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The Tornado: Nature's Ultimate Windstorm
Tornadoes occur in every state in the Union, and each region of the nation has its unique "tornado season." The most intense tornadoes can carry automobiles a half-mile and level a well built home. Some tornadoes have crossed mountains, seemingly unimpeded. Some have lasted more than an hour, scouring the earth with wind speeds of 250 miles per hour. Nor are tornadoes unique to the United States. In Bangladesh, for example, they have killed a thousand people in a single swath.Filled with dramatic accounts of tornado touchdowns, this book addresses the whirlwind of questions surrounding the phenomenon of the tornado. How often does a tornado hit a particular location? How fast are the winds? Do tornadoes really seek out trailer parks? Can they actually defeather a chicken? How many tornadoes hit the United States every year? How big can tornadoes grow? Thomas P. Grazulis, a tornado research meteorologist and founder of the Tornado Project, has been a consultant for television specials, including Cyclone (National Geographic), Target Tornado (The Weather Channel), Forces of Nature (CBS), and others, helping provide answers to these questions for the general public. Here he sets the record straight about tornado risk, the Fujita Scale, and the number of tornadoes occurring annually. He also sheds light on misconceptions and contradictory theories about tornadoes. Recreating the incredible drama so often accompanying interactions between people and tornadoes, The Nature's Ultimate Windstorm provides detailed meteorological and statistical information on these marvels of nature, among the most fascinating scientific puzzles on the planet.
- GenresScienceNonfictionNature
324 pages, Hardcover
First published March 1, 2001
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About the author
Thomas P. Grazulis
7 books5 followersThomas P. Grazulis is a meteorologist who has written extensively about tornadoes and is head of the Tornado Project.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
March 24, 2016
Even before you dig into this twister tome, you can't help notice that it was published by the University of Oklahoma Press in Norman, OK. Norman is the home of the one of the most famous weather HQ's in the world, the National Weather Service Forecast Office, the daily think tank where the top experts constantly pore over computer models and charts and graphs to determine the likely weather forecast for all regions of the United States that day and for the longer term. Norman and Oklahoma City sit squarely in the bullseye of Tornado Alley, the epicenter of the most active tornadic region on Earth. The university, not surprisingly, is home to one of the top meteorology programs.
So one is immediately instilled with confidence at these bona fides when cracking open this rather amazing book by Grazulis, who I hereby dub the Guru and the Grand Poobah of the Gustnado, the Sultan of the Spineroos, the Titan of the Twister, the Czar of the Cyclone, and the Emir of the EF0's through EF5's.
Reading this, it doesn't seem that there is any aspect of the tornado phenomenon that Grazulis hasn't deeply pondered, considered and worked out in his head. His case studies are all scrupulously considered and painstakingly researched; he is supremely rational without being boring about it. Almost any tornado of significance has been examined, and his debunking of tornado myths is often as funny as illuminating. His data is so comprehensive that he often confidently disputes the official statistics of the National Weather Service, and backs his claims up with thorough explanations. His accounts of the evolution and highlights in the field of tornado forecasting are fascinating, as are his tributes to some of the heroes of tornado forecasting science, including John Park Finley in the 1800s and Tetsuya Fujita, the father of modern tornado science and the creator of the famous Fujita-scale, or F-scale, (now EF scale) for ranking tornadoes according to wind speed and damage wrought. Grazulis' contemplation of risk analysis near the end of the book is a thing of beauty.
At first, I found Grazulis a little offputting, a little fuddy duddyish and curmudgeonly in the stubbornness, precision and contrariness that he exhibits, like my old-school second-grade teacher who insisted you not chew gum in class or not spit on the sidewalk. He seems almost fanatical in his insistence on exactitude. But, ultimately it was these very things that won me over. The guy knows his stuff, and the book is very satisfying for it.
The short of it is, that this book--current up to the 1999 Moore, OK, EF5 tornado--has to be the very best primer on and about tornadoes out there. Anyone interested in them will find their reading of this rewarding.
So one is immediately instilled with confidence at these bona fides when cracking open this rather amazing book by Grazulis, who I hereby dub the Guru and the Grand Poobah of the Gustnado, the Sultan of the Spineroos, the Titan of the Twister, the Czar of the Cyclone, and the Emir of the EF0's through EF5's.
Reading this, it doesn't seem that there is any aspect of the tornado phenomenon that Grazulis hasn't deeply pondered, considered and worked out in his head. His case studies are all scrupulously considered and painstakingly researched; he is supremely rational without being boring about it. Almost any tornado of significance has been examined, and his debunking of tornado myths is often as funny as illuminating. His data is so comprehensive that he often confidently disputes the official statistics of the National Weather Service, and backs his claims up with thorough explanations. His accounts of the evolution and highlights in the field of tornado forecasting are fascinating, as are his tributes to some of the heroes of tornado forecasting science, including John Park Finley in the 1800s and Tetsuya Fujita, the father of modern tornado science and the creator of the famous Fujita-scale, or F-scale, (now EF scale) for ranking tornadoes according to wind speed and damage wrought. Grazulis' contemplation of risk analysis near the end of the book is a thing of beauty.
At first, I found Grazulis a little offputting, a little fuddy duddyish and curmudgeonly in the stubbornness, precision and contrariness that he exhibits, like my old-school second-grade teacher who insisted you not chew gum in class or not spit on the sidewalk. He seems almost fanatical in his insistence on exactitude. But, ultimately it was these very things that won me over. The guy knows his stuff, and the book is very satisfying for it.
The short of it is, that this book--current up to the 1999 Moore, OK, EF5 tornado--has to be the very best primer on and about tornadoes out there. Anyone interested in them will find their reading of this rewarding.
April 18, 2024
I’ve anticipated reading this literally for years, and the book mostly let me down. Here’s the thing:
If you’re a complete weather geek fascinated by how tornadoes are born, what they look like during their life cycle, and how they die, this is your book. There are tables in here that drone on and on forever. To retain my sanity, I had to skip whole chapters.
If you read this, focus hard on chapters eight and nine. Chapter eight deals with myths associate with tornadoes, and it was fascinating. Chapter nine focuses on safety and what you can do to save yourself should you be in the path of one of these.
Th myth chapter was surprising to me in some ways. I’ve heard for years that, if you’re in a car, get under an underpass and lie down. This author says the underpass is possibly suicide. He advocates for a roadside ditch instead.
Clearly, the guy has credibility in surplus. He brings his receipts to this book bigtime. Sadly, for me at least, that was a disadvantage for me. Too many numbers, not enough humanity.
If you’re a complete weather geek fascinated by how tornadoes are born, what they look like during their life cycle, and how they die, this is your book. There are tables in here that drone on and on forever. To retain my sanity, I had to skip whole chapters.
If you read this, focus hard on chapters eight and nine. Chapter eight deals with myths associate with tornadoes, and it was fascinating. Chapter nine focuses on safety and what you can do to save yourself should you be in the path of one of these.
Th myth chapter was surprising to me in some ways. I’ve heard for years that, if you’re in a car, get under an underpass and lie down. This author says the underpass is possibly suicide. He advocates for a roadside ditch instead.
Clearly, the guy has credibility in surplus. He brings his receipts to this book bigtime. Sadly, for me at least, that was a disadvantage for me. Too many numbers, not enough humanity.
May 15, 2014
For a book that only came out 13 years ago, this one is incredibly dated. Also, the author's kind of a pompous tool. I can completely understand how he catalogued every tornado in the US for his other book, Significant Tornadoes. I wish this one would have been story oriented, instead of just listing mass quantities of data, and then explaining how the explanations are too advanced for lay people.
If you're looking for beginner info on how tornadoes, this might not be bad. If you want some cool tornado stories - skip this one.
If you're looking for beginner info on how tornadoes, this might not be bad. If you want some cool tornado stories - skip this one.
June 22, 2016
If you want the background and science behind tornados, this is the book to read.
It covers the development of the tornado, along with the beginning of forecasting, watches and warnings, and shares what important people of the times shared with us, like Fujita and his scale of rating tornados. Some of the chapters include safety and what to do when a tornado forms as well as myths. Some of the stories the author shares are funny (in the way of strange) and horrible, especially the damage and deaths that tornados did cause.
It was well worth the read.
It covers the development of the tornado, along with the beginning of forecasting, watches and warnings, and shares what important people of the times shared with us, like Fujita and his scale of rating tornados. Some of the chapters include safety and what to do when a tornado forms as well as myths. Some of the stories the author shares are funny (in the way of strange) and horrible, especially the damage and deaths that tornados did cause.
It was well worth the read.
September 25, 2010
Excellent book on a most amazing phenomenon.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews