book is fantastic. Besides being easy to read and well organized, it has a wealth of relevant information.

There are six parts: 1) what makes New England's weather and climate unique; 2) causes of change in New England's weather and climate; 3) diversity of New England's weather and climate -- from the mountains to the beaches; 4) seasons of New England; 5) the weather events that influence the lives of New Englanders; and 6) changes over time.

Each part shows both the experience and research of the author. I could have lived with fewer quotes from Mark Twain and fewer mentions of Mount Washington, but everything else more than makes up for it. A very professional book. Highly recommended. ... Read more

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Stop! Do you see that? This fun reader series encourages children to watch and recognize different natural cycles, such as the different phases of the moon or the rising and setting of the sun. ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (4)

A great place to start...
I have an interest in both weather and photography, and am kind of a beginner with both. I was surprised to find this book written by an obviously well-educated man who knows his Latin and certainly knows his weather. Storm Dunlop's explanations are concise and absolutely packed with information. I like how he tries to keep information grouped on similar topics across a one or two-page spread. This man clearly knows his weather - after a few pages I found myself thinking, "This guy does not write like your average photographer." In fact, he writes authoritatively as one who is highly educated and experienced at observing weather phenomena. The irony of the author's name is also not lost on me.

I am fascinated by science and by photography, but not by technological lingo about cameras. I had a hard time muddling through the equipment and photography explanations at the beginning of the book, in which some mention is made of how all this relates to weather, but for the most part, the author sticks to describing the basics of a camera, what you can make the camera do and what kind of equipment you may find helpful.

I think it must be hard to write a book on this topic because so many people want different things from a book on weather photography. The bulk of the time, I felt like I was reading a superbly photographed science textbook, and I was fascinated. It is a science textbook, in a way, but it is written specifically with the photographer in mind. This book is written for the photographer who is first and foremost an observer (which ought to be all photographers, right?), so that he can set about observing things knowledgeably. Really, even though the tips one needs for making particular types of photos might be lacking, as one reviewer has pointed out, as a beginner in weather photography all I am looking for is an understanding of what I am seeing. The fact that these explanations are made clearly, concisely and thoroughly by someone with knowledge in the sciences and a passion for photography makes the book a perfect place to start. If you have an inquiring mind, you will want to know what you are photographing anyway and what the value of your photos could be to meteorologists and weather enthusiasts. I especially appreciate that the author outlines the rarity of certain events, so that I know exactly what to keep an eye out for and what is going on in the atmosphere when I see it.

I think it was Mark Twain who said that a river would lose its beauty the longer you worked on the riverboats, as you came to know the meaning of each swirl in the water and adjust accordingly for what might be endangering your boat. After hearing this I had a fear that the more I learned about things like clouds, the more I would see them with a cold scientific eye and the less I would be able to simply enjoy them. The mixture of science and beautiful imagery in this book erases the chances of that happening in the hands of this particular author. In fact I feel armed and ready to go out and find all sorts of beautiful things to photograph now that I understand what they are and how they occur.

The photos are beautifully done and inspiring. I loved the addition of a short section on stereoscopic photography, something not often utilized these days. The author has challenged me to see not just the aesthetic and entertainment value of this charming photographic trick, but the value of it as a serious tool for modern-day weather enthusiasts. My only problem is that I can't figure out how to cross my eyes. Other than that small disappointment, I really enjoy the book and can't wait to see what will be in the sky tomorrow! Thank you, Mr. Dunlop, for your wonderful book!

4 stars, due to the fact that my anti-technological mind refuses to digest the opening chapter.

*****Edit******

I have a few more comments to add now that I have completed the book. First, I should say that after carefully reading and rereading many parts of the book, looking at the sky is a completely different experience for me. I take far more cloud pictures than I used to, and I notice far more phenomena in the sky than I ever imagined were there before. It is really a treat now just to look up and more deeply enjoy what I am seeing. Sometimes I feel like the only person around who is bothering to observe the sky in this way. I honestly wish others could know the same joy.

Second, I now feel that the book has a few areas in need of improvement. As I was reading, I noticed two things in particular: The author has a habit of mentioning special cloud types without explaining them or providing photographs. It was very frustrating to have a phenomenon named but not properly described or pictured.

And second, the captions of some very basic cloud type photos show cluds that are borderline or atypical for their type in some way. These examples should not be the main ones in an introductory text.The photos were merely confusing and left me having to guess at what was normal.A beginner needs to know what is ordinary before they can appreciate what is unusual or extraordinary. Of course, some photos are meant to show things that are very atypical, and these photos certainly belong in the book, but not to the exclusion of images that teach us to identify the normal ranges of cloud types. The interplay of photos and text ought to make more sense.

I also felt that the method of introducing the names of various cloud "subspecies" could be much better organized, on top of lacking photos and proper descriptions. They could and should be introduced more systematically, not simply sprinkled here and there without much rhyme or reason.

I hope that the author has a chance to release another edition of this book. Despite its shortcomings, it certainly was fascinating and inspiring. It gave me a joy and an appreciation for the sky that I have not known for a long time, and it has given me the impetus to start becoming a better photographer and observer of the sky wherever I go.

Helps you ID stuff to shoot, but not how to shoot it
I did NOT get this book from Amazon, I got it localy, but its the same one here on amazon. I seen this book and flipped through it mostly because I am into this type of stuff. Cloudscapes, Atmospheric / Optical phenomena such as Halos and Rainbows. The book is full of cloud types and discriptions and this is good. Also included is some wonderful photos. The book does go into some camera basics, but I felt as if there is missing information. I would have loved to see settings for many of the photos in the book such as halos. Some of the phenomena don't last a whole lot of time so it would have been nice to be given a "baseline" setting for said phenomena. I don't want to go out and guess what aperture to use and shutter speed while trying to shoot something that I have not seen before or being in a rush trying to get good shots of something dangrous like a Tornado. Though it is hard due to lighting to set a "standard" setting on a camera for say a halo. f/8 for 1/320 sec may do it for one image, it may not work in all cases. I still would like to know what setting where for many of the photos in the book

I am sure someone really good with photography who knows how to meter the scene right would not have much of a problem nailing down the right exposure.

The plus side of things is you get a basic weather primer. Where clouds are located in the atmosphere.

The bottom line? I got the book its going to stay on my book shelf. Its not too bad, I don't find much wrong with it, the camera settings would have been a plus. If you see the book localy pick it up and have a look see if it suites you. Personaly, I think the book is good for the 20 bucks and tax I paid for it, I will keep looking through it for ideas and cloud IDs

weather book with a side of photography
This book is good if you want to know lots about clouds and a little bit about other types of weather. It also contains a very basic section on photography. But, where this book is lacking is in the link between learning about weather and photography. These two weren't really put together at all. I was hoping to find tips on when to expect what kinds of weather, how to predict if the sunsets will be great, and how to capture lightning. These weren't there. Really, this is a book about weather with a little section on basic photography so they can call it "Photographing Weather".

Great Beginner Guide to Weather Photography
This book outlines most common weather phenomena, and details how to find and photograph it.Full of very nice photos, has small sections on camera basics, and composition, buy most is on cloud types, and how to photograph rarer weather. ... Read more

Product Description
Table of Contents:Chapter 1: Monitoring Weather 1 (Read Chapter 1 - Note that this pdf file is 9 Mb)Chapter 2: Atmosphere: Origin, Composition, and Structure 23 Chapter 3: Solar and Terrestrial Radiation 49 Chapter 4: Heat, Temperature, and Atmospheric Circulation 83 Chapter 5: Air Pressure 111 Chapter 6: Humidity, Saturation, and Stability 131 Chapter 7: Clouds, Precipitation, and Weather Radar 163Chapter 8: Wind and Weather 199 Chapter 9: Atmosphere's Planetary Circulation 225 Chapter 10: Weather Systems of Middle Latitudes 265Chapter 11: Thunderstorms and Tornadoes 299 Chapter 12: Tropical Weather Systems 333 Chapter 13: Weather Analysis and Forecasting 363 Chapter 14: Light and Sound in the Atmosphere 391Chapter 15: Climate and Climate Change 409Appendix I: Conversion Factors 449 Appendix II: Milestones in the History of Atmospheric Science 451Appendix III: Climate Classification 459Glossary: 465 Index: 497 ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Better than advertised
This was advertised used and paperback. It arrived before amazon contacted me that it was coming and as a practically new hard back.
A++
Thank you.

Never Received!!!!!
I never received this item.I paid for it, and I no longer want it. It has been too long.I tried contacting the sender, but he did not respond.What is the next step of action?Please respond soon, Thank you.
-Tara Burnett

everything's goo!
it's ok, everything's just like expected and it got here on time.
it's good i guess

great
Thanks alot this book was great and it was in great condition like the seller said! ... Read more

Product Description
Janis Cordelia Plumtree has killed the King of the West--or at least one of the personalities in her head has killed him, and the other personalities are resolved to restore the king to life. But first Plumtree must escape from a mental hospital with ally Sid Cochran, a winemaker who believes that his wife was killed by Dionysus, the Greek god of madness and wine.

Their quest for redemption and vengeance leads them to San Francisco, where they find themselves in the midst of a supernatural battle among several magicians-who-would-be-king, and finally to a tumultuous face-to-face confrontation with the god on the cliffs below the Golden Gate Bridge.Amazon.com Review
The Fisher King of the American West, Scott Crane, has been killed,and 14-year-old Koot Hoomie Parganas's perpetually bleeding wound makes himthe most likely candidate for a supernatural successor. But the king'sbody has not yet begun to decay, and as long as there is a chance that hecan be restored to the throne, his right-hand man, Archimedes Mavranos, iswilling to risk all to revive Crane. But to do that he'll need the help ofthe woman who killed Crane, plus that of a recently widowed winemaker whohas been touched by the god Dionysus, and the cooperation of Parganas'sreluctant foster parents. Chances are they'll all die in the process, butunless Crane can be revived they'll probably all die anyway. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (33)

Don't forget to pack your .45 and your palindromes
Ordinarily, when I write a review -- and I write a great many of them -- I try to summarize at least the salient points of the story and the plot, both to identify the book and to try to rope in potential readers. But I'm having a hard time doing that with this book; there's just so much story here. It's the third volume of a trilogy: Expiration Date was not a sequel to the award-winning Last Call but a work parallel to it; Earthquake Weather is very much a sequel to both the earlier works at once. Scott Crane, who won the poker game of a lifetime to become the Dionysian King of the West, is dead, murdered by Janis Plumtree -- or by one or all of the entities with whom she shares her head. Nature abhors a vacuum and the Earth needs a King, and it had better happen fast or all of the West Coast will be paying the price with, droughts and earthquakes and phylloxera. Will the new King be Kootie Parganas? He's now living with Pete Sullivan and Angelica Elizalde and he's matured considerably in the past couple of years, mystically preparing himself for the job. Or can Scott Crane, somehow, be summoned back to this world? Sid "Scant" Cochran, whose wife died in extremely strange circumstances the same night the King was stabbed in the throat with a trident, meets Plumtree in a psychiatric ward run by the sanctimonious Dr. Armentrout (an unlikable villain who is new to the story but who has much in common with the ghost-eaters of the previous book), and the two escape to join -- or be drafted into -- Scott Crane's tiny army of loyal retainers. And that's only the tiniest tip of this literary iceberg. The myths come thick and fast, the landscape of San Francisco has never been stranger, the Zinfandel is ready to be decanted, the old truck changes from blue to red, and the Old Gods are waiting in the cellars of the Winchester House. You'll have to pay attention to get every last drop of enjoyment out of all this, but it's definitely worth the effort. But I warn you: Don't even think of picking up this book until you've consumed the previous two.

Every heavy reader -- even those who depend on published book review sources to pick and choose among all the newly released titles -- nevertheless will admit to having several authors whose newest works they pick up automatically, without recourse to reviews, or even public relations jacket copy. I'm no different and up near the top of my own short list of "automatic" authors is Tim Powers, the master of the "secret history." Whatever bizarre take on our theoretically real world he's about to embark on next, I wanna be there.

Super Reader
I definitely didn't know when I read this that there were other related books, I just picked it up as the title looked interesting. It didn't leave me too hopelessly lost or anything, as the main plot thrust was having to replace a dead guy as the Fisher King.

The new one is a kid everyone is looking for, complete with supernatural type weirdness around.

An unworthy sequel to Last Call
This novel sucks. That's all I'm going to write about it.

This is NOT for the beginner
I'll say this now, if you're sitting here shopping for new books and you've heard a little bit about this Tim Powers guy and you want to give him a shot because everyone says he's really good (and he is) and this is the book that you want to use as an introduction to him . . . you're doomed.There's just no good way to put it.For the newcomer, unless they're really good at reading between the lines, this book is going to come across as impenetrable.Not that it isn't good, but new readers are going to feel like they've missed something.Powers doesn't do many sequels to his books, most of his stuff is standalone, but this time he decided to merge some threads from other novels.In the novel prior to this Expiration Date, he introduced some urban fantasy stuff about ghost swallowing and the general rules about haunts and so on, as well as introducing Koot Hoomie and his adopted parents, Pete Sullivan and Angelica.Meanwhile in the now classic (and written some time ago) Last Call, Powers told the story of Scott Crane and how he became the Fisher King, the ruler of the West Coast (and so on and so forth).So this novel is basically a sequel to both those novels as Powers rams the two plotlines together.What happens is that Scott Crane is murdered by a woman apparently possessed by ghosts and Kootie is tapped to be the next king.However he's too young and not really prepared for it and so one of the Crane's loyalists, Arky, comes up with a plan to restore him to life.Confused yet?What follows then is a narrative that seems both ponderous and breakneck as new characters start to mingle with old, with two new catalysts for the plot, Janis Plumtree (the murderer) and Sid Cochran, who just lost his wife and has some history with the god Dionysus.Plumtree is supposed to be possessed but is mostly just someone with Multiple Personality Disorder, constantly switching from one to the other (in a way that reminded me of Crazy Jane from Grant Morrison's Doom Patrol run, except that Plumtree's don't have superpowers).The two of them meet in a mental hospital, but escape due to a convenient earthquake and from there hook up with the rest of the cast.It's hard to review this book without describing most of the setup of the plot because if I don't I feel like I'm losing context but at the same time there just seems to be no way around it.Powers' streamlining of the two earlier books is neat and fairly seamless but all the fancy stuff just seems to come at the expense of his normally complex plotting and we're left with something turgid, with the characters lurching from one scene to another.As long as you keep a handle on the main plot, you're all right but once sideplots start getting dragged in things start getting confusing since it's hard to say how relevant they are.Plus, a lot of the plot seems to consist of "plot coupons" where the characters have to gather special objects that will help them for no other reason than the plot requires it.Some of this confusion might be because I haven't read Last Call in years (or Expiration Date, though that was sooner), so that the stuff with the god Dionysus isn't too clear and I really wasn't clear what significance Armentrout had to the plot, except he was somebody to chase the other characters around (and that mannequin thing was weird), and I really don't know who half the other nameless people who were chasing the cast around were, either.Basically this is a book where you just have to "go with it" and hope that it will all make sense by the end and Powers is enough of a professional to keep things moving adequately so that you don't spend too much time worrying about the stuff that just doesn't seem to work.But while his other books felt tighly constructed and taut, this one has a more rambling feel to it and suffers a little bit for it.Not that there aren't bright spots, the relationship between Cochran and Plumtree (and her several personalities) is cute, the constant barrage of nifty ideas about ghosts is always fun, and I like how Powers does urban fantasy effortlessly, so that you could believe all this magic stuff is going on right alongside the "real world".The down side to all of this is that instead of getting a dazzling book (which is what we're used to) we get something that's merely "good".And as an introduction to the world of Tim Powers, it's terrible, but as a nice continuation of the lives of characters we've already met, it does that well and for longtime readers it might be worth it just for that.

good - but I expected more....
I loved his previous two books -- Last Call and Expiration Date -- but found Earthquake Weather, where the ghost gobbling and Fisher King storylines have been merged, heavy going at times. Set in the American West, this book still manages some classic Powers moments and should still be read if you're a fan.

Ensure you read Last Call and Expiration Date first - both are highly recommended. If you don't really enjoy them, you'll probably want to give this one a skip. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Best explanation of weather at sea around
The date on this book - over twenty years ago - on a technical subject immediately suggests that it probably is dated and has been superseded by better books. I took a chance and bought it anyway. It still is in print from the Naval Institute Press and that Press didn't seem to have anything comparable in print. Am I ever glad that I did. There are many books on understanding weather at sea but none as informative as this one.

The discussions of clouds, low and high pressure systems, convection, wind shear, and even hurricanes are as thorough as you will find. Pressure differences and Coriolis force - force due to the earth's spinning on its axis - are fundamental building blocks for the book's explanation of weather.

If you want to understand the weather and will be using that knowledge at sea, this is a great book. This book provides explanations of why weather develops, why the trade winds blow the way that they do and what to look for in weather developments.

For example, Kotsch explains why daily showers happen over land during the day in areas such as Atlanta and why similar showers happen at night in areas such as the Virgin Islands. While not exactly earth shattering, I had noticed this big difference and wondered why it was different. Kotsch explains why you can use ocean swells to see where low pressure systems are, why wind direction changes over the course of the year in low-latitude areas such as the Virgin Islands and much more.

The book was written as a textbook for use at the Naval Academy. You might be concerned that the book presupposes that the reader knows physics, but it does not. I unfortunately have forgotten the physics that I learned in high school, so I would have noticed if Kotsch took a lot of physics for granted.

A major hole that I noticed because of the book's age is the discussion of how information about weather is acquired. Satellites are of course more important than in the 1980s and the system of bouys used to track the weather is much more extensive than in the 1980s. These deficiencies are not in terms of the understanding of weather though and are not a large part of the book.

Perhaps the major deficiency for understanding the weather is the tentative discussion of hurricanes - they are much better understood now. No doubt a meteorologist could find more deficiencies, but I have not noticed errors that affect my practical understanding of the weather.

As you can tell, I recommend this book very highly. It may not be the book for you though. If you are looking for rules of thumb to memorize about the weather, you will not like this book. Also, if you are looking for a simple overview, this is not the book for you. An overview of the basics that was informative for me was Weather at Sea by David Houghton.

A Mariner Must!
This book breaks down the basics of marine weather for any novice sailor and brings the deep details in for the seasoned seaman. A nautical must. ... Read more

Product Description
Have you ever seen a hailstone with a turtle frozen inside? Learn all about the weirdest, wackiest, wildest weather ever--and what makes it happen--in this science easy reader. Full color. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

Fascinating!
This is one book that my children keep asking for.They love hearing the TRUE STORIES of frogs, snakes, snails and fish falling from the sky and snowflakes the size of dinner plates.Finally a kids book where even I learn something!

Awesome Book!!
I really loved Pink Snow.Two of my 6th grade friends read it in class. They told me I would be amazed! I was!It has all kinds of cool stuff about weird weather patterns. For example, imagine looking up into the sky and seeing raining turtles!It really happened!! Buy this book. Kids will love it!
Madi, Age 11

Misleading title, & definitely NOT for homework assignments
If you are looking for a book to explain the phenomenon of "pink snow," this is not your book. Pink snow is explained on only one page, as falling snow formed around red soil. As a librarian who has faced homework assignments on the topic of "pink snow," I have learned that it is actually found in mountain ranges, under certain conditions, and is caused by microscopic algae. This certainly could have been explained on the easy reader level but it was not. I would hesitate even recommending this for leisure reading, since it will end up causing students confusion in the long run.

Perfect for the science classroom or child's bookshelf!
This is a wonderful book- for boys or girls!It would make a wonderful introduction to a science lesson on weather, and it's a great story for parents to read to their kids.Parents and children alike will enjoy the stories of toads raining from the sky, snowstorms in summer, and snowflakes 15 inches across!This is a great, non-fiction kids' book.I enjoyed it, and I'm 20!

All-Time Favorites!
This is one of my all-time favorite easy readers.Perfect for teaching about weather concepts, this book will amaze kids! From frogs raining to pink snow to snow in June covering Thomas Jefferson's farm, an amazing readaloud! This is one of the most sought after books in my classroom library. ... Read more

Product Description
The United States and other nations are facing large-scale risks at an accelerating pace. In 2005, three major hurricanes—Katrina, Rita, and Wilma—made landfall along the U.S. Gulf Coast within an eight-week period. The damage caused by these storms led to insurance reimbursements and federal disaster relief of more than $180 billion—a record sum. Today we are more vulnerable to catastrophic losses because of the increasing concentration of population and activities in high-risk coastal regions of the country. The question is not whether but when future catastrophes will strike. Who should pay the costs associated with catastrophic losses suffered by homeowners in hazard-prone areas?

In At War with the Weather, Howard Kunreuther and Erwann Michel-Kerjan and their colleagues deliver a groundbreaking analysis of how we currently mitigate, insure against, and finance recovery from natural disasters in the United States. They offer innovative, long-term solutions for reducing losses and providing financial support for disaster victims that define a coherent strategy to assure sustainable recovery from future large-scale disasters. The amount of data collected and analyzed and innovations proposed make this the most comprehensive book written on these critical issues in the past thirty years. ... Read more