Tornado Watch Number 211

by John G. Fuller

Book by Fuller, John Grant

Genres: Nonfiction, Nature, History

202 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 1987

About the author

John Grant Fuller, Jr. (1913 - 1990) was a New England-based American author of several non-fiction books and newspaper articles, mainly focusing on the theme of extra-terrestrials and the supernatural. For many years he wrote a regular column for the Saturday Review magazine, called "Trade Winds". His three most famous books were The Ghost of Flight 401, Incident at Exeter, and The Interrupted Journey.
The Ghost of Flight 401 was based on the tragic Eastern Air Lines airplane crash in December 1972, and the alleged supernatural events which followed; it was eventually turned into a popular 1978 made-for-television movie.
Incident at Exeter concerned a series of well-publicized UFO sightings in and around the town of Exeter, New Hampshire in the fall of 1965 (see the Exeter incident). Fuller personally investigated the sightings and interviewed many of the eyewitnesses, he also claimed to have seen a UFO himself during his investigation.
The Interrupted Journey tells the story of the Betty and Barney Hill abduction. The Hills were a married couple who claimed to have been abducted in 1961 by the occupants of a UFO in the White Mountains of New Hampshire while returning home from a vacation. The book was the first to seriously claim that competent, reliable witnesses were being abducted by UFOs for medical and scientific experiments. The book remains one of the most influential in UFO history; and has been hotly debated since its publication. Like The Ghost of Flight 401, The Interrupted Journey was also turned into a made-for-television movie in 1975.
Fuller wrote The Great Soul Trial (1969) about the disappearance of Arizona Miner James Kidd and the later trial regarding his will, which left his fortune to anyone who could prove the existence of the human soul. The book was published prior to the final resolution of the case in 1971.
John was also married to a NorthWest flight Attendant who was the researcher mentioned in his book "Ghost of Flight 401" His book We Almost Lost Detroit deals with a serious accident at the Fermi nuclear power plant near Detroit. The book title was later the title of a song by Gil Scott-Heron on the No Nukes live album recorded by the Musicians United for Safe Energy.
He wrote two plays -- The Pink Elephant, which opened in 1953, and Love Me Little, which opened in 1958, both on Broadway.
His most important book was the fictional novel We Almost Lost Detroit. There is a song by Gil Scott-Heron, same title.
Fuller died of lung cancer in 1990.

Reviews

[Bree · Rating 5 out of 5]

My family lived this nightmare in 1985. Albion was my hometown, Sandra Stahlsmith is my mother. Fuller's book is suspenseful and pretty accurate, full of facts and laced with emotion too. Even after almost 30 years, I can still see it all so clearly in my memory just like it reads in his book. Like any disaster story, it's very difficult to read knowing how much destruction and death really happened to so many people. Our family, after losing our house and my six year old brother, never fully recovered.

[Dennis Mersereau · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tornado Watch #211 is a heartbreaking look at the devastation wrought by the tornado outbreak of May 31, 1985. It's an educational experience to read the book after nearly 40 years of hindsight and technological advancement.


The author wistfully laments throughout that more advanced radar could one day provide up to 20 minutes of warning--a service we take for granted today. Even more fascinating is the focus on the aftermath. Survivors had to fight against bureaucracy for long-term help. Everyone from first responders to reporters had to deal with the psychological effects of what they witnessed.


Disasters are frightening. As someone who reports on the weather nearly every day, books like this are a helpful reminder that real people live beneath the colorful blobs showing up on radar.

[Sheila Myers · Rating 5 out of 5]

I grew up not far from Beaver Falls and remember the storms. My brother was in the National Guard and helped in the aftermath, but never talked a lot about it. I don't remember the news stories. John Fuller did a great job describing the work of the various weather centers and the stories of the victims, rescuers, and other people involved.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book, which I believe is out of print, is an excellent examination of the 1985 tornado outbreak in Pennsylvania and Ohio. I was very, very young when one of these tornadoes hit Kane, Pennsylvania, which was about 30 minutes from my hometown. I grew up knowing that yes, tornadoes could hit (and kill) in my world, and they were far from the romantic version found in Wizard of Oz. This book studies the impact of these tornadoes that tore through Pennsylvania, Ohio, and even southern New York, causing millions, if not billions, of damage as well as taking many, many lives. It's a brisk and excellent read.

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book helped determine the direction of my life. I discovered it through the Reader's Digest feature and was glad when my parents got me the hardcover for Christmas. Two particular scenes in this book became seeds that grew to life-long passions in meteorology and firefighting/EMS. The more powerful of the two was of Sandra Stahlsmith and her son Luke, which remained branded into my memory to this day. As a result, I became an EMT at 19, meteorologist at 25, and finally "took the leap" to the state fire academy at 33. Along the way I couldn't resist flight lessons, in which I learned about the safety contributions of Dr. Ted Fujita (regarding wind shear crash prevention). My introduction to Dr. Fujita came from this book; he is the weather researcher whose work is well-described in it. This book has become one of my prized possessions because of everything the sight of it brings to mind. As an EMT I've seen many people in trauma including some who didn't make it, but somehow all that stuff blends together in my mind while the scene of the Stahlsmiths in this book still stands above them all. When the "first responder numbness" becomes a problem, that scene can still bring back human feeling, LIFE. I can still see the volunteer firefighters sheltering as the twister approaches, and see the forecasters at what is now the NOAA Storm Prediction Center. As an adult I can directly relate to them all. Sadly I can now relate to the Stahlsmiths as well. The sight of this book makes my life since 1987 flash through my eyes and I think "what a journey it's been."

[Melissa Grossman · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is hands-down my favorite book—and has been for a long time. I’ve been reading Tornado Watch 211 every year since 1991, and somehow, it still keeps me on the edge of my seat every single time.

The book tells the true story of the massive tornado outbreak on April 3, 1974. John G. Fuller brings together real-life accounts from people who lived through it—weather experts, pilots, families, and everyday folks just trying to survive one of the worst storms in U.S. history. Even though I know what’s going to happen, the way Fuller builds suspense makes it feel brand new every time I pick it up.

What I love most is how real it all feels. The mix of facts, emotion, and firsthand stories really pulls you in. It’s intense, heartbreaking, and fascinating all at once.

If you like true stories, extreme weather, or just a book that grabs you and doesn’t let go—this is it. I’ll be reading it again next year, no question.

[Pauline · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have wanted to read this book ever since an excerpt appeared in a Reader’s Digest magazine in the late 80's. I never received the hardcopy version when I requested it from my library way back when. The book focused on a violent tornado outbreak on the last day of May, 1985.

Reading this book reminded me of the importance of taking all weather alerts seriously and not to play with nature. There were at least two occasions where the insistence of younger members of households that everyone must go into the basement probably saved their lives. We need to listen to children more often than we do.

[Gary · Rating 5 out of 5]

My family lived in Farrell and watched as the Wheatland tornado rolled through. A somber read. 40 years later, the technology has improved immensely. The folks at the NWS did the best they could with the technology of the time. If this were to happen today, the damage might be the same, but we’d have close to an hour to prepare. Maybe in another 40 years we’ll have developed a way to destroy these things.

[Erin Burns · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fascinating look back at the 1985 tornadoes that rolled through Ohio, Pennsylvania and New York. Crazy how far our warning systems have come. I enjoyed tales of some of the lives impacted by the storms as well as those who forecasted, helped to warn others and those who assisted in the aftermath.

[Taylor King · Rating 3 out of 5]

It is a decent book that covers the F5 tornado that hit Niles, Ohio. I personally feel like the narrative that this book tells would be better portrayed as a documentary rather than in written form.

[SouthWestZippy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good book. Quick and easy read.