Cloud Warriors: Deadly Storms, Climate Chaosand the Pioneers Creating a Revolution in Weather Forecasting

(Hardback)

Publishing Details

Classifications

Physical Properties

Description

Killer tornadoes. Catastrophic hurricanes. Lethal heat waves. Across the United States and around the world, extreme weather events bring an unending torrent of death and destruction. One indispensable tool consistently offers the ability to help reduce the impact of these calamities: the weather forecast. For centuries, humans have sought to foretell nature's next moves, from ancient farmers to trailblazers of the Space Age, who brought computers and satellites to bear on the problem. Now a new wave of advances, including artificial intelligence and data-gathering drones, makes it possible to accurately detect these fearsome events further in advance. They provide critical time to prepare and get people out of harm's way-an undertaking made ever more urgent by the effects of climate change. In a remarkable tale of innovation and perseverance, veteran journalist Thomas E. Weber takes readers into the world of the pioneers creating these game-changing forecasts. From storm chasers racing to hunt twisters and physicists unraveling the secrets of the atmosphere, from scientists studying how people react to warnings to humanitarian groups rushing to avert famines, Weber goes behind the scenes to show how predictions keep getting better. He explains what's needed to turn these forecasts into actions that prevent tragedies and how anyone can become more weather literate to protect themselves in emergencies. Cloud Warriors will change the way you think about treacherous weather-and the power of being able to see it coming.

Reviews

"A fascinating look at the state of weather forecasting."--Booklist

"Weber aims to increase weather literacy and does an excellent job in helping readers achieve that goal."--Library Journal

"Eye-opening...The vibrant profiles highlight the passion, expertise, and commitment of weather researchers, and the smart blend of meteorology and sociology reveals how extreme weather disproportionately affects the poor...An impassioned case for the value of weather forecasting."--Publishers Weekly

"Weird weather and all the risks that go with it--from fires and floods, to health crises and financial catastrophes--are the new normal. That means forecasting the weather accurately is now a life-or-death proposition. In Cloud Warriors, Weber tells us who's doing it and how, in ways that will keep you turning the page."--Rana Foroohar, author of Makers and Takers: How Wall Street Destroyed Main Street

"A fascinating, vivid, and enlightening book. Cloud Warriors sets a standard in storytelling about our era's most advanced technology, and highest-stake global (and local) trends, in clear and gripping terms."--James Fallows, author of Our Towns: A 100,000-Mile Journey into the Heart of America

"In any book about climate and weather, the atmosphere itself becomes a powerful character. But here, so too do the storm-chasing scientists and algorithm-writing physicists who study and do battle with these natural beasts. In Weber's adept hands, we learn about all of these sets of combatants, courtesy of a yarn that is powerful, compelling, and edifying."--Jeffrey Kluger, author of Apollo 8: The Thrilling Story of the First Mission to the Moon

"Cloud Warriors is a testament to how--in a time of divisiveness and misinformation about climate and weather--the clarity of science can help better the world."--Richard Stengel, author of Mandela's Way: Lessons for an Uncertain Age

"Cloud Warriors is a unique and fascinating book that combines the thrill of chasing storms with the clarity of scientific insights and the physics behind them."--Dr. Jagadish Shukla, author of A Billion Butterflies: A Life in Climate and Chaos Theory

Author Bio

Thomas E. Weber is a veteran writer, editor, and newsroom executive with a lifelong interest in how science and technology shape society. He was The Wall Street Journal's first internet columnist and later became a bureau chief for the paper. As executive editor of TIME, he supervised the magazine's feature journalism. He has taught journalism and publishing at Columbia University and New York University, as well as at his alma mater, Princeton University.